Sod Calculator
A 40 by 20 foot rectangle, a 10 by 10 rectangle, and a 10 foot circle are 978.54 square feet of sod. Five percent waste makes 1,027.47 square feet, 232 pieces, and 3 pallets at 450 square feet each.
Last updated . A 16 × 40 in piece is 4.44 square feet. Waste starts at 5 percent. A pallet starts at 450 square feet, inside a 450 to 500 planning range. That range is not a nursery’s count. No prices.
Add two rectangles and one circle. Use 0 for a shape you do not have. The piece count uses the roll or slab face you type.
Soil under a new lawn is the topsoil calculator. Low spots before the sod goes down are the lawn leveling sand calculator.
Sod area
Use 0 when there is no round bed. The three areas are added. They do not overlap in this count, so do not draw the same ground twice.
A 16 × 40 in roll or slab is 16 × 40 ÷ 144 = 4.44 square feet. That is a planning piece, not a brand of sod.
Pallets are often planned around 450 to 500 square feet. 450 is the starting figure. Type 500 for the other end of that range. It is not a nursery’s pallet.
Results
How the sod area is counted
Net area is rectangle A plus rectangle B plus the circle, π × radius². The default shapes are 800.00, 100.00, and 78.54 square feet, and the sum is 978.54. Five percent waste multiplies that area. It does not change the shape math.
A piece of 16 by 40 inches covers 16 × 40 ÷ 144 square feet. That is 4.444…, shown as 4.44. The order divides the waste area by the exact piece and rounds up. Pallets divide the same waste area by 450 square feet and round up. Type 500 if you want the other end of the planning range.
Worked example
Leave every field as it opens. Rectangle A reads 800.00 ft² · 74.32 m². Rectangle B reads 100.00 ft² · 9.29 m². Circle reads 78.54 ft² · 7.30 m². Net reads 978.54 ft² · 90.91 m². With waste reads 1,027.47 ft² · 95.45 m². Piece reads 4.44 ft². Pieces read 231.18 · order 232. Pallets read 3.
| Part | Area |
|---|---|
| 40 × 20 ft | 800.00 ft² |
| 10 × 10 ft | 100.00 ft² |
| 10 ft circle | 78.54 ft² |
| Net | 978.54 ft² |
| With 5 percent | 1,027.47 ft² · 232 pieces · 3 pallets at 450 |
Frequently asked questions
How much sod do I need?
Leave rectangle A at 40 ft by 20 ft, rectangle B at 10 ft by 10 ft, the circle at a 10 ft diameter, waste at 5 percent, the piece at 16 by 40 in, and the pallet at 450 ft². Net reads 978.54 ft² · 90.91 m². With waste reads 1,027.47 ft² · 95.45 m². Pieces read 231.18 · order 232. Pallets read 3.
How is an irregular lawn added up?
The three shapes are added and they are not overlapped. Rectangle A is 800.00 ft². Rectangle B is 100.00 ft². The circle is π × 5², 78.54 ft². Together that is 978.54 ft². If two shapes cover the same ground, this total is high. Set a side or the diameter to 0 to drop that shape.
How many square feet is a 16 by 40 inch piece?
16 × 40 ÷ 144 = 4.444…, which the piece line shows as 4.44 ft². The piece count divides by that exact area, not by the rounded 4.44. 1,027.47 square feet is 231.18 pieces, and the order rounds up to 232. A roll and a slab of those dimensions cover the same face in this count.
How many pallets of sod is that?
Pallets divide the area after waste by the square feet you type, then round up. 1,027.47 ÷ 450 is 2.28, so the pallet line reads 3. The 450 is the low end of a 450 to 500 planning range. It is not a nursery’s pallet, and there is no price.
What if a pallet is 500 square feet?
Set the pallet to 500 and leave the shapes. 1,027.47 ÷ 500 is 2.05, which still rounds up to 3. Drop the circle diameter to 0. Net reads 900.00 ft² and the waste area is 945.00 ft². At 500 ft² per pallet that is 2 pallets. At 450 it is still 3, because 945 ÷ 450 is 2.10.
What if I leave the circle out?
Set the diameter to 0 and put the pallet back to 450. Circle reads 0.00 ft². Net reads 900.00 ft² · 83.61 m². With waste reads 945.00 ft² · 87.79 m². Pieces read 212.63 · order 213. Pallets read 3.
What does the 5 percent do?
Put the circle back to 10 ft and set waste to 0. Net stays 978.54 ft². With waste matches it. Pieces read 220.17 · order 221. Five percent is cuts and a torn roll, and it is the reason the default order is 232 pieces instead of 221. Pallets at 450 still read 3.