Turf is sold by the pallet and it is alive. That second fact matters more than the first — it is the only material on a building site with an expiry date measured in hours.
Enter the lawn area and what one pallet covers. We'll work out the pallets — and tell you when to have it delivered, which matters more than how much you order.
Works in metric and US imperial — you choose at the start and can switch at any time. Every figure this calculator uses is published with its source, and the result comes with a printable order sheet. No account, no email, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
Related: Gravel calculator · Deck calculator · Fence calculator
All calculators · How to use them · The standards behind our figures
It is sold by the pallet and it is alive. That second fact matters more than the first: stacked on a pallet in summer, turf heats up and starts to yellow within a day or two, and there is no recovering it. So the order quantity is the easy half — the important decision is when it arrives, which should be the day you are ready to lay it and not before.
Levelled, raked, lightly firmed and watered. Turf laid on unprepared ground never roots properly, and no amount of watering afterwards fixes it. Have all of that finished before the pallet is on the drive, because once it is there the clock is running.
Lay in a brick pattern, tight, with no gaps — butt the edges hard together, because turf shrinks slightly as it establishes and gaps become permanent seams. Water within half an hour of laying, and heavily enough to soak through the turf into the soil beneath; a light sprinkle wets the grass and does nothing for the roots. Then keep off it for two to three weeks, using boards if you must cross it, while the roots knit into the soil below.
It varies by supplier and by roll size, and it is the single number this calculation depends on — so ask rather than assume. Enter the figure your supplier gives and the pallet count follows.
On the day you are ready to lay it, with the ground already prepared. Turf is alive and stacked on a pallet it starts to yellow within a day or two, especially in summer. There is no recovering it once that starts.
Within half an hour of laying, and heavily — the first watering needs to soak through the turf and into the soil beneath. A light sprinkle wets the grass and does nothing for the roots.
A little over, yes. Turf cannot be matched later: a batch cut a fortnight apart is a visibly different green, so whatever you are short by, you will see the join.