Outdoor & Landscape · Calculator
Sod Calculator
Use this sod calculator to add up every part of your lawn and get square feet, pallets and slabs or rolls of sod, with waste included. Subtract beds and patios, then price the order per pallet or per square foot.
Your lawn
- Area 1LengthftinWidthftin
Squares and rectangles.
1,000 sq ft - Area 2(subtracted)Diameterftin
Measure straight across through the center.
minus 28.3 sq ft
How to calculate how much sod you need
Sod is the simplest material to estimate because it has no depth: you only need square feet. Measure each section of lawn, add them up, and subtract anything inside the lawn that will not get grass, like beds, a patio or a ring around a tree.
Then add a waste allowance for cuts along curves, edges and sidewalks. Five percent covers a plain rectangle; 10 percent is safer when the lawn wraps around beds and trees.
Finally, divide by your farm's pallet size. If the last pallet would be mostly left over, ask whether they sell partial pallets or loose pieces. The calculator flags that for you.
Measuring an odd-shaped lawn
Very few lawns are one rectangle. Walk the lawn with a tape and sketch it, then break it into shapes you can measure. You do not need perfect accuracy: the waste allowance absorbs small errors.
| Shape | What to measure | Area formula |
|---|---|---|
| Rectangle | Length and width | L x W |
| Circle (tree ring, round bed) | Diameter, straight through the center | 3.1416 x (D / 2)² |
| Triangle (wedge, corner) | All three sides | Heron's formula (calculator does it) |
| Trapezoid (tapered strip) | Both parallel sides and the distance between | (A + B) / 2 x H |
| L-shape | Split into two rectangles | A + B |
- Curved edges: treat a gentle curve as a straight line through its middle. The bits you lose on one side you gain on the other.
- Triangles: measuring all three sides is easier and more accurate than finding a true right angle in a yard.
- Strips along a driveway: a long trapezoid or rectangle is fine. Narrow strips under 2 ft wide waste a lot of sod, so bump the waste allowance up.
Sod piece sizes and pallets
In the South, sod is usually cut into 16 x 24 in slabs stacked flat on the pallet. Northern farms more often cut 2 x 5 ft rolls. Big rolls are laid by machine on large jobs and are rarely a DIY option.
Pallets typically carry 400 to 500 square feet and weigh a ton or more, so plan on delivery and a clear path for a forklift or pallet jack. Have them set it in the shade, close to where you will start laying.
| Piece | Sq ft each | Per 450 sq ft pallet |
|---|---|---|
| Slab | 2.67 | about 169 |
| Roll | 10 | about 45 |
| Big roll | 350 | Sold by the roll |
When to lay sod and how to water it
Timing depends on your grass. Cool-season grasses like fescue and bluegrass root best in early fall, with spring a close second. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda, zoysia and St. Augustine go down best from late spring into summer, while they are actively growing.
Prep the soil before the sod arrives: 4 to 6 in of loose topsoil, raked smooth and rolled. Lay pieces in a brick pattern with tight seams, and never stretch a piece to close a gap. Hold off mowing until the roots hold when you tug a corner, usually 2 to 3 weeks.
Lay it the day it arrives
| When | How often | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Install day | Within 30 min of laying | Soak through to the soil below |
| Week 1 | Daily (twice in heat) | Soil 3 to 4 in down stays moist |
| Weeks 2 to 3 | Every 1 to 2 days | Water longer, less often |
| Week 4 on | About 1 in per week | Train roots to grow deep |
Tips for a sod project that goes smoothly
- Order soil and sod together. The topsoil calculator uses the same area inputs, so you can price the whole job at once.
- Finish hardscape first. Paths and edging from the gravel calculator and fresh beds from the mulch calculator go in before the sod, so you are not hauling across new grass.
- Bury wires early. Irrigation and landscape lighting cable should be in the ground before the first piece goes down.
- Need a volume instead? The cubic yard calculator covers soil and amendments by the yard.
Measure every section, subtract what will not be grass, and let the sod calculator round up to whole pallets so the last strip does not come up short.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in a pallet of sod?
Most pallets of sod hold 400 to 500 square feet, with 450 and 500 the most common. Ask your sod farm, because the number changes with the grass type and the size of the pieces they cut.
How much extra sod should I order?
Add 5 percent for a simple rectangular lawn and 10 percent for curved beds, lots of trees or narrow strips. Every curve means a cut, and offcuts under about a foot are hard to use.
How big is a piece of sod?
A standard slab is 16 by 24 inches, or about 2.67 square feet. Rolls are usually 2 by 5 feet (10 square feet), and big rolls laid by machine run about 42 inches wide and 100 feet or more long.
How do I measure an irregular lawn for sod?
Break the lawn into rectangles, triangles, circles and trapezoids, measure each one, and add them up. Subtract beds, patios and tree rings that sit inside the lawn. The calculator does the adding and subtracting for you.
How often should I water new sod?
Water new sod daily for the first week, enough to soak the soil 3 to 4 inches below it. Taper to every other day in week two and three, then about 1 inch per week once the roots hold when you tug a corner.
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