# Sod Calculator

> Converts a lawn area into rolls of sod (turf) from the roll coverage, a waste allowance and the rolls per pallet, and optionally the topsoil volume for a levelling layer of given depth. Planning estimate only.

- Calculator id: `sod-turf` · Category: Construction & Home (`construction`) · Tool name: `estimate_sod`
- Canonical page: https://tttkmbb.com/construction/sod-turf · This document: https://tttkmbb.com/construction/sod-turf.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/construction/sod-turf.json

## Purpose

Converts a lawn area into rolls of sod (turf) from the roll coverage, a waste allowance and the rolls per pallet, and optionally the topsoil volume for a levelling layer of given depth. Planning estimate only.

**Use when:** You need to order rolled turf (sod) and pallets for a lawn of known area, or the topsoil to spread under it.

**Do not use when:** You are seeding rather than laying turf (multiply the area by the sowing rate on the seed bag) or you only need the soil volume and weight (use gravel with material = topsoil).

## Input

| Parameter | Type | Unit | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `area` | number | m² or ft² | required | Area to turf in m² or ft² (see area_unit). (> 0, max 1000000) |
| `area_unit` | enum: m2 \| ft2 |  | optional, default "m2" | Unit of the area input; areas are reported in both m² and ft². |
| `roll_area` | number | m² or ft² | optional, default 1 | Area covered by one roll (see roll_area_unit): 1 m² for a 0.5 × 2 m roll, 10 ft² for a 2 × 5 ft roll; big rolls cover 40–70 m². (> 0, max 100) |
| `roll_area_unit` | enum: m2 \| ft2 |  | optional, default "m2" | Unit of roll_area. |
| `waste_percent` | number | % | optional, default 5 | Extra material for cuts, breakage and offcuts, applied as a multiplier (1 + waste_percent/100). 5 % for rectangular lawns; 10 % for curved edges and narrow strips. (min 0, max 50) |
| `rolls_per_pallet` | integer |  | optional, default 50 | Rolls per pallet as delivered (50 rolls of 1 m² is common; US pallets carry 50–75 rolls of 10 ft² = 500–750 ft²). (min 1, max 1000) |
| `topsoil_depth_mm` | number | mm | optional, default 0 | Optional depth of new topsoil to spread before laying (50–100 mm is typical); 0 for none. (min 0, max 300) |

## Output

| Field | Type | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `area_m2` | number | m² | Lawn area. |
| `area_ft2` | number | ft² | Lawn area in square feet. |
| `area_with_waste_m2` | number | m² | area × (1 + waste_percent/100). |
| `area_with_waste_ft2` | number | ft² | Area to order in square feet. |
| `rolls` | integer |  | ceil(area_with_waste / roll_area). |
| `pallets` | number |  | rolls / rolls_per_pallet. |
| `pallets_to_order` | integer |  | ceil(rolls / rolls_per_pallet). |
| `topsoil_m3` | number | m³ | area × topsoil_depth (0 when no depth is given). |
| `topsoil_yd3` | number | yd³ | Topsoil volume in cubic yards. |

## Formula

`area_with_waste = area × (1 + waste_percent/100); rolls = ceil(area_with_waste / roll_area); pallets = rolls / rolls_per_pallet; topsoil_m3 = area_m² × topsoil_depth_mm / 1000; yd³ = m³ / 0.764555.`

Sod is sold by the roll or slab and delivered on pallets; roll sizes vary by grower (0.5 × 2 m = 1 m² in Europe and Australia, 2 × 5 ft = 10 ft² or 16 × 24 in slabs in North America), so enter the supplier's coverage. Planning estimate only; check quantities against the supplier's coverage figures and local code before ordering.

## Data Sources

- Wikipedia – Sod — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sod (reference, retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Wikipedia – Lawn — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn (reference, retrieved 2026-09-24)

Data freshness: `static`. Deterministic formula with fixed constants; results never go stale. Inputs supplied by the caller determine the output.

## API

- `GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/sod-turf?area=…`
- `POST https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/sod-turf` with JSON body `{"inputs": