Sod Coverage Calculator
Calculate sod rolls or pallets for a new lawn.
Enter lawn area in square feet or meters to get rolls, pallets, and total installed cost.
Sod is sold in rolls or as full pallets. Sizes vary by region but the most common:
- Standard slab: 16 x 24 in = 2.67 sq ft (US north)
- Big roll: 2 ft x 5 ft = 10 sq ft (US south, commercial)
- Small slab: 12 x 24 in = 2 sq ft
- Square meter slab: 1 m x 1 m = 10.76 sq ft (Europe / Australia)
A standard pallet typically holds 50 to 80 slabs and covers about 400 to 500 sq ft. Always confirm with your local supplier — there is no national standard.
The formula:
slabs_needed = ceil(area_sqft / slab_sqft x waste_factor) pallets_needed = ceil(slabs_needed / slabs_per_pallet)
Waste factor:
- Square or rectangular lawn: 1.05 (5% waste)
- Curved bed edges or a complex shape: 1.10 to 1.15
- Sloped or irregular terrain: 1.15 to 1.20
Sod is heavy. A standard slab is 30 to 40 lbs wet, so a pallet of 70 slabs is 2,000 to 2,800 lbs. Most suppliers deliver and forklift-drop the pallet curbside; moving it from there is your problem. A wheelbarrow holds 4 to 6 slabs at a time. For lawns over 1,000 sq ft, plan a half-day of installation with two people.
Installation tips:
- Sod must go down within 24 hours of cutting. Heat and stacking kill it fast.
- Soil prep matters more than sod quality. Till to 4 inches, level, and water lightly the night before.
- Stagger the seams like brickwork. Aligned seams show as gaps after a month.
- Water heavily for the first 7 days, then taper. Sod should not separate when you tug a corner — that means roots have taken.
Cost runs $0.30 to $0.80 per sq ft for sod alone, $1 to $2 per sq ft installed. Premium grass varieties (zoysia, St. Augustine) hit the top of the range; cool-season Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue are at the lower end.