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Sod and Topsoil Calculator
Measure the lawn by hand, trace it on a satellite map, or trace it over your own site plan. Subtract the pool and the patio, enter the exact slope, and get one list: sod in square feet, pallets, and rolls; topsoil, fill, and compost in cubic yards; truckloads; what comes out if the old lawn is stripped; and the water the first two weeks will take.
Measure the lawn
Break the yard into simple shapes. Add every piece of lawn, then subtract the pool, the patio, and the beds.
Length x width.
Slope only matters for an area measured on a map, a survey, or a plan. A tape or a wheel already follows the ground.
Adds 2,000 sq ft
Sod
Pallet, roll, weight, and ordering rules (set for the Northeast)
Ground prep and yardage
Water supply
To find your flow, time how long the hose takes to fill a 5-gallon bucket. Thirty seconds is 10 gallons a minute. On a well, this is the number that decides whether the lawn can be watered in one day.
How the calculator does the math
Every number on the list comes from a formula you can check with a pencil. The allowances, which are the numbers that depend on judgment, are inputs you can change, not constants hidden in the tool.
| What | How it is figured |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards of topsoil, fill, or compost | Square feet times depth in inches, divided by 324. One cubic yard covers 324 square feet 1 inch deep. |
| Settling and compaction | Added to the order as a percentage you set. Topsoil defaults to 15 percent. |
| Slope | Flat area times the square root of 1 plus the grade squared, where grade is rise divided by run. |
| Sod to order | Lawn area plus 5, 10, or 15 percent for cuts, rounded up to the next 100 square feet, with a one-pallet minimum. |
| Pallets and rolls | 500 square feet per pallet and 10 square feet per roll in the Northeast. Both can be changed for other regions. |
| Sod weight | About 1,000 pounds per 500 square foot pallet, about 20 pounds per roll. |
| Water | One inch of water is 0.623 gallons per square foot. A 1 inch soak on day one, then one eighth to one quarter inch a day for two weeks. |
| A hole or an old pool | Surface area times average depth, divided by 27. A kidney shape is 0.45 times the sum of the two widths times the length. |
| Old lawn stripped out | Area times cut depth, divided by 324, in cubic yards. About 75 pounds per cubic foot, shown as a range because moisture moves it. Containers are counted at the weight limit you enter. |
| Truckloads | Total cubic yards divided by the truck size. A tri-axle carries about 20 cubic yards. |
When slope matters, and when it does not
A tape or a measuring wheel follows the ground, so a measurement taken that way already includes the slope. A satellite map, a survey, and a site plan all show the yard as if it were flat, and a sloped lawn is larger than its flat outline. Enter the slope for any area measured that way, as a percent, a ratio, rise and run in feet, or degrees. On most lawns the correction is smaller than the allowance for cuts. On a bank it decides whether you come up a pallet short.
| Grade | Ratio | Angle | Added to the flat area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 percent | 20:1 | 2.9 degrees | 0.1 percent |
| 10 percent | 10:1 | 5.7 degrees | 0.5 percent |
| 20 percent | 5:1 | 11.3 degrees | 2.0 percent |
| 25 percent | 4:1 | 14.0 degrees | 3.1 percent |
| 33 percent | 3:1 | 18.4 degrees | 5.4 percent |
| 50 percent | 2:1 | 26.6 degrees | 11.8 percent |
At 3:1 and steeper, the turfgrass industry's guideline specification calls for sod laid across the slope with staggered joints and secured with pegs or staples. The calculator flags any area that steep. The method is in how to lay sod on a slope.
Topsoil by the numbers
Depth is the settled depth, the soil that is there after grading and the first rain. Four to 6 inches over a poor base and 2 over a good one is the working range, and the reasoning is in how deep topsoil should be for sod.
| Settled depth | Per 1,000 sq ft, in place | To order, with 15 percent |
|---|---|---|
| 2 inches | 6.2 cubic yards | 7.1 cubic yards |
| 3 inches | 9.3 cubic yards | 10.6 cubic yards |
| 4 inches | 12.3 cubic yards | 14.2 cubic yards |
| 6 inches | 18.5 cubic yards | 21.3 cubic yards |
Set the finished, firmed soil three quarters of an inch to 1 inch below walks, drives, patios, and sprinkler heads, so the sod finishes flush. That number is the thickness of the soil layer on the sod, covered in how thick sod is.
Three ways to measure, and how far to trust each
By hand. Break the yard into rectangles, triangles, circles, and trapezoids, measure each in feet, and add them. A tape follows the ground, so no slope correction is needed. This is the most accurate method for a small yard.
