About Bag & Bucket

Bag & Bucket is a small set of calculators for the question every home project starts with: how much do I need to buy? Each one takes the measurements you can take with a tape and turns them into the units stores sell, adding the waste allowance that experienced builders plan for.

The calculators are simple arithmetic built on published rules of thumb. They give a sound starting point, not a guarantee. Labels, suppliers and site conditions vary, so check the product's own coverage figure before buying.

Figures we use

Paint coverage

350 sq ft per gallon per coat. Doors count as 20 sq ft and windows as 15 sq ft.

Concrete bag yield

80 lb ≈ 0.6 cu ft, 60 lb ≈ 0.45 cu ft, 40 lb ≈ 0.3 cu ft. A cubic yard is 27 cu ft.

Aggregate weight

gravel 1.4 t/yd³, crushed stone 1.35 t/yd³, pea gravel 1.4 t/yd³, river rock 1.35 t/yd³, sand 1.35 t/yd³, topsoil 1.1 t/yd³ (approximate, dry).

Tile waste

straight 10%, diagonal 15%, herringbone 20%.

Drywall

10% extra for cuts; about 1 screw per sq ft and 370 ft of joint tape per 1,000 sq ft.

Use it from your own tools

Every calculator is also available as a JSON API (for example /api/mulch-calculator?width=10&length=12&depth=3) and as tools for AI assistants through our MCP endpoint at /mcp.

Found a mistake?

If a figure looks wrong for your area or product, tell us and we'll check it.