Common sod sizes
| Piece | Dimensions | Square feet | Where you’ll see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small slab | 16 × 24 in | about 2.67 | St. Augustine, zoysia, centipede and other southern grasses |
| Slab | 18 × 24 in | 3 | Some southern and western farms |
| Standard roll | 2 × 5 ft (24 × 60 in) | 10 | Bluegrass, tall fescue and Bermuda across much of the country |
| Big roll | about 2.5–4 ft wide, tens of feet long | dozens to hundreds | Large lawns, sports fields; laid with a machine |
Sizes vary between farms, so the piece size on your quote beats this table. If the quote only gives inches, square feet = width (in) × length (in) ÷ 144. A 16 × 24 slab is 384 ÷ 144 = 2.67 sq ft.
How many pieces you need
Pieces = lawn area × (1 + extra %) ÷ square feet per piece, rounded up
The calculator above is set to 16 × 24 inch slabs; switch the piece size to a roll or a custom size and it recounts.
| Lawn area (with 5% extra) | 2 × 5 ft rolls | 16 × 24 in slabs | 18 × 24 in slabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft (105) | 11 | 40 | 35 |
| 250 sq ft (263) | 27 | 99 | 88 |
| 500 sq ft (525) | 53 | 197 | 175 |
| 1,000 sq ft (1,050) | 105 | 394 | 350 |
| 2,000 sq ft (2,100) | 210 | 788 | 700 |
Pieces per pallet
| Pallet | 2 × 5 ft rolls | 16 × 24 in slabs | 18 × 24 in slabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 sq ft | 40 | 150 | about 133 |
| 450 sq ft | 45 | about 169 | 150 |
| 500 sq ft | 50 | about 188 | about 167 |
More on pallets in the pallet of sod calculator.
Rolls or slabs: does it matter?
For how much lawn you cover, no: you need the same square feet either way. It matters for the work:
- Rolls are fewer, longer pieces. Fewer seams, quicker to lay on open ground, but heavier to carry (often 40 to 70 lb each when fresh; see sod weight).
- Slabs are light and easy to fit around curves, beds and trees, but there are about four slabs for every roll, so laying takes more bending and more seams.
- Big rolls need a machine and a wide-open site, and are mostly used by contractors.
How to measure a piece yourself
If you’re buying from a store or a farm that doesn’t state the size:
- Lay one piece flat without stretching it.
- Measure width and length in inches.
- Multiply and divide by 144 for square feet.
- Type it into the calculator as a custom piece size.
Pieces can shrink a little if they dry out, which is another reason to lay sod the day it arrives.
Laying tips by piece size
- Start along a straight edge, like a driveway or a string line.
- Stagger the joints like brickwork so seams don’t line up.
- Butt each edge tight against the last piece, but don’t stretch it; stretched sod shrinks back and leaves gaps.
- On slopes, run the pieces across the slope and pin them with sod staples if needed.
- Use offcuts for small gaps only if they’re at least the size of your hand; tiny scraps dry out and die.
Piece and pallet sizes vary by farm. Use the sizes on your quote; the ones on this page are the most common, not a standard.
Questions people ask
- How big is a roll of sod?
- The most common roll is 2 ft wide and 5 ft long, which covers 10 square feet. Some farms cut slightly different sizes, and large machine-laid rolls are a few feet wide and tens of feet long.
- How many square feet are in a roll of sod?
- A standard 2 × 5 ft roll covers 10 square feet. Check your quote: if a farm sells a different size, multiply its width by its length in feet.
- How big is a piece of sod?
- Slabs are usually 16 × 24 inches (about 2.67 sq ft) or 18 × 24 inches (3 sq ft). Rolls are usually 2 × 5 ft (10 sq ft).
- How much does a roll of sod cost?
- It depends on the grass, the seller and whether you buy single rolls or a full pallet. Divide the price by 10 to get the price per square foot of a 2 × 5 ft roll, then compare that with pallet prices.
- How many rolls of sod do I need for 1,000 square feet?
- 100 rolls of 2 × 5 ft sod cover 1,000 sq ft exactly. With 5 percent extra for cutting, order 105.