Sod Calculator

How to calculate how much sod you need

Sod is sold by the square foot, so the job is to find the area of the lawn and then turn it into rolls, slabs or pallets. For a lawn that is not a simple box, Saratoga Sod Farm suggests making a sketch and dividing the area into squares, rectangles, triangles and circles. Measure each one, work out its area and add them up. Our square footage calculator does the same adding if you only need the area.

If your tape measure shows feet and inches, type the measurement as you read it, for example 10'6" or 10 ft 6 in. You can also pick inches, yards or meters from the unit menu, or choose “Area I already know” if you have the square footage from a plan or a map.

Example: a lawn with a round bed and a triangle

A back lawn is 40 ft by 25 ft. Next to it there is a round patch with a 10 ft diameter and a triangular strip with a 12 ft base and 8 ft height. You plan to add 10% waste and the farm sells large rolls of 10 sq ft and pallets of 450 sq ft.

How big is a roll, a slab or a pallet of sod?

There is no single standard. Sod Solutions, a US sod supplier, says sod comes as slabs, mini hand rolls or large rolls, and that pallets generally range from 400 to 700 sq ft depending on the farm, the grass and the harvesting method. The calculator uses these sizes. We read the page in October 2026: How Many Square Feet are in a Pallet of Sod?

The source rounds the slab to 2.66 sq ft. The calculator uses the exact figure, 16 × 24 ÷ 144 = 2.67. Tri-Turf Sod Farms in Tennessee gives different pallet sizes by grass in its own calculator: 540 sq ft for Bermuda, fescue and bluegrass and 450 sq ft for zoysia (Tri-Turf sod calculator, checked October 2026). If your farm uses another size, pick “My own size” in either menu.

How much extra sod should you order?

Every cut around a curve, a tree or a walkway leaves a scrap. Three sod suppliers give a range: Saratoga Sod Farm suggests adding 5% to 10% for cutting and shaping around your landscape, and so does Sod Solutions, which adds measurement errors to the reasons. Tri-Turf Sod Farms recommends 10% for cuts, edges and irregular areas and says complex shapes may need 15%. The waste box in the calculator starts empty, so you decide the figure. We checked these pages in October 2026.

Sod needed for common lawn sizes

These figures use large rolls of 10 sq ft and pallets of 450 sq ft. The pallet columns show the exact number first and the number you order after the arrow.

Laying and watering new sod: what extension services say

Ordering the right amount only helps if the sod goes down fresh. These points come from university extension publications we opened in October 2026. Your grass type and climate come first, so follow the advice of your farm and your local extension office.

• Lay it within 24 hours. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln says sod should be laid within 24 hours after harvesting and not allowed to dry out, and the University of Florida says the same for the time after delivery.
• Stagger the pieces and keep seams tight. Nebraska says to lay sod in a brick-like pattern with the ends staggered, to fit the edges tightly and not to stretch or overlap the pieces. On a slope, it says to start at the bottom and run the pieces across the slope.
• Roll lightly and water thoroughly. Nebraska says the last steps are to roll the sod lightly and then water it thoroughly.
• Water often at first. Nebraska says to water daily for the first two weeks. Florida says light but frequent waterings for the first two to three weeks. Colorado State University Extension says sod should be well rooted in two to three weeks and suggests tugging on it gently to check.

Sources: Establishing Lawns From Sod (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Installing Sod (University of Florida IFAS), and Sodding a Lawn (Colorado State University Extension).

Before the sod arrives

Sod needs prepared soil underneath. If you have to bring in topsoil first, work out the volume with our topsoil calculator, which lists the depths extension services give for a new lawn.

Frequently asked questions