Landscaping
Sod Calculator
Work out turf quantity from lawn area, with waste for cuts and shaping.
Result
Sod is perishable. It should be laid within 24 hours of delivery, sooner in hot weather. Order to a schedule rather than stockpiling.
Get a Free Business AuditWhat moves the number
- Area measured to the edges, including any awkward shapes.
- Waste from cutting to curves and around obstacles.
- Whether the ground preparation is included, which is most of the labour.
Where this one goes wrong
Ordering turf without confirming the ground is ready. Turf is perishable and has to go down within a day or two of delivery, and a site that turns out to need preparation means the turf sits and deteriorates.
Before you quote
- That the ground is graded, cleared and prepared before turf is ordered.
- Whether irrigation is available, since new turf needs consistent watering.
- Delivery timing against the crew's availability to lay it.
Questions
About this calculator
How quickly must turf be laid?
Very. It is a living product on a pallet and it deteriorates fast, particularly in warm weather. Ordering before the ground is ready is the most common way turf is wasted.
How much waste should I allow?
More for a curved or complex lawn than a rectangle, because every curve means cutting. A straightforward shape wastes little.
What matters most to turf establishing?
Ground preparation and watering. Turf laid on poor ground or left unwatered fails regardless of its quality, and the customer attributes that to the turf rather than to the conditions.
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Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- Lawn length (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 60 ft.
- Lawn width (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 40 ft.
- Coverage per roll (sq ft) (sq ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 10 sq ft.
- Waste allowance (%). Cuts around beds, paths and curves.
- Cost per roll ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $5.5.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to rolls needed, 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 |
|---|---|
| Lawn length (ft) | 60 ft |
| Lawn width (ft) | 40 ft |
| Coverage per roll (sq ft) | 10 sq ft |
| Waste allowance | 8% |
| Cost per roll | $5.5 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Rolls needed main result | 260 |
| Area | 2,400.0 |
| Area including waste | 2,592.0 |
| Estimated material cost | $1,430 |
| Pallets | 6 |
For 2,400.0 sq ft plus 8% waste you need 260 rolls, costing about $1,430.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only cost per roll, this is what happens to rolls needed. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Cost per roll ($) | Rolls needed |
|---|---|
| $2.75 | 260 |
| $4.13 | 260 |
| $5.5 example above | 260 |
| $8.25 | 260 |
| $11 | 260 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Lawn length (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 60 ft.
- Lawn width (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 40 ft.
- Coverage per roll (sq ft) (sq ft)
- Measured in sq ft, starting at 10 sq ft.
- Waste allowance (%)
- Cuts around beds, paths and curves.
- Cost per roll ($)
- A money amount, starting at $5.5.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Rolls needed | The headline result. A number. |
| Area | A decimal figure. |
| Area including waste | A decimal figure. |
| Estimated material cost | A money figure. |
| Pallets | A number. |
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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