Sod Calculator

Measure your lawn as a rectangle, a circle, or several areas, and get the square feet of sod to order with extra for trimming, the number of slabs or rolls, the number of pallets, the topsoil to spread first, and a watering calendar from your install date.

Rectangle Circle Several areas Square feet

Length (ft)

Width (ft)

Beds, patio, or paths inside that area (sq ft) (optional: we subtract it)

How your farm cuts it

Shape of the lawn (sets the extra for trimming)

Square feet per pallet (optional: blank uses 450; ask your farm, since pallets run 400 to 500 and up)

Topsoil to spread first

Install date (optional: for a watering calendar)

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How much sod you actually need

Sod math is area math with two twists. First, you always order a little more than the lawn, because sod gets trimmed to fit every edge, bed, and curve, and a piece cut to fit is a piece you cannot use twice. A Georgia sod farm, NG Turf, tells its own customers to add 5% when the job is mostly straight lines and 10% when it has angles or curves, and we use the same figures. Second, sod is sold in pieces and pallets, not square feet, so the answer has to be rounded up to something a farm will actually load onto a truck.

The pieces come in a handful of sizes. In the South, where most lawns are warm-season grasses like St. Augustine and zoysia, sod is cut into flat 16 by 24 inch slabs of 2 2/3 square feet each. Farms in the North more often roll it: 18 by 40 inch mini rolls of 5 square feet, 2 by 5 foot rolls of 10, or big rolls a hundred feet long that go down by machine.

The formula

sod to order = (lawn area − beds and paths) × (1 + extra)
pieces = sod to order ÷ (piece width × piece length ÷ 144), rounded up
pallets = sod to order ÷ square feet per pallet, rounded up

Areas are in square feet and piece sizes in inches; dividing square inches by 144 turns them into square feet. The extra is 5% or 10% depending on the shape of the lawn. Pallet coverage is whatever your farm stacks, usually 400 to 500 square feet for slabs and small rolls.

Worked example

A 40 by 25 ft lawn is 1,000 sq ft. With mostly straight edges, 5% extra makes 1,050 sq ft to order. In 16 by 24 inch slabs, each 2.667 sq ft, that is 393.75 slabs, so you buy 394 slabs, which is 1,050.7 sq ft of sod.

At 450 sq ft to a pallet, 1,050 sq ft is 2.33 pallets, so a delivery is 3 pallets. If the farm sells loose pieces at pickup, 2 full pallets plus 57 slabs does the same job for a lot less money, and it is worth asking, because a third pallet is mostly leftover sod.

Why a pallet of sod is 504 square feet

Ask a few farms how much a pallet covers and the answers come back oddly specific: 400, 450, 453, 500, 504. The reason is that nobody stacks square feet; they stack pieces. A 16 by 24 inch slab is 2 2/3 square feet, so 150 slabs is exactly 400 square feet, 170 slabs is 453.3, and 189 slabs is 504, which is precisely the pallet NG Turf sells. A pallet described as 450 would hold 168.75 slabs, which no one has ever loaded. So when a farm quotes you a pallet size, it is really quoting a piece count, and the calculator lets you type in whatever your farm says.

Pallets are also heavy: Sod Solutions puts one at 1,500 to 3,000 pounds, and up to half again as much when the sod is wet. That can be more than a pickup truck is rated to carry, which is one reason farms deliver, and why NG Turf has a one-pallet minimum for delivery but will sell any number of pieces at the farm.

Getting the soil ready

Sod is only as good as the dirt under it, and the prep is the same as for seed. Penn State Extension calls for a minimum of 4 to 6 inches of good topsoil (measured after it settles) for a good lawn, tilled at least 4 inches deep, then raked smooth and firm but not compacted. If you are bringing in topsoil, pick a depth above and the calculator adds the cubic yards; our soil calculator goes into more detail. Water the soil a few days before the sod arrives so it is damp, not muddy, when the first piece goes down, and lay the pieces in a staggered brick pattern with the seams offset, butted tight without stretching.

Watering the first month

New sod has almost no roots, so the first weeks decide whether it lives. UF/IFAS Extension's schedule is the clearest we have found: several short waterings a day, 5 to 10 minutes each, for the first 7 to 10 days; then once a day, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, for the next 7 to 10; then two to three times a week until the grass roots in, about three to four weeks after laying. The first soak should reach the soil under the sod, not just the grass. Keep off it until it is rooted, and lay it the day it arrives: UF/IFAS gives sod on a pallet less than 48 hours in summer. Enter an install date and the calculator turns the schedule into dates. If you are weighing sod against seed, the grass seed calculator works out the other side of that decision.

