Landscaping
Landscaping Grass Seed Calculator
Calculate grass seed for a job with preparation, sowing method and aftercare counted.
Result
Seeding rates differ sharply by species and roughly double between overseeding and a new lawn. Fine fescues and ryegrass need considerably more per thousand square feet than bluegrass, and sowing at the wrong rate wastes either seed or a season.
Get a Free Business AuditWhat moves the number
- Area and the rate for the chosen mix.
- Seedbed preparation, which determines whether the seed germinates evenly.
- Whether the site can be kept off and watered during establishment.
Where this one goes wrong
Sowing into an unprepared seedbed. Seed needs contact with fine soil to germinate, and broadcasting onto a rough or compacted surface produces patchy establishment that the customer sees as a failed job.
Questions
About this calculator
How long before a seeded lawn is usable?
Considerably longer than turf, and it depends on season and species. Setting that expectation before the job prevents the most common complaint.
Should seed be covered?
Lightly incorporated rather than buried, and often protected from birds. Seed left on the surface dries out and germinates poorly.
What about weeds?
A new seedbed germinates whatever weed seed is in the soil alongside the grass. That is normal, it needs explaining in advance, and it is managed after establishment rather than before.
The formula
pounds = area / coverage per pound
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How to use this calculator
- Length (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 50 ft.
- Width (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 30 ft.
- Coverage per pound (sq ft) (sq ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 200 sq ft.
- Waste allowance (%). Extra for cuts, breakage and offcuts.
- Cost per pound ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $6.5.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to pounds of seed, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Length (ft) | 50 ft |
| Width (ft) | 30 ft |
| Coverage per pound (sq ft) | 200 sq ft |
| Waste allowance | 5% |
| Cost per pound | $6.5 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Pounds of seed main result | 8 |
| Area | 1,500.0 |
| Area including waste | 1,575.0 |
| Estimated material cost | $52 |
For 1,500.0 sq ft plus 5% waste you need 8 pounds, costing about $52.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only cost per pound, this is what happens to pounds of seed. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Cost per pound ($) | Pounds of seed |
|---|---|
| $3.25 | 8 |
| $4.88 | 8 |
| $6.5 example above | 8 |
| $9.75 | 8 |
| $13 | 8 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Length (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 50 ft.
- Width (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 30 ft.
- Coverage per pound (sq ft) (sq ft)
- Measured in sq ft, starting at 200 sq ft.
- Waste allowance (%)
- Extra for cuts, breakage and offcuts.
- Cost per pound ($)
- A money amount, starting at $6.5.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Pounds of seed | The headline result. A number. |
| Area | A decimal figure. |
| Area including waste | A decimal figure. |
| Estimated material cost | A money figure. |
Seasonality is not in this
Coverage and material figures assume the area you enter. Slope, access for machinery, existing growth and the time of year all affect both quantity and labour, and none of them appear in a calculation like this.
Keep going
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