Buy the right amount the first time.
Most calculators assume a perfect yard and best-case coverage. We start from the research extension services and manufacturers publish, then allow for what happens on a real job: soil that settles, gravel that packs down, cut-offs and waste. Every number is on the page, so you can check our math.
Take mulch: most calculators default to 2 inches, a depth weeds come through more easily. We use 3 for bark and chips, and subtract whatever is already in the bed.
- Real-world numbers
- Sources linked
- Every assumption shown
Pool
- Pool volume calculatorGallons for round, oval, rectangle, and kidney pools, from real water depth.
- Pool chlorine calculatorHow much chlorine to add, with a swim range for your stabilizer level.
- Pool salt calculatorPounds and bags of salt for your generator brand, added in stages to avoid overshooting.
- Pool alkalinity calculatorBaking soda to raise total alkalinity, starting with a cautious first dose.
- Pool stabilizer (CYA) calculatorStabilizer for chlorine or salt pools, plus how much water to replace when it’s too high.
- Pool pH calculatorMuriatic acid, dry acid or soda ash to move pH, sized to your alkalinity and added in stages.
- Pool calcium hardness calculatorCalcium chloride to raise hardness, with targets by pool surface, or how much water to replace.
Lawn and garden
- Mulch calculatorBags or cubic yards at a depth that keeps weeds down, minus the mulch already there.
- Topsoil calculatorCubic yards, bags, or tons for a lawn, top dressing, or a bed, allowing for settling.
- Raised bed soil calculatorTopsoil and compost for one or more beds, as bags or bulk, with settling and an optional filler layer.
- Grass seed calculatorPounds of seed by grass type for a new lawn, a renovation, or overseeding, from extension rates.
- Lawn fertilizer calculatorPounds of fertilizer from the N-P-K on your bag, with per-application limits and state rules.
- Sod calculatorSlabs, rolls, and pallets of sod, with 10% extra for cuts.
Hardscape and building
- Gravel calculatorTons or bags, by stone type and use, with extra for compaction.
- Concrete calculatorBags for a slab or fence posts, with the post subtracted and a ready-mix check.
- Paver calculatorPavers, base stone, sand, and edging, with base depth set by use and soil.
- Fence calculatorPosts, pickets or panels, and concrete worked out from your fence layout and hole size.
Indoor
Every calculator lists its sources and the date we last checked them. How we pick our numbers