How the calculator works
Sod is sold by the square foot, cut into rolls (typically 2 ft × 5 ft = 10 sq ft) stacked on pallets of roughly 450 sq ft. The calculator adds your waste percentage, because every curve, tree ring, and sprinkler head means a cut, and cut scraps mostly can't be reused.
Measuring odd-shaped lawns
- Rectangles: length × width, then add the pieces together.
- Circles: radius² × 3.14.
- Triangles: base × height ÷ 2.
- Gentle curves: treat as a rectangle using the average width.
Before the truck arrives
Sod that sits rolled on a pallet in summer heat starts yellowing within 24 hours, so preparation happens before delivery: grade finished, 4–6″ of good topsoil in place, starter fertilizer down, and soil lightly moistened. Lay the first course along your longest straight edge, stagger joints like brickwork, butt seams tight without stretching, and water within 30 minutes of the first rolls going down. For the first two weeks the sod needs daily water; don't mow until it resists a gentle tug, usually 2–3 weeks.