Enter your lawn sections to get the rolls of turf to order - each roll covers 1 m² - plus the area in square metres. Or switch to grass seed and a sowing rate to get the kilograms of seed and the number of bags. Works in metres or feet.
Cut-outs (deducted from this area)
Pallet assumed at 50 rolls; ask your supplier, as pallet sizes vary.
Enter what one roll costs to total your order; turf is often priced by the square metre too.
Lawn area
50.0 m²
With wastage
52.5 m²
Pallets (typical)
2
Lawn area 50.0 m² (50.0 m²). Sod is sold by the piece, so a part roll is rounded up to a whole one.
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A new lawn is just an area to cover, so the maths starts with the area of each section. Lawns are rarely all square corners, so each section can be a rectangle, a circle (round), an oval (curved) or a triangle, and the area is worked out to suit:
area (rectangle) = length × width
area (circle) = π × (diameter ÷ 2)²
area (oval) = (π ÷ 4) × length × width
area (curve) = (arc° ÷ 360) × π × (diameter ÷ 2)²
area (triangle) = ½ × base × height
section area = shape area − its cut-outs (garden beds, patios), never below zero
to cover = (sum of section areas) × wastage
Sod: pieces = ceil( to cover ÷ coverage of one piece )
pallets = ceil( pieces ÷ pieces per pallet )
Seed: weight = to cover × sowing rate
bags = ceil( weight ÷ bag weight )
Pick a shape for each section and a small diagram shows which dimension is which - the diameter of a round lawn, the two axes of an oval, the diameter and sweep angle of a curve, the base and height of a triangle. A curve is a sector you set by its arc angle, the same way the retaining-wall calculator does: 90° for a quarter, 180° for a half-round, 360° for a full circle. Each section can also have cut-outs - a garden bed, patio, pond or path the lawn wraps around - entered the way doors and windows are deducted on the drywall calculator. A cut-out is taken off its own section’s area (each clamped so it never goes below zero), then the sections pool into one order. Pick Sod to lay pre-grown turf and the calculator divides your net area by the coverage of one slab or roll, rounding up to whole pieces and whole pallets; or pick Seed and it multiplies by the sowing rate for the weight of seed and the bags. Add a section for each part of the lawn - a front, a round bed, a curved border - with a cut-out for anything to leave out, and they pool into one order. All the maths runs in exact metric internally, so switching between feet and metres never changes the answer.
This example follows the unit system you pick in the calculator above.
A 10 m × 5 m back lawn laid with 1 m² turf rolls, 5% wastage:
The piece size sets how many you buy; the sowing rate sets how much seed you weigh out. These are the common figures:
| Item | Typical coverage / rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slab of sod (16 × 24 in) | ≈ 0.25 m² (≈ 2.7 sq ft) | Per slab; common for warm-season grasses |
| Pallet of slabs | ≈ 42–46 m² (≈ 450–500 sq ft) | ≈165 slabs; confirm with your supplier |
| Turf roll | 1 m² (≈ 10.8 sq ft) | Per roll (≈1640 × 610 mm) |
| Pallet of rolls | ≈ 50 m² (≈ 540 sq ft) | ≈50 rolls; confirm with your supplier |
| New lawn from seed | 35 g/m² (5–7 lb / 1,000 sq ft) | Full establishment rate |
| Overseeding | 25 g/m² (3–4 lb / 1,000 sq ft) | Thickening an existing lawn |
Pallet quantities and exact roll sizes differ between turf farms, so treat the pallet count as a guide and confirm the piece size before you order.
Both start a lawn over the same ground, and the calculator switches between them:
Many people sod the visible front lawn for an instant finish and seed a larger back lawn to save money - enter each area and switch the mode to compare the quantity each needs. For the full trade-off, see sod vs seed, and for the seed side, how much grass seed do I need.
The calculator counts pieces the same way whatever the grass - you choose the piece size, not the variety. What changes by type is the price and how it is established:
For the full method and a worked example, see how much sod do I need, and to budget the job, how much does sod cost.
In the United Kingdom, pre-grown grass is usually called turf and supplied as rolls that each cover 1 m² (about 1640 × 610 mm), priced and ordered by the square metre, so the roll count is simply the area plus a wastage margin. Pick the piece size you are actually buying in the calculator above so the count matches what is on the truck.
For ground preparation, laying and the first weeks of care, see TurfOnline's grower guide to ordering turf by the roll.
