Sod Calculator
How many rolls & pallets of sod for your lawn
Laying a new lawn? Enter the area to find how many rolls and pallets of sod to order, with waste included for trimming. Below: a lawn size chart, how many rolls of sod on a pallet, what a pallet weighs before you plan delivery, and the prep that decides whether it takes.
How much sod do I need?
A standard sod roll covers about 10 ft² — typically a slab 2 ft wide by 5 ft long, though some growers cut 16 in × 24 in pieces or wide rolls for commercial work. Measure each lawn section separately, add them up, and let the calculator apply 5 to 10% for trimming.
Waste is not optional here. Curves, tree rings, bed edges and paths all force cuts, and the offcut from a curve is rarely reusable. Straight rectangular lawns can run at 5%; anything with beds, islands or a winding edge needs 10%.
Sod by lawn size
Rolls and pallets for common lawn areas, with 5% waste included.
| Lawn area | With 5% waste | Rolls | Pallets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 ft² | 210 ft² | 21 | 1 |
| 500 ft² | 525 ft² | 53 | 2 |
| 1,000 ft² | 1,050 ft² | 105 | 3 |
| 2,000 ft² | 2,100 ft² | 210 | 5 |
| 4,000 ft² | 4,200 ft² | 420 | 10 |
Pallets round up hard, which is worth planning around. A 2,000 ft² lawn needs 4.67 pallets, so you buy five and have most of a pallet spare. Ask your supplier whether they sell part pallets or single rolls to top up, because many do and it can save you a whole pallet.
How many rolls of sod on a pallet
The honest answer is that it varies by grower, and you should confirm before ordering. A pallet is sold by area, not by count, so the number of rolls depends on how that grower cuts.
| Pallet coverage | Rolls at 10 ft² | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 400 ft² | 40 rolls | Some northern growers |
| 450 ft² | 45 rolls | Common US average, used here |
| 500 ft² | 50 rolls | Widely used in the south |
| 600 ft² | 60 rolls | Large-format commercial rolls |
This calculator uses 450 ft² per pallet. If your supplier quotes 500, you will need slightly fewer pallets than shown, so ring them before you order rather than after.
Sod weight, delivery and access
Sod is far heavier than people expect, and this catches out anyone planning to collect it in a car or move pallets around a garden.
| Unit | Dry to moist | Saturated |
|---|---|---|
| One 10 ft² roll | 35 to 45 lb | up to 50 lb |
| One 450 ft² pallet | 1,600 to 2,300 lb | up to 3,000 lb |
| Five pallets (2,000 ft² lawn) | 4 to 5.75 tons | up to 7.5 tons |
Practical consequences: a single pallet already exceeds the payload of most pickups, so delivery is nearly always the answer. Pallets are moved by forklift or pallet jack, which needs firm level access — a truck cannot place one at the bottom of a soft garden. And every roll gets carried by hand from there, so have help lined up. Used as a sod weight calculator, multiply your roll count by 40 lb for a workable planning figure.
Prep before the pallet arrives
Sod is perishable. It starts heating on the pallet within a day and is usually dead within three, so order it to arrive the morning you will lay it, not the weekend before. Everything else must be finished first:
- Kill or strip the old grass and remove debris, roots and stones.
- Loosen the top 2 to 3 inches so new roots can get in. Sod laid on compacted ground never knits.
- Add topsoil to correct level and grade, sloping away from the house.
- Rake level and lightly firm, then set the final grade about an inch below paths and drives so the finished lawn sits flush.
- Water the soil lightly just before laying. Sod on dry dust dries from below.
Laying and the first two weeks
Lay rolls in a staggered brick-style pattern with tight seams, cutting with a sharp knife rather than pulling pieces to fit — stretched sod shrinks back and leaves gaps that dry out. Work from a path or board so you are not standing on freshly laid turf, and start along the longest straight edge.
Roll the finished lawn to press roots into contact with the soil, then water deeply the same day: the first watering needs to soak through the sod and 2 to 3 inches into the ground beneath. Keep it consistently moist for two weeks, tapering to deeper, less frequent watering after that. Stay off it for around two weeks, then tug a corner — if it resists, the roots have taken. Wait until it has been mown two or three times before normal use.
How this sod calculator works out its numbers
Counts are lawn area × (1 + waste) ÷ unit coverage, rounded up. A sod roll is taken as 10 ft² (a 2 × 5 ft slab) and a pallet as 450 ft².
- Pallet size is the biggest variable and it is a grower decision, not a standard: 400, 450, 500 and 600 ft² pallets are all sold. 450 is a reasonable US average. Confirm yours before ordering, because it changes the pallet count directly.
- Roll size varies too. Some growers cut 16 in × 24 in pieces (2.67 ft²) rather than 2 × 5 ft slabs. The area is what matters; divide by your supplier's piece size if you need a literal count.
- Weights are ranges, not constants. Sod weight depends on soil thickness and moisture, and a pallet cut in the rain can be a third heavier than the same pallet cut dry. Figures here assume roughly 1 to 1.5 in of soil.
- Waste defaults to 8%, between the 5% a rectangular lawn needs and the 10% a lawn with curves and beds needs.
Reviewed September 2026.
Figures reviewed . Every worked example on this page is checked against the calculator above.
Sod Calculator: frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in a pallet of sod?
Usually 400 to 500 square feet depending on the grower, and sometimes 600 for large commercial rolls. This calculator uses 450 ft² as a typical figure, so confirm your supplier's pallet size before ordering.
How many rolls of sod on a pallet?
About 45 rolls on a 450 ft² pallet at 10 ft² per roll, or 40 on a 400 ft² pallet and 50 on a 500 ft². Pallets are sold by area rather than by count, so the roll number follows from how that grower cuts.
How much sod do I need for a 2,000 square foot lawn?
About 210 rolls, which is 2,000 ft² plus 5% for trimming. That works out to 4.67 pallets, so you would order five at a 450 ft² pallet size.
How much does a pallet of sod weigh?
Roughly 1,600 to 2,300 lb for a 450 ft² pallet, and up to 3,000 lb when saturated. That is more than most pickup trucks can legally carry, so plan on delivery and firm, level access for a forklift.
When should I lay sod?
Early fall is ideal for cool-season grasses, or spring as a second choice; warm-season sod goes down in late spring to early summer. Whatever the season, lay it within 24 hours of delivery, since sod heats on the pallet and can die in three days.
How long before you can walk on new sod?
Stay off it for about two weeks while the roots establish. After 10 to 14 days give a corner a gentle tug, and if it resists, light foot traffic is fine. Hold off on heavy use until it has been mown two or three times.
How much waste should I add for sod?
5% for a simple rectangular lawn and 10% where there are curves, tree rings, beds or paths to cut around. Offcuts from curved edges are rarely reusable, which is where the extra goes.