How much sod do you need?
Add your lawn areas, get square feet, pallets, slabs and rolls instantly.
How do I calculate how much sod I need?
Measure the lawn in square feet and add 5 to 10% for cutting around beds, walks and curves. A 20 by 30 ft lawn is 600 square feet; with 5% extra that is 630 square feet — about 1.4 pallets of 450 square feet, 237 slabs of 16 by 24 inches or 63 rolls of 2 by 5 feet.
How many square feet are in a pallet of sod?
Usually 400 to 500 square feet, most often 450 or 500, depending on the farm and the grass. A pallet of 16 by 24 inch slabs holds roughly 150 to 190 pieces at about 2.67 square feet each. Ask your supplier for their pallet size and add it as your own option in the table.
How much extra sod should I order?
About 5% for a simple, rectangular lawn and 10% for one with curved beds, trees or slopes. Sod dries out within a day or two, so aim close: leftovers are hard to use later.
How do I measure an irregular lawn?
Split it into rectangles, circles and triangles, measure each piece and add them with + Add another area. Measure only the parts that will get grass, leaving out beds, patios and paths.
When is the best time to lay sod?
For cool-season grasses such as fescue and bluegrass, early fall and spring; for warm-season grasses such as Bermuda, zoysia and St. Augustine, late spring into summer. Lay it the day it arrives, on prepared, moist soil, and water it deeply right away.
How is sod sold, and do I have to buy a whole pallet?
Sod is sold by the square foot, by the roll or slab, or by the pallet, depending on the farm. Some suppliers sell partial pallets, others do not, and pallet sizes of 400, 450 or 500 square feet change the count: 968 square feet is 2.42 pallets of 400, 2.15 of 450 and 1.94 of 500. Ask what the supplier counts as a pallet before you order.
How long can sod wait before it is laid?
Not long. The University of Florida's IFAS Extension notes that sod quality declines rapidly about 48 hours after it is cut, and growers advise laying it the day it arrives. Schedule the delivery for when the soil is already prepared and when helpers are there.
How the quantity is calculated
The calculator adds up the area of every piece of lawn you enter, adds your waste percentage, and then divides by the size of the unit you buy: a pallet, a 16 by 24 inch slab (2.67 square feet), a 2 by 5 foot roll (10 square feet) or a single square foot. Because you cannot buy a fraction of a slab, the count is rounded up to whole units, so the area you pay for is always a bit larger than the area you need. The waste allowance covers cuts along edges, curves and trees; it does not cover a failed first attempt or sod that dried out while waiting.
Worked example: 25 by 40 ft lot with a bed
A 25 by 40 ft yard is 1,000 square feet. A 10 by 12 ft planting bed that will stay as it is takes out 120, leaving 880 square feet of lawn. With 10% extra for curves the order is 968 square feet. That is 2.15 pallets of 450 square feet, so 3 pallets if the supplier sells whole pallets, or 363 slabs, or 97 rolls of 10 square feet. With only 5% extra the same yard needs 924 square feet, a difference of 44 square feet.
Laying it out
Lay the first row along a straight edge such as a driveway or walk, butt the pieces tightly without overlapping them, and stagger the end joints from row to row like bricks so that four corners never meet at one point. On a slope, run the rows across the slope instead of down it. Trim pieces to fit around beds with a sharp knife, and use the cut-offs to fill small gaps rather than ordering more. Water as soon as the first section is down, and keep watering as you go, so that the first rows do not dry out while you finish the last ones.
Common mistakes
Measuring the whole lot instead of only the planted lawn overstates the order, while ignoring a strip along the house or the fence understates it. Ordering exactly the measured area leaves no room for edge cuts, and a single missing pallet delays the job for days. Mixing up square feet and linear feet is common when working from a plan. Finally, a delivery that arrives before the soil is graded and moist forces you to leave sod stacked in the sun; get the ground ready first.
Sources: University of Florida IFAS Extension (Northwest District), "Installing sod: remember these ten tips" (laying the same day, staggered seams, tight butting and watering); pallet, slab and roll sizes as in the notes above from sod farms and suppliers. Related: fertilizer calculator, grass seed calculator and mulch calculator.