How to measure your lawn for turf
Measure the area you want to turf, right out to where the new lawn will meet paths, beds or paving. For a rectangular lawn, take the length (A) and the width (B) with a long tape. Check the width at both ends: few gardens are truly square, and the longer reading is the safer one for turf.
Curved lawns are easier as simple shapes. An oval lawn is an oval: measure the longest length and the widest width. A round lawn is a circle: measure straight across through the middle. A lawn that wraps round a patio is an L-shape: measure it as a full rectangle, then measure the missing corner. A wedge-shaped strip is a triangle. Use Add another area for each piece and the calculator adds them together.
If you measure in feet and inches, switch the units at the top of the calculator. Turf is still sold by the roll, so the answer comes out in rolls either way.
Turf quantities: rolls, extra and topsoil
These are the figures behind the turf calculator. UK turf growers, turf suppliers and the RHS publish them, and you can change any of them in the calculator if your supplier’s figures are different.
| Use | Typical figure | Where it comes from | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| One roll of turfThe standard UK roll | 1 m² | Turfonline, Rolawn and Turfworld | |
| Extra for cutting and shapingMore for curved lawns | 5–10% | Turfonline and Rolawn | |
| Rolls on a palletAsk your supplier | 50–70 rolls | Turf suppliers’ delivery pages | |
| Topsoil under new turfOnly where the ground is poor | 100–150 mm | Rolawn and the RHS |
How much turf do I need?
Turf is sold by the roll, and a standard UK roll covers 1 m². The number of rolls is therefore the lawn’s area in square metres plus a small allowance, rounded up to a whole roll. A lawn 6 m long and 4 m wide is 24 m², so it needs 24 rolls before any extra.
Turf growers suggest ordering 5–10% more than the bare area. That covers trimming the edges, the half rolls you cut to stagger the joins, and the odd roll that tears as you lift it. Turf is a living product, so a spare roll is far less trouble than waiting for a second delivery to finish the last row.
How many rolls of turf for a curved lawn?
Curves use more turf than straight edges, because their offcuts are usually too thin to use anywhere else. For flowing edges or beds to cut round, move the extra allowance towards the top of the range. Laying whole rolls past the line of a curve and cutting the shape afterwards with a half-moon edging iron gives the cleanest edge.
Turf per pallet
Turf is delivered on pallets, and the load depends on the supplier: UK suppliers quote 50–70 rolls a pallet. The calculator starts in the middle of that range, so change Rolls per pallet to whatever your supplier tells you. The pallet count matters mostly for the delivery: how much space to clear on the drive and how many trips with the barrow.
Ask for the pallet to go down as close to the lawn as the lorry can reach, keep it in the shade and start laying straight away. Turf left stacked on a warm day heats up in the middle and starts to yellow.
How big is my lawn?
If all you want is the area, this works as a lawn size calculator too. The result shows the lawn area in square metres, and in square feet as well if you measured in feet and inches. That figure is useful beyond turf: lawn feed, weedkiller and grass seed are all measured out per square metre.
For an irregular outline, take the largest rectangle that fits inside the lawn, then add the leftover pieces as triangles or ovals. Don’t chase every wiggle in the edge: a few centimetres either way changes the total by less than a roll.
Topsoil under new turf
New turf roots best into good topsoil. Rolawn and the RHS suggest 100–150 mm under a new lawn, so if your ground is builders’ rubble, heavy clay or full of hollows, tick Add topsoil underneath and the calculator adds the tonnes and bulk bags for that depth.
The topsoil gets its own allowance, separate from the turf. Topsoil settles once it is spread and firmed, and UK suppliers suggest ordering 10–25% more than the bare volume, so the calculator adds the lower figure. For a deep layer or soft, fluffy soil that will settle a lot, work the soil out on its own with the topsoil calculator, where you can raise the settling allowance.
Worked example: an L-shaped lawn with topsoil
Here is the full calculation for a lawn that wraps round a corner patio, measured as an L-shape, with topsoil underneath and the standard extra for cutting. Every line comes from the same code that runs the calculator above, so the figures always match.
- Area 8 m × 6 m − 3 m × 2 m = 42.00 m²
- Rolls of turf 42.00 m² + 5% ÷ 1 m² per roll, rounded up = 45 rolls
- Pallets 45 rolls ÷ 60 per pallet, rounded up = 1 pallet
- Topsoil underneath 42.00 m² × 0.1 m × 1.5 t/m³ + 10% = 6.93 t
On the list:
- 45rolls of turf (about 610 × 1640 mm)about 1 pallet at 60 rolls a pallet
- 6bulk bags of topsoil (0.75 m³ each)6.93 t needed
- 435 litre bags of topsoilto top up
Notice that the missing corner comes off the area before anything else, so you don’t order turf for the patio, and that the topsoil has its own allowance for settling, not the turf’s. The soil comes in whole bulk bags, with small bags only to top up what is left over. Book the soil to arrive first: spread, firm and rake it level, then have the turf delivered so it goes straight down onto prepared ground.
UK turf roll and topsoil bag sizes
UK turf growers cut a standard roll, so a quote in rolls and a quote in square metres come to the same thing. Topsoil comes in small bags you can carry or in bulk bags delivered by lorry: small bags for patching, bulk bags for a whole new lawn.
| Product | Size | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Turf roll, 1 m² | about 610 × 1640 mm | The standard UK roll of lawn turf. |
| Bulk bag, 0.5 m³ | 500 litres | The standard bulk bag from several topsoil suppliers. |
| Bulk bag, 0.75 m³ | 750 litres | A common large bulk bag of topsoil or compost. |
| 35 litre bag | 35 litres | Small bag of topsoil or compost. |
If a supplier quotes in square metres, give them the turf total from the calculator’s result, which already includes the extra allowance.
Common mistakes when ordering turf
- Ordering the exact area. With no margin you run short on the last row, and turf from a later delivery can look different for a while.
- Forgetting the missing corner. Measure an L-shaped lawn as an L-shape, not as the full rectangle, or you order turf for the patio.
- Laying on unprepared ground. Turf follows every bump underneath it. Dig, firm and rake the soil level first, adding topsoil where the ground is poor.
- Lining up the joins. Stagger the rolls like brickwork so the joins don’t line up across the lawn. The half rolls this leaves are part of what the extra allowance is for.
- Mixing up feet and metres. A lawn measured in feet but typed in as metres asks for about ten times too much. If the total looks far out, check the units at the top.
What else you'll need
- Topsoil for poor ground. For a deeper layer, or to fill hollows, work out the bags on their own with the topsoil calculator.
- Grass seed for repairs. A small pack fills gaps at the joins and edges later on; the grass seed calculator works out how much.
- A pre-turf fertiliser raked into the soil before laying, if your turf supplier recommends one.
- Planks to kneel and walk on, so you don’t leave footprints in the prepared soil or dents in newly laid rolls.
- A sharp knife or half-moon edging iron for cutting the rolls to shape, and a hose or sprinkler to water the new lawn in.
Last checked 28 October 2026