Sod calculator

How the sod calculator works

The calculator finds your lawn area in square feet, adds a small waste factor for pieces trimmed around curves, walks, and sprinkler heads, then divides by the roll size and the pallet coverage. Most farms sell by the pallet or half pallet, so the result is rounded to the nearest half.

Pallet coverage is not standardized. Southern farms selling Bermuda and St. Augustine often ship 400 to 500 sq ft per pallet; northern farms selling bluegrass and fescue rolls range from 500 to 700. Always confirm the number with your supplier and enter it above, since the difference changes the pallet count by a third.

Formula

sod needed = area × (1 + waste)

pallets = sod needed ÷ coverage per pallet

Example: a 50 × 30 ft backyard is 1,500 sq ft. With 5 percent waste you need 1,575 sq ft. At 450 sq ft per pallet that is 3.5 pallets, which is 158 rolls of 2 × 5 ft sod weighing about 2 tons.

Before the sod arrives

• Kill or strip the old grass, then till 4 to 6 in deep and rake out rocks. Add topsoil if the grade is low; the topsoil calculator sizes that order.
• Set the finished grade about 1 in below walks and driveways so the sod sits flush.
• Apply a starter fertilizer and lightly water the soil the day before.
• Lay the first row along the longest straight edge, stagger joints like bricks, and butt edges tight with no overlap.
• Water immediately and keep the sod wet for two weeks. Stay off it for three.

If the budget does not stretch to sod, the grass seed calculator prices the slower route.