Sod calculator
Add your lawn areas, any mix of rectangles, circles and triangles. You get the square feet to order, the pieces and pallets, the weight on the truck, and the cost of the sod, delivery and installation.
Inputs
Result
Sod prices by grass
Material only, per square foot and per 450 sq ft pallet, from HomeGuide's 2026 sod price survey. Prices vary a lot by region and season.
| Grass | Per sq ft | Per pallet | Your lawn |
|---|
How it is worked out
A 50 x 20 ft lawn is 1,000 sq ft. With 10% extra you order 1,100 sq ft: 413 slabs of 16 x 24 in, or 2 pallets of 450 sq ft plus 75 slabs. That is 122 square yards, about 4,300 to 4,900 lb. At $0.50 a square foot the sod costs $550.
How much extra to order
Purdue Extension's sod guide says to order about 10% more than the measured area, to cover measuring errors and the pieces cut around curves, beds and walks. A plain rectangle needs less, perhaps 5%; a lawn with many curves and islands can need more. A partial pallet is usually sold by the piece, so the calculator also shows full pallets plus loose pieces.
Before the sod arrives
- Prepare the soil first. Purdue recommends working amendments into the top 4 to 6 in. Bringing in 6 in of topsoil takes about 19 cubic yards per 1,000 sq ft; the topsoil calculator works it out for your areas.
- Lay it the day it comes. Sod should be laid within 24 hours of harvest. A 450 sq ft pallet weighs close to a ton, so have it set down near where it will be laid.
- Stagger the joints like brickwork, and avoid pieces smaller than about 9 x 18 in at the edges; small pieces dry out.
- Water daily, in the morning, until it roots, usually about 10 days, then water less often and more deeply.
Seeding instead? Seed costs far less but takes a season to fill in; see the grass seed calculator.
Questions
How much sod do I need?
Measure the lawn area in square feet and add about 10% for cuts and waste, per Purdue Extension. A 1,000 sq ft lawn needs about 1,100 sq ft of sod.
How many square feet are in a pallet of sod?
Most farms load 400, 450 or 500 sq ft to a pallet. 450 sq ft, or 50 square yards, is the most common.
How many pieces of sod are on a pallet?
With 16 x 24 in slabs, which cover 2.67 sq ft each, a 450 sq ft pallet holds about 169 pieces. With 18 x 24 in slabs, 150.
How much does a pallet of sod weigh?
Sod weighs 35 to 40 lb per square yard, so a 450 sq ft pallet is about 1,750 to 2,000 lb of sod, more when it is wet, plus the pallet.
How much does sod cost?
HomeGuide's 2026 survey puts sod at $0.30 to $0.80 a square foot for most grasses, with Zoysia up to $1.30. Installed, with soil prep and labor, $1 to $2 a square foot is typical.
How many pallets of sod do I need for 1,000 square feet?
With 10% extra, 1,100 sq ft: about 2.4 pallets of 450 sq ft, so 2 pallets plus about 75 slabs, or 3 pallets.
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