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Landscaping & Outdoor

Sod Calculator

Rolls, slabs or pallets of sod for a lawn, including an allowance for cutting around beds and curves.

Your measurements

Irregular lawns should be split into rectangles and added.

Lawn area
Beds, paths, patios and anything else not getting grass.
Sod and site
Every curve means cutting a straight roll to fit, and the offcuts dry out fast.
Sod needs 4 to 6 in of decent soil beneath it. Leave at zero if the ground is already good.

Your result

Sample values

248

Rolls

2,250

Net area, ft²

5

Pallets

14.0

Cubic yards of topsoil

10 ft² rolls, curved edges at 10% waste.

What to order

Item Quantity
Sod rolls, 10 ft² 248 rolls
Pallets (50 rolls) 5 pallets
Screened topsoil 14.0 yd³
Starter fertiliser 5 lb

How to use this calculator

Measure the lawn and deduct beds, paths and anything else staying uncovered. For a lawn that is not rectangular, split it into rectangles, run each one and add the results rather than averaging the width.

Set the shape allowance honestly. Sod comes in straight rolls, so every curved edge means cutting, and the offcuts are rarely large enough to use elsewhere. A lawn with island beds and a winding edge genuinely needs fifteen percent.

Formula

Net area = (Length × Width) − Deductions

Rolls = Net area ÷ Roll area × (1 + Waste)

Topsoil = Net area × Depth ÷ 27

Roll area
10 ft² for a standard roll, 6 ft² for a slab
27
cubic feet in a cubic yard

Sod is perishable — order for a specific delivery day, not in advance.

Worked example

A 60 ft by 40 ft lawn with 150 ft² of beds, curved edges, 10 ft² rolls, 2 in of topsoil.

  1. 60 ft × 40 ft = 2,400 ft²
  2. 2,400 − 150 beds = 2,250 ft² net
  3. 2,250 ÷ 10 ft² per roll = 225 rolls
  4. 225 × 1.10 for curves = 248 rolls
  5. 248 ÷ 50 rolls per pallet = 5 pallets
  6. 2,250 ft² × 0.167 ft ÷ 27 = 14.0 yd³ of topsoil

248 rolls, about 5 pallets

Understanding your results

Sod is a living product with a short shelf life. Cut sod heats up on the pallet and can be dead within two days in summer, so book delivery for the morning you intend to lay it and have the ground prepared, levelled and damp before it arrives.

The topsoil figure matters as much as the sod. Laying good turf on compacted builder subsoil produces a lawn that looks perfect for three weeks and then thins out, because the roots never get through. Four to six inches of friable soil underneath is what makes it establish.

Questions

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Lay it the day it arrives. In hot weather the middle of a pallet can heat enough to kill the grass within twenty-four hours. If you truly cannot lay it, unstack the rolls in a shaded spot and keep them damp, and accept some loss.

Between 1,500 and 3,000 lb depending on how wet the soil is when it was cut. That is well beyond what a domestic trailer or small pickup should carry, so most deliveries need a truck with a forklift and firm ground to set down on.

Sod gives an instant usable lawn and holds soil on a slope immediately, at several times the cost. Seed is far cheaper and offers more grass varieties, but needs consistent watering for weeks and keeping off for longer. On a bank, sod usually wins on erosion alone.

Keep off it for two weeks beyond essential watering, then light use only until it will not lift when you tug a corner, usually around three to four weeks. Mowing can start once it is rooted enough to resist that tug test.

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Estimates, not specifications. Results are based on the values you enter and on typical material properties. Densities, coverage rates and product sizes vary between suppliers, so confirm quantities against your supplier's data before ordering. Structural work must be signed off by a qualified professional and meet your local building code.