How much grass seed do I need for 1 acre?

For a lawn, about 260 to 350 lb of tall fescue, 87 to 131 lb of Kentucky bluegrass, 218 to 348 lb of perennial ryegrass, or 44 to 87 lb of hulled Bermuda. Overseeding takes roughly half. Check the rate on your bag.

How do I convert pounds per 1,000 sq ft to pounds per acre?

Multiply by 43.56, because an acre is 43,560 square feet. 7 lb per 1,000 sq ft is 7 × 43.56 = 305 lb per acre.

Why are pasture seeding rates so much lower than lawn rates?

A lawn is mown short and needs a dense, even carpet of plants, so it is seeded heavily. Pastures, hay fields and roadside cover are seeded for forage or erosion control at far lower rates. Use the rate for the job on the seed tag.

How many bags of grass seed for an acre?

Divide the pounds by the bag weight. 305 lb of tall fescue is seven 50 lb bags (350 lb) or six bags if you seed at the low end of the range.

Grass Seed Per Acre: Seeding Rate Chart by Grass Type

Lawn seeding rates are printed per 1,000 square feet. Multiply by 43.56 to get pounds per acre. The chart below does it for the common lawn grasses, and the calculator is preset to one acre.

From per 1,000 sq ft to per acre

One acre is 43,560 square feet, which is 43.56 “thousands”. So:

lb per acre = lb per 1,000 sq ft × 43.56

The calculator above is set to a 435.6 × 100 ft area, which is exactly one acre. Change the sections to your own field or lawn, or use the square feet to acres converter if your measurements are in acres.

Lawn seeding rate chart

Typical ranges for lawns from extension and seed-industry guides. Seed bags list their own rate, and it takes priority over this chart.

Grass	New lawn, per 1,000 sq ft	New lawn, per acre	Overseeding, per acre
Tall fescue	6–8 lb	261–348 lb	131–174 lb
Kentucky bluegrass	2–3 lb	87–131 lb	44–65 lb
Perennial ryegrass	5–8 lb	218–348 lb	131–174 lb
Fine fescue	3–5 lb	131–218 lb	65–109 lb
Sun and shade mix	4–6 lb	174–261 lb	87–131 lb
Bermudagrass, hulled	1–2 lb	44–87 lb	22–44 lb
Zoysiagrass	1–2 lb	44–87 lb	22–44 lb
Centipedegrass	0.25–0.5 lb	11–22 lb	7–11 lb
Bahiagrass	5–10 lb	218–436 lb	131–218 lb
Buffalograss, treated burs	2–3 lb	87–131 lb	44–65 lb

Partial acres

Most yards are a fraction of an acre. Multiply the per-acre figure by the fraction, or the per-1,000 rate by the thousands of square feet.

Area	Square feet	Tall fescue at 7 lb	Bluegrass at 2.5 lb	Bermuda at 1.5 lb
1/8 acre	5,445	38 lb	14 lb	8 lb
1/4 acre	10,890	76 lb	27 lb	16 lb
1/3 acre	14,520	102 lb	36 lb	22 lb
1/2 acre	21,780	152 lb	54 lb	33 lb
3/4 acre	32,670	229 lb	82 lb	49 lb
1 acre	43,560	305 lb	109 lb	65 lb
2 acres	87,120	610 lb	218 lb	131 lb

A worked example

A new tall fescue lawn on a 1.5-acre property where the house, drive, outbuildings and woods take up 0.6 acre. Lawn area: 0.9 acre, which is 0.9 × 43,560 = 39,204 sq ft.

At 7 lb per 1,000 sq ft: 39.204 × 7 = 274 lb.
In 50 lb bags: 274 ÷ 50 = 5.5, so 6 bags.
At the bag’s own rate, if it says 8 lb per 1,000 sq ft: 39.204 × 8 = 314 lb, so 7 bags.

Lawn rates are not pasture rates

The rates on this page are for lawns: mown short, expected to look like a carpet. Pastures, hay fields, food plots and erosion-control seedings use different mixes at much lower pounds per acre, and those rates come from the seed tag or your local extension office. Don’t use a lawn rate to price a pasture seeding, or the other way round.

Seeding an acre or more

At this size the spreader and the timing matter as much as the math:

Calibrate the spreader. Check how many pounds it puts out over a measured 1,000 sq ft before you start, then adjust the gate. Spread half the seed in each of two directions.
Consider a slit seeder or drill. Rented slit seeders cut the seed into the soil, which improves germination on large areas and on overseeding jobs.
Prepare the soil. Kill or remove weeds, loosen and grade, and take a soil test. The lawn fertilizer calculator works out starter fertilizer by the pound.
Plan for water. A large seeding that dries out after germination can fail across whole sections. Seed when rain is likely or irrigation can reach every part.
Order a little extra. Keep a bag back for thin patches that show up three or four weeks after germination.

Per-acre numbers are typical lawn rates multiplied out. Always follow the seeding rate on the seed tag, and ask your extension office for local timing and variety advice.

Illustration of a wide mown lawn and pasture with a rail fence and a farmhouse in the distance

Questions people ask

How much grass seed do I need for 1 acre?: For a lawn, about 260 to 350 lb of tall fescue, 87 to 131 lb of Kentucky bluegrass, 218 to 348 lb of perennial ryegrass, or 44 to 87 lb of hulled Bermuda. Overseeding takes roughly half. Check the rate on your bag.
How do I convert pounds per 1,000 sq ft to pounds per acre?: Multiply by 43.56, because an acre is 43,560 square feet. 7 lb per 1,000 sq ft is 7 × 43.56 = 305 lb per acre.
Why are pasture seeding rates so much lower than lawn rates?: A lawn is mown short and needs a dense, even carpet of plants, so it is seeded heavily. Pastures, hay fields and roadside cover are seeded for forage or erosion control at far lower rates. Use the rate for the job on the seed tag.
How many bags of grass seed for an acre?: Divide the pounds by the bag weight. 305 lb of tall fescue is seven 50 lb bags (350 lb) or six bags if you seed at the low end of the range.

Grass seed per acre