Lawn & Yard Sqft Calculator
Work out your lawn area for sod, seed or fertilizer. Subtract the house, driveway and pool to get the area you actually treat.
To calculate lawn square footage, measure the total lot area and subtract everything that is not grass. On a 10,000 sq ft lot with a 1,600 sq ft house footprint, a 600 sq ft driveway and a 450 sq ft pool, the lawn is 10,000 − 2,650 = 7,350 square feet.
Formula: Length × Width
Formula: Lot area − building
Formula: π × d² ÷ 4
Formula: (Base × Height) ÷ 2
Measuring an irregular yard
Few yards are neat rectangles. The reliable approach is subtraction:
- Measure the whole lot as one or more rectangles.
- Measure everything that is not lawn — the house footprint, driveway, patio, shed, pool, beds.
- Subtract those from the lot total.
For genuinely awkward boundaries, satellite measurement is easier than a tape — see our guide to measuring on Google Maps.
Sod, seed and fertilizer quantities
Once you have the lawn area, the standard coverage figures are:
- Sod — sold by the pallet, typically 450–500 sq ft per pallet. A 7,350 sq ft lawn needs about 16 pallets at 450 sq ft each.
- Grass seed — roughly 3 lb per 1,000 sq ft for overseeding, 6–8 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn.
- Fertilizer — bags are labelled by coverage, most commonly 5,000 or 15,000 sq ft.
- Topsoil — for a 4 in layer use the cubic feet calculator; 7,350 sq ft at 4 in is about 91 cubic yards.
Pool square footage
Pool surface area matters for covers, solar blankets and chemical dosing.
- Round pool: π × diameter² ÷ 4. A 24 ft round pool is 452 sq ft.
- Rectangular pool: length × width. A 16 × 32 ft pool is 512 sq ft.
- Oval pool: π × long axis × short axis ÷ 4.
For a cover, add 2–3 ft to each dimension for the overlap before calculating.
Lawn material quantities by area
| Lawn area | Sod pallets (450 ft²) | Seed for new lawn | Fertilizer bags (5,000 ft²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 sq ft | 5 pallets | 14 lb | 1 bag |
| 5,000 sq ft | 12 pallets | 35 lb | 1 bag |
| 7,500 sq ft | 17 pallets | 53 lb | 2 bags |
| 10,000 sq ft | 23 pallets | 70 lb | 2 bags |
| 20,000 sq ft | 45 pallets | 140 lb | 4 bags |
| 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) | 97 pallets | 305 lb | 9 bags |
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my lawn square footage?
Measure the total lot area, then subtract the house footprint, driveway, patio, pool and any garden beds. What remains is the lawn area you need to treat.
How much sod do I need for 5,000 square feet?
Sod pallets typically cover 450 to 500 square feet, so 5,000 square feet needs about 11 to 12 pallets. Add 5% for cuts around curves and borders.
How much grass seed per square foot?
For overseeding an existing lawn, about 3 lb per 1,000 square feet. For establishing a new lawn from bare soil, 6 to 8 lb per 1,000 square feet.
How do I measure an irregularly shaped yard?
Break it into rectangles, triangles and circles, calculate each separately and add them. Alternatively measure the whole lot and subtract the non-lawn areas, or trace the boundary on Google Maps.
How do I calculate the square footage of a pool?
For a rectangular pool multiply length by width. For a round pool use π × diameter² ÷ 4 — a 24 foot round pool is 452 square feet. Add 2 to 3 feet per side when sizing a cover.