Advanced options
Standard UK turf rolls cover 1 square metre each and weigh 15-20kg. For odd-shaped lawns, split the shape into rectangles and add the areas together before ordering.
What The Turf Calculator Works Out
- Lawn area: length x width in square metres. For irregular lawns, break the shape into rectangles and add them, or use the shape options in advanced mode.
- Turf to order: the area plus 5% for cutting waste around edges and curves, rounded up to whole rolls, since UK turf is sold in rolls covering one square metre. A 5 x 4m lawn is 20 m2 and a 21-roll order. Ordering short is the classic mistake, because a second delivery a week later will visibly differ in growth from the first batch.
- Approximate weight: rolls x about 17.5kg. Turf is perishable and should be laid within 24 hours of delivery in summer (48 in cool weather), so ground preparation is the real project.
- Timing and aftercare: spring and autumn are the best laying seasons. Water thoroughly at once and daily for the first two weeks in dry weather, keep off it for three to four weeks, and give the first cut on a high blade once the turf resists a gentle tug.
- Shape and adjustments (advanced): circle, oval and triangle options, plus boxes to add extra patches or subtract beds, paths and tree circles so the area matches the real lawn.
- Cutting waste (advanced): edit the 5% allowance: a plain rectangle can get away with 3%, a lawn with curved borders may need 10%.
- Turf cost (advanced): rolls x your price per roll. Standard lawn turf is typically GBP 3 to GBP 6 per roll, premium fine turf more, and suppliers usually add a pallet delivery charge.
- Topsoil to prepare (advanced): enter a depth and the calculator gives the tonnes and bulk bags of topsoil needed to build up levels before laying (10cm is enough over decent existing soil).
- Seed instead of turf (advanced): grass seed at about 35g per m2 for a new lawn, as a cost comparison. Seed is a fraction of the price but needs 6 to 8 weeks before light use and a longer window of watering and bird-proofing.
- Laying time (advanced): a DIY pair lays roughly 12 m2 an hour including barrowing and cutting. Lay rolls in a brickwork pattern working off boards, butt joints tightly without stretching, and trim edges with a knife.
Source and further reading: Royal Horticultural Society.