Sod Calculator: Square Feet, Rolls and Pallets

How much sod do I need?

Sod is sold by the square foot, the piece or the pallet, so start with the lawn's area. Break the yard into rectangles, circles and triangles, add them up, then take off everything that will not be grass: beds, patios, a shed, a driveway apron. Add a little for waste and divide by the size of a piece and of a pallet.

Worked example: a 50 × 30 ft back yard is 1,500 square feet. Take off a 10 × 6 ft bed (60) and a round patio 8 ft across (50.3) and the lawn is 1,389.7 square feet. With 5% waste, order 1,459 square feet: 548 slabs of 16 × 24 in, or 4 pallets of 450 square feet.

Sod sizes: slabs, rolls and pallets

Sod Solutions lists three common cuts. Slabs, common in the southern US, measure 16 × 24 in and cover 2.66 square feet each; pallets of slabs are typically 399, 452 or 503 square feet but sold as 400, 450 and 500. Mini hand rolls, popular in the north, measure 18 × 40 in and cover 5 square feet, with 80, 90 or 100 rolls to a pallet. Big rolls of 24 × 60 in or 18 × 80 in cover 10 square feet, on pallets of 500 to 700 square feet.

Farms cut to their own machines, so treat these as starting points. Pick Other size and type the farm's square feet per piece, and change the pallet coverage to the figure on the quote.

How much waste to allow

Every curve, bed edge and sprinkler head means a cut piece and an offcut. About 5% is a typical allowance for a plain rectangle; a yard full of curved beds and trees can need 10% or more. Neither is a published figure: if you lay sod every week, use your own numbers.

Do not over-order by much. Sod is a living product and does not keep on the pallet, and the last pallet is often only part used: ask the farm whether it sells part pallets or by the square foot.

Before and after the sod arrives

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension says sod should be laid within 24 hours of harvest, in a brick-like pattern with tight seams and no stretching. Have the ground graded, the topsoil spread and the delivery spot agreed before the truck comes; the topsoil calculator works out the yards for the base.

After laying, lightly roll the sod and water it thoroughly straight away. UNL says new sod needs daily watering for the first two weeks; once it resists being lifted, usually within 10 to 14 days in good weather, water less often but more deeply.

Tips for the walk-through

Measure each part of the lawn on its own and sketch the beds and patios you will cut around. Note slopes: UNL says a slope of 10% or more may need the sod pegged or stapled.

Then write down what the homeowner told you: the grass they want, shade and irrigation, whether the old lawn comes out, pets and kids, and when they need it done. Those notes decide the quote as much as the square feet do.

Sources, checked October 2026. All figures are estimates:

• Sod Solutions: Square feet per pallet (slab and roll sizes, pallet coverage)
• University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension: Establishing Lawns From Sod (laying and watering)

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