Measure each section of lawn, multiply length by width to get the area, add them up, then add about 5% for cuts at curved or angled edges. Divide that area by the coverage of one piece. A standard turf roll covers about 1 m², while a North American sod slab (16 × 24 in) covers about 0.25 m². The calculator does this for you and rounds up to whole pieces, because you cannot buy part of a roll or slab.
It varies by farm and grass type, but turf rolls are often stacked around 50 rolls (50 m²) to a pallet. North American sod slabs run about 165-170 pieces covering roughly 42-46 m² per pallet. Because the figure differs between suppliers, the calculator shows the count for a typical pallet and tells you the piece count too - always confirm the pallet size with your supplier before ordering.
Turf gives you an instant, even lawn you can look at straight away and walk on within a few weeks, but it costs more per square metre and must be laid soon after delivery. Seed is far cheaper and comes in more grass varieties, but it takes weeks to establish and needs careful watering and protection while it germinates. Switch the calculator between turf and seed to compare the quantity each route needs.
For a brand-new lawn, sow at about 35 g per square metre (roughly 5 to 7 lb per 1,000 sq ft). For overseeding a thin existing lawn, use about half that - 25 g per square metre. Rates vary by grass type, so check the seed bag. Enter your area and rate in the calculator and it returns the total weight of seed and the number of bags.
Allow about 5% for a simple rectangular lawn with straight edges, 10% for a lawn with curves or slopes, and up to 15% for an awkward shape with lots of cuts around beds, paths and trees. Off-cuts from turf rarely fit the next gap cleanly, so it is safer to round up than to be a piece short and wait for a second delivery that may not match.
Yes - split an irregular lawn into simple shapes, enter one section per shape, and the calculator adds the areas into a single order. This is more accurate than guessing one big rectangle around an L-shaped or curved lawn, and it lets you see how much of the order each part of the garden accounts for.
Yes - each section has a shape setting. A round lawn is a circle (just its diameter), a full curved island is an oval (its longest and widest measurements), a curved lawn is a sector you set by its diameter and an arc angle in degrees - 90° for a quarter, 180° for a half-round, 360° for a full circle - and a wedge is a triangle (its base and height). The calculator uses the proper area formula for each and a small diagram shows which measurement is which. Mix shapes freely and the areas pool into one order.
Yes - each lawn section has cut-outs, entered just like doors and windows on the drywall calculator. Add a cut-out for a garden bed, patio, pond or path and its size (and how many of them) is deducted from that section's area before the order is worked out. The deduction is clamped per section, so a cut-out can never make a section negative or eat into another part of the lawn. The net area after cut-outs is what drives the turf or seed quantity.
As soon as possible - ideally within 24 hours, and sooner in hot weather. Turf is living grass cut with only a thin layer of soil and roots, so it dries out and yellows quickly stacked on a pallet. Prepare and level the ground, with a topsoil layer if needed, before the delivery arrives so you can lay it straight away and water it in.
Yes - the quantity maths is the same whatever the grass, because you pick the piece size (roll or slab), not the variety. What changes by grass type is the price and how it is established: some grasses are sold only as turf or plugs, while others can be sown from seed. Set your area and piece size above for the count, and see the grass-type guides below when choosing a variety.
Turf is priced by the square metre - commonly around £3 to £8 per m² for the turf alone, with premium lawn turf at the top end and budget grades cheaper; delivery and laying add to that. Grass seed is far cheaper per square metre for the same area. Get the quantity from the calculator first, then price each line with local suppliers.
The formula, pallet coverage and waste margin for buying the right amount of sod.
Read guide→Estimate sod cost from the quantity - sod, delivery, ground prep and installation.
Read guide→Cost, speed, effort and grass choice compared, so you can pick sod or seed.
Read guide→Sowing rates for a new lawn and overseeding, with the formula and a worked example.
Read guide→Why St. Augustine is sodded not seeded, the main varieties, and how to care for it.
Read guide→Zoysia varieties, which come from seed vs sod, and how to establish and care for it.
Read guide→What Sir Walter buffalo turf is, why it is not sold as seed, and how to plan a lawn.
Read guide→Volume, litres and bags of topsoil for lawns, turf and garden beds.
Open calculator→Volume and bags to cover beds with bark chippings or mulch at any depth.
Open calculator→Volume and bags of gravel, MOT Type 1 or hardcore for driveways, paths and drainage.
Open calculator→Sprinkler heads, flow and the number of zones to plumb, from your garden size and water supply.
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