70 cubic meters of mulch

HOME

Math Central

Quandaries & Queries

Question from zsuzsi:

i have 70 cubic meters of mulch to move and an 8 tonne truck to use
how much tonnage is to 1 square meter so that i can work out how many trips i need to make

Hi Zsuzsi,

I looked for the density (kilograms per cubic metre) of mulch and I found a wide range from 850 pounds per cubic yard (504.29 kg/m³) to 450 pounds per cubic yard (266.97 kg/m³). If this range is correct then your 70 cubic meters weighs between 504.29 × 70 = 35300.3 kilograms to 266.97 × 70 = 18687.9 kilograms. That's 35300.3/1000 = 35.3 tonnes to 18687.9/1000 = 18.7 tones. With your 8 tonne truck that is between 35.3/8 = 4.4 and 18.7/8 = 2.3 trips.

I'm sorry I can't be more explicit but the answer depends on the mulch you are moving.

Penny

Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.