About this calculator
Sod is sold by the pallet, but a lawn is never an exact number of pallets. This sod calculator adds a little extra for cuts, fills as many full pallets as fit, and covers the rest with loose pieces from the same farm, unless one more pallet costs less than those pieces. It works for the three ways sod is sold: 16 × 24 in slabs, 18 × 40 in mini rolls and 24 × 60 in large rolls, on pallets of 400 to 700 sq ft.
It also gives the numbers people find out on delivery day: how many pieces you’ll lay by hand, how much the order weighs (a single pallet can be heavier than a pickup is rated to carry), and how much water the new lawn needs on day one. The drawing lays every piece of your lawn to scale in a running bond and changes color with each pallet, so you can see where each pallet goes.
How to use it
- Measure the length and width of the lawn. For an odd shape, find the area with the square footage calculator, then enter a length and width that multiply to it (40 × 30 ft for 1,200 sq ft).
- Choose how your sod farm sells it: slabs, mini rolls or large rolls, and the pallet size they quote.
- Set the extra for cuts: 5% for a plain rectangle, 10% if you cut around curved beds, trees and walks.
- Open Your local prices and enter the price of a pallet, a loose piece and delivery to see the cost.
The formula
Sod to order = lawn length × width × (1 + extra%)
Full pallets = sod to order ÷ pallet size, rounded down
Loose pieces = what’s left ÷ piece size, rounded up
(one more pallet instead, if the loose pieces cost as much or more)
Weight = pallets × 1,500 to 3,000 lb
A 16 × 24 in slab covers 2.67 sq ft, a 18 × 40 in mini roll 5 sq ft and a 24 × 60 in large roll 10 sq ft. A 50 × 30 ft lawn is 1,500 sq ft; with 5% extra that’s 1,575 sq ft. Three 450 sq ft pallets cover 1,350, which leaves 225 sq ft, or 85 slabs. At $2.50 a slab those cost $212.50, more than a $200 pallet, so the calculator orders four pallets: $875 with a $75 delivery.
Worked example
These are the calculator’s starting values and the results they produce:
| Lawn length | 50 ft |
|---|---|
| Lawn width | 30 ft |
| Sold as | Slabs, 16 × 24 in (2.67 sq ft) |
| Pallet size | 450 sq ft |
| Extra for cuts | 5 % |
| Sod, per pallet | $200.00 |
| Sod, per loose piece | $2.50 |
| Delivery fee, per load | $75.00 |
Tips before you buy
- Order sod for the morning you’ll lay it and have helpers ready. Sod stacked on a pallet heats up and can die within a day or two in warm weather.
- Prepare the soil first: loosen it, rake it smooth and leave it about 1 in below walks and the driveway so the sod ends flush. The new lawn planner works out the topsoil, compost and starter fertilizer.
- Start along a straight edge such as a walk, lay the pieces like bricks with tight joints, and don’t leave small pieces at the edges; they dry out first.
- Water within 30 minutes of laying, until the soil under the sod is wet, then daily for about two weeks. Stay off it until the roots knit.
- Lay sod across a slope, starting at the bottom, and stake pieces on steep spots so they don’t slide.
Frequently asked questions
How many pallets of sod do I need for 1,000 sq ft?
With 5% extra you need 1,050 sq ft: two 450 sq ft pallets (900 sq ft) plus 57 loose 16 × 24 in slabs, or 394 slabs in all. At $200 a pallet, $2.50 a slab and $75 for delivery that’s about $617.50. With 500 sq ft pallets it’s two pallets and 19 slabs.
How many pieces of sod are on a pallet?
About 169 slabs of 16 × 24 in on a 450 sq ft pallet (each covers 2.67 sq ft), 150 on a 400 sq ft pallet and 188 on a 500 sq ft one. Mini rolls of 18 × 40 in cover 5 sq ft each, so 90 fit a 450 sq ft pallet; large 24 × 60 in rolls cover 10 sq ft each.
How much does a pallet of sod weigh?
About 1,500 to 3,000 lb, depending on the grass and how wet it is; wet sod can weigh half again as much. The four pallets for a 50 × 30 ft lawn weigh roughly 6,000 to 12,000 lb, far more than one trip in a pickup, so most people have it delivered.
How much water does new sod need?
Soak it within 30 minutes of laying until the soil underneath is wet, then water daily for about two weeks. One inch of water over a 1,500 sq ft lawn is about 935 gallons.
Sources
Areas and volumes are standard geometry. The published figures this calculator relies on come from these sources; other defaults (waste allowances, typical densities and prices) are common trade figures worth checking with your supplier.
- Sod Solutions: how many square feet are in a pallet of sod?: slab and roll sizes, 400–700 sq ft pallets, 1,500–3,000 lb per pallet and 5–10% extra
- Michigan State University Extension E-2911: nine steps for establishing a new lawn using sod: laying in a running bond with no small pieces at the edges, soil 1 in below walks, and watering within 30 minutes