Sod Calculator
Convert your lawn area into standard 2x5 ft sod rolls and 450 sq ft pallets, with an allowance for cuts and edges.
Estimates are for planning. Confirm quantities against your measured site and product packaging before ordering, and follow local building codes.
How to measure your lawn
Sod is sold by the square foot, so all you need is area. For a rectangular yard that’s length times width. Real lawns are rarely rectangles, so break the shape into rectangles, measure each, and add them up: the strip beside the driveway, the main panel, the bit behind the shed. Measure around beds and hardscape rather than across them, and don’t agonize over curves. A curved border averages out, and the cut allowance absorbs the error.
The calculator’s allowance is 5% for a simple rectangular area and 10% when the lawn has curves, trees, and beds to cut around. Every cut wastes a sliver, and slivers add up faster on a fussy lawn than the square footage suggests.
The formula and what it assumes
Total area equals your measured square footage times 1 plus the cut allowance. Rolls is that total divided by 10 and rounded up, because the standard US roll is 2 feet by 5 feet, 10 square feet. Pallets is the total divided by 450.
So a 1,000 sq ft lawn at 5% comes to 1,050 sq ft: 105 rolls, or 2.33 pallets. In practice you’d order 2 pallets and 15 loose rolls, or just round to the supplier’s increment.
The 450 sq ft pallet is a genuine standard but not a universal one. The Grass Outlet’s pallets cover 450 sq ft, and they note industry pallets range from 400 to 500 sq ft depending on region and grass type, with warm-season pallets in the South often at 400. Ask your farm for their pallet size and roll dimensions, then sanity-check the roll count against this calculator.
Prep before the truck arrives
Sod is perishable. A stacked pallet generates heat and the grass starts declining the day it’s cut, so the single most important scheduling rule is: prep first, deliver last. Have everything ready so rolls go from pallet to soil the same morning.
Good prep means stripping or killing the old grass, loosening the top few inches, and grading with 4 to 6 inches of decent screened soil where the existing dirt is poor. The topsoil calculator sizes that order; figure the finished soil grade about an inch below walks and driveways so the sod sits flush. Rake smooth, roll or water to settle, and rake again. Bumps you can feel underfoot now are bumps you’ll mow over for years.
Laying and watering
Start against the longest straight edge and run rolls in a brick pattern, staggering the seams so they don’t line up. Butt edges tight without overlapping or stretching; stretched sod shrinks as it dries and leaves gaps. Cut around obstacles with a utility knife or an old serrated kitchen knife, and save the offcuts, since they fill the odd gaps at the end.
Water within 30 minutes of laying each section, not at the end of the day. The first soak should wet the soil beneath, not just the sod, so lift a corner and check. For the first two weeks keep it consistently damp with daily watering (twice daily in summer heat), then taper off to train the roots downward. Stay off it for two to three weeks, and mow for the first time once you can’t lift a corner by hand, which means the roots have knitted in.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a pallet of sod cover?
450 square feet is the common figure, and it's what this calculator uses, but pallets genuinely vary from 400 to 500 square feet by region and supplier. Suppliers like The Grass Outlet ship 450 sq ft pallets; warm-season farms in the South often build 400s and northern cool-season farms 500s. Confirm with your supplier before ordering, since the difference on a 3-pallet order is a full pallet's worth of grass.
How many sod rolls do I need?
Divide your lawn area by 10, since the standard US roll is 2 by 5 feet, then add 5% for cuts on a simple rectangle or 10% for a lawn with curves and beds. A 1,000 sq ft lawn at 5% needs 105 rolls, which is a bit over 2 pallets.
How fast do I need to install sod after delivery?
Same day, ideally within a few hours. Sod on the pallet is composting itself: the stack heats up from the inside, and in summer a pallet can start yellowing within 24 hours. Schedule delivery for the morning you install, have the ground fully prepped before the truck arrives, and water each section as you finish it rather than waiting until the whole lawn is down.
Can I lay sod over my existing grass?
No. The roots can't reach soil through a mat of old turf, so the new sod dries out and dies in patches. Strip or kill the old grass, loosen the soil, rake it smooth, and lay sod on bare dirt with firm root-to-soil contact. The prep is most of the work, and it's also most of the result.