Sod is sold by the square foot, and the quickest way to get the order wrong is to measure the lawn but forget the waste. This calculator takes the length and width of the area in feet and returns the square footage you need to buy.

Measure to the edge of where the turf will actually sit — up to the paving, not up to the fence behind it — and take both measurements at the widest points.

How much extra should you order?

Add roughly 5% to the figure above for a simple rectangular lawn, and closer to 10% if the area has curves, islands or awkward corners. Every curve means cutting into a slab and discarding the offcut, and running short by half a pallet on laying day is far more expensive than a little waste.

Measuring an irregular lawn

If the area is not a rectangle, split it into rectangles, run each through the calculator, and add the results. For a rough circle, measure the widest point across and treat it as a square of that size — you will over-order slightly, which is the right direction to be wrong in. Our lawn square footage calculator is worth using first if you are not sure of the total area.

Before the sod arrives

Sod is perishable. It should be laid within a day of delivery, so prepare the ground first: clear the old turf, level the soil and rake it to a fine tilth. Once it is down, the first mow matters — wait until the roots have knitted in, then cut high. Our guide to the right cutting height covers where to set the deck, and how often to mow explains the schedule from there.