Sources

Where the numbers on this page come from. We go to the body that publishes the figure, not to another calculator. See how we verify.

Measuring and Ordering Sod: A Comprehensive Guide, NG Turf (sod farm, Georgia). A producer's own figures: 16 by 24 inch pieces, 504 sq ft pallets, 30 inch by 100 ft mega rolls of 250 sq ft that need special equipment, and the ordering advice we use for extra: add 5% for mostly straight lines and 10% for angles or curves. Also the one-pallet delivery minimum and loose pieces at pickup.
How Many Square Feet are in a Pallet of Sod?, Sod Solutions. Pallet sizes of 400 to 700 sq ft by farm and format (slab pallets sold as 400, 450, and 500; big-roll pallets 500 to 700), 16 by 24 inch slabs, 40 by 18 inch mini rolls of 5 sq ft, 60 by 24 inch rolls of 10 sq ft, and pallet weights of 1,500 to 3,000 lb, up to 50% more when wet. Our 450 sq ft default is the middle of the slab and mini-roll range, labeled as ours.
Lawn Establishment (updated September 19, 2025), Penn State Extension (Peter Landschoot). A minimum of 4 to 6 in of good topsoil (firmed depth) for good turf, tilling at least 4 in deep, sod prep identical to seed prep with a surface smooth and firm but not compacted, laying in a staggered brick pattern, sod deteriorating within 24 to 48 hours in warm weather, and watering daily if needed until well rooted, which may take up to 4 weeks.
Establishing Your Florida Lawn (ENH-03/LH013), UF/IFAS Extension (A. J. Lindsey, Marco Schiavon, and J. Bryan Unruh). The watering schedule the calendar follows: multiple short (5 to 10 minute) waterings a day for 7 to 10 days, then once a day at 1/4 to 1/2 inch for 7 to 10 days, then two to three times a week, with the grass established three to four weeks after sodding. Also: sod life on pallets in summer is less than 48 hours.
Carolina Lawns (AG-69, July 2021), NC State Extension. Moisten the soil before laying sod (irrigating several days before delivery is often adequate), install within 24 hours of delivery and unroll it if it cannot be laid within 48 hours, stagger the strips in a brick-like pattern, avoid stretching, and roll after laying before watering.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate how much sod you need?

Measure the lawn in feet, multiply length by width for the square feet, subtract any beds or paths inside it, and add 5% for a lawn with straight edges or 10% for one with curves. Then divide by the size of one piece and round up. A 40 by 25 ft lawn is 1,000 sq ft; with 5% extra that is 1,050 sq ft, or 394 slabs of 16 by 24 inches.

How many square feet are in a pallet of sod?

It depends on the farm, usually 400 to 500 sq ft for slabs and small rolls, and up to 700 sq ft for pallets of big rolls. Farms stack whole pieces rather than round square feet, so you see sizes like 504 sq ft, which is 189 slabs of 16 by 24 inches. Ask your farm for its figure and enter it in the calculator.

How big is a piece of sod?

Southern farms usually cut 16 by 24 inch slabs, 2 2/3 sq ft each. Rolled sod, more common in the North, comes in 18 by 40 inch mini rolls of 5 sq ft and 2 by 5 ft rolls of 10 sq ft, and some farms sell big rolls of 250 sq ft or more that are laid by machine.

How much extra sod should I order?

About 5% if the lawn is mostly straight lines and 10% if it has angles or curves, which is the ordering advice a Georgia sod farm gives its own customers. The extra covers the trimming at every edge, bed, and curve. A lawn broken up by lots of beds and trees can use more; we offer 15% for that case as our own estimate.

How do I prepare soil for sod?

The same way as for seed. Penn State Extension calls for at least 4 to 6 inches of good topsoil, tilled at least 4 inches deep and raked smooth and firm but not compacted. Water the soil a few days before delivery so it is damp but not muddy when the sod goes down, and never lay sod on wet soil.

How often should I water new sod?

UF/IFAS Extension's schedule: several short waterings a day, 5 to 10 minutes each, for the first 7 to 10 days; then once a day, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, for the next 7 to 10 days; then two to three times a week until the grass is established, about three to four weeks after laying. Make sure the first watering soaks through to the soil under the sod.

How long can sod sit on a pallet?

Not long. UF/IFAS says sod on pallets lasts less than 48 hours in summer, and NC State recommends installing it within 24 hours of delivery. If you cannot lay it that day, unroll the pieces grass side up in the shade and keep them watered.

How much does a pallet of sod weigh?

About 1,500 to 3,000 pounds, depending on the grass and how much soil is attached, and up to half again as much when wet, according to Sod Solutions. That can be more than a pickup truck is rated to carry, which is why most farms deliver by the pallet.