On the satellite map. Search the address, tap the corners of the lawn, and drag any corner to adjust it. Imagery can be a year or two old, and tree canopy hides edges. Subtract the pool, the patio, and the beds the same way. Enter the slope for any area that has one.
Over a site plan or survey. Open the PDF, an image, or a straight-down photo of the paper. Set the scale from a dimension written on the plan, such as a property line, and not from the printed scale, because a scan or a photo can shrink or stretch the page. Then tap the corners. The length of the last side shows as you trace, so you can check it against a second dimension. The file stays on your device.
What this calculator does not do
It does not show prices. The delivered price button carries your square footage to the sod cost calculator. It does not replace a hauler's weight limit, a building department's rules on filling a pool, or a soil test. The tear-out weights are estimates, because a wet lawn weighs far more than a dry one. If the old lawn is coming out, the options are in can you lay sod over existing grass. After the sod is down, the schedule is in the first 14 days watering guide.
Sod and topsoil calculator questions
How do I calculate how much sod I need?
Measure each piece of lawn in feet, multiply length by width, and add the pieces together. Subtract the pool, the patio, and the beds. Add 5 percent for cuts on a simple yard, 10 percent with curves and trees, and 15 percent when there are many small pieces. Divide by 500 for pallets at the Northeast pallet size, or by 10 for rolls. A 50 by 40 foot lawn is 2,000 square feet, which is a 2,100 square foot order, 5 pallets, and 210 rolls.
How many cubic yards of topsoil do I need?
Multiply the square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324. One thousand square feet at a settled 4 inches is 12.3 cubic yards in place. Loose topsoil settles as it is graded and watered, so the order is larger than the math: with a 15 percent allowance that is about 14 cubic yards. A tri-axle dump truck carries about 20 cubic yards.
Does a slope change how much sod I need?
Only when the area was measured flat, on a satellite map, a survey, or a site plan. Sloped ground has more surface than its flat outline: multiply the flat area by the square root of 1 plus the grade squared, where grade is rise divided by run. A 10 percent grade adds half a percent. A 3:1 slope adds 5.4 percent, and a 2:1 slope adds 11.8 percent. If you measured along the ground with a tape or a wheel, the slope is already in your number and no correction is needed.
Can I measure my lawn from a satellite map or a site plan?
Yes. On the map, tap the corners of the lawn and the calculator returns the square footage. On a site plan, survey, or plot plan, open the PDF or a photo, tap both ends of a line whose length is written on the plan to set the scale, and then tap the corners. The plan never leaves your device. Satellite imagery can be a year or two old and trees hide edges, so check one side against a dimension you know.
How much does a pallet of sod weigh?
A 500 square foot pallet of cool-season sod typically weighs about 1,000 pounds, which is about 20 pounds per 2 foot by 5 foot roll. It runs lighter when the field is dry and heavier after rain. The forklift that places the pallets needs an opening about 8 feet wide to carry them into a back yard.
How much water does new sod need in the first two weeks?
Soak it on day one until the soil underneath is moist 4 to 6 inches down, which is about 1 inch of water on most ground. After that, University of Tennessee Extension puts establishment watering at one eighth to one quarter inch a day. One inch of water on 1,000 square feet is 623 gallons, so a 1,000 square foot lawn takes about 620 gallons for the soak and 80 to 155 gallons a day after it. Heat and wind need more, and rain counts.
How much fill does it take to fill in a pool?
Multiply the surface area of the pool by its average depth and divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 16 by 32 foot pool that runs from 3.5 to 8 feet deep is 512 square feet at an average 5.75 feet, which is 109 cubic yards in place and about 125 with a 15 percent compaction allowance. A kidney-shaped pool is 0.45 times the sum of its two widths times its length. Check with the building department before filling in a pool, and place the fill in compacted layers.
Does this calculator show prices?
No. It gives quantities. The delivered price button carries your square footage to the sod cost calculator, which shows the delivered price for the sod. Prep, grading, topsoil, and installation are quoted for the job, and the installation minimum is 1,200 square feet.
Sources
- University of Tennessee Extension, W160-C. Establishment watering of one eighth to one quarter inch a day. utia.tennessee.edu
- Guideline Specifications to Turfgrass Sodding. Sod on 3:1 or steeper slopes laid across the slope and secured. Specification guidelines (PDF)
- CT Sod field numbers: pallet weight, 20 cubic yards per tri-axle load, and the 15 percent topsoil allowance.
Want it done for you? CT Sod preps, grades, and installs across CT, MA, NY, NJ, RI, NH, VT, and ME. Send the list from the calculator, or call (203) 806-4086. See sod installation.