---
title: "Sod Calculator: Rolls, Slabs & Pallets | Moss Landings"
description: "How much sod or turf to order: square feet or m² with waste, slabs or rolls by size and pallets, plus the water for the first soak. Feet or metres."
url: https://mosslandings.homes/sod-calculator/
---

Instant lawn

# Sod & turf calculator

Measure the lawn, pick the slab or roll size your supplier cuts, and get the pieces and pallets to order with a sensible allowance for trimming.

Asking several turf farms for a delivery price? Their quote forms usually want an email address. A free [CleanTempMail](https://cleantempmail.com/) inbox needs no sign-up, collects the replies, and its messages are deleted automatically after 3 days, so the follow-up offers stay out of your own mail.

## How to use the sod calculator

1. **Measure the lawn** as shapes and subtract beds and paths that will not be turfed.
2. **Pick the piece size** your supplier cuts. The slabs and rolls listed are sizes named by Purdue Extension and Sod Solutions; UK turf usually comes in 1 m² rolls. For anything else choose Custom size and type the width and length.
3. **Waste** covers trimming at edges, curves and beds. Purdue suggests ordering about 10% more; Sod Solutions says 5–10%. Use the low end for a plain rectangle and more for curvy borders.
4. **Pallet coverage** varies by farm, grass and piece size. Purdue puts a pallet at about 50 square yards (450 sq ft) and Sod Solutions at 400–700 sq ft, so ask your supplier and type their figure.

### Laying it

Lay sod within 24 hours of delivery (NC State, RHS) or of harvest (Purdue), starting along a straight edge and staggering the joints like brickwork. UGA Extension suggests ¼ to ½ inch of water within 30 minutes of laying; the result shows how many gallons or litres that is for your lawn.

### Worked example

A 40 × 25 ft lawn is 1,000 sq ft; with 10% waste, order 1,100 sq ft. Slabs of 16 × 24 in cover 2.67 sq ft each, so you need 413 slabs. At 450 sq ft a pallet holds 168 slabs: 2.46 pallets, or 2 full pallets and 77 slabs. The first soak of ¼ to ½ inch is about 156 to 312 gallons.

## Sources

- Purdue University Extension, [AY-28-W Establishing lawns from sod](https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ay/ay-28-w.pdf) (PDF): slabs 18 × 24 in, rolls 18 in × 6 ft or 24 in × 5 ft; a pallet holds about 50 square yards (450 sq ft); order about 10% more; install within 24 hours of harvest; stagger joints like bricks.
- Sod Solutions, [Square feet per pallet](https://sodsolutions.com/sod-university/square-feet-per-pallet/): 16 × 24 in slabs covering 2.66 sq ft, 400–700 sq ft per pallet, 5–10% extra.
- NC State Extension, [Carolina lawns](https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/carolina-lawns): install sod within 24 hours of delivery.
- University of Georgia Extension, [B1533-2 Lawns in Georgia: establishment](https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/B1533-2/lawns-in-georgia-establishment/): 0.25 to 0.5 inch of water within 30 minutes of installation.
- Royal Horticultural Society, [How to lay turf](https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=410): lay within 24 hours of delivery if possible.
- Wickes, [Rolawn Medallion turf](https://www.wickes.co.uk/Rolawn-Medallion-Grass-Turf---1m2-rolls-x-60/p/253424): 1 m² rolls of 610 × 1640 mm.

## Sod questions

**How many square feet are in a pallet of sod?**

It varies by farm, grass and piece size. Purdue Extension puts a typical pallet at about 50 square yards (450 sq ft), and Sod Solutions quotes 400 to 700 sq ft. Ask your supplier and type their figure into the calculator.

**How many slabs of sod do I need for 1,000 sq ft?**

With 16 × 24 in slabs of 2.67 sq ft, 375 slabs cover 1,000 sq ft exactly, or 413 with 10% extra. With 18 × 24 in slabs of 3 sq ft it is 334, or 367 with 10% extra.

**How much extra sod should I order?**

Purdue suggests about 10% more than the measured area, and Sod Solutions 5 to 10%. A plain rectangle needs the least; curved beds, trees and narrow strips need more.

**How big is a roll of turf in the UK?**

UK turf is usually sold by the square metre in 1 m² rolls; Rolawn's, for example, measure 610 × 1640 mm. Count one roll per square metre of lawn, plus your waste allowance.

**How soon do I have to lay sod?**

Within a day. NC State and the RHS say to lay turf within 24 hours of delivery, and Purdue within 24 hours of harvest, so plan the soil preparation before the sod arrives.