How much does a pallet of sod cover?
A standard pallet covers about 450 sq ft, made up of roughly 170 slabs at 16 by 24 inches each. A full pallet weighs 1,500 to 3,000 lbs depending on moisture, so plan where the delivery truck can set it down.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Lawn size | Order (+10%) | Pallets | Rolls | Pieces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | 550 sq ft | 2 | 55 | 206 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,100 sq ft | 3 | 110 | 412 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 2,200 sq ft | 5 | 220 | 824 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 5,500 sq ft | 13 | 550 | 2,060 |
| 10,000 sq ft | 11,000 sq ft | 25 | 1,100 | 4,120 |
| 20,000 sq ft | 22,000 sq ft | 49 | 2,200 | 8,240 |
Every row includes the standard 10% cutting allowance for edges, curves, and offcuts. Rolls are 2 by 5 ft; pieces are 16 by 24 in. Enter your exact size above for a number priced to your region.
How to measure your yard for sod
Measure only the ground the sod will cover. Leave out the driveway, patio, beds, and any turf you are keeping. For a rectangle, multiply length by width in feet; for an odd shape, split it into rectangles and add them together.
Measure twice before you order. Sod is sold by the pallet and cannot be returned once it is cut, so a 10 percent measuring error on a 5,000 sq ft lawn is a whole extra pallet, or a bare strip on install day.
For curved or irregular yards, the lawn size calculator lets you trace the area on a satellite map of your address and sends the square footage back here.
Sod or seed: the honest tradeoff
Sod material costs 4 to 8 times more than seed for the same area, and pays you back in time: an instant lawn you can walk on in 2 to 3 weeks, in any month the ground is not frozen.
Seed wins on price and grass variety, but asks for 6 to 8 weeks of babying and a narrow planting window. Sod wins when you need a finished lawn this season, when the slope would wash seed away, or when you simply missed the seeding window and still want grass this year.
- Sod wins on time. A finished lawn the day it is laid, light use in 2 to 3 weeks. There is no seedling stage for weeds to exploit and no washouts on slopes.
- Seed wins on cost. Seed covers the same area for a fraction of the price and offers far more variety choice. The tradeoff is 6 to 8 weeks of establishment and a strict planting window.
- Sod wins on timing. Seed has a narrow window, but sod can go down almost any month the ground is not frozen. If you missed seeding season, sod is how a lawn still happens this year.
When to lay sod
Sod is forgiving on timing, but roots knit fastest in the grass's growing season. Warm-season sod (Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede) lays best late spring through summer. Cool-season sod (fescue, bluegrass) prefers early fall, with spring a close second.
Avoid laying any sod onto frozen ground or during a heat wave without irrigation ready on day one. Sod is perishable: it is only good for 24 to 48 hours on the pallet, less in summer heat, so schedule delivery for the day you install and water within 30 minutes of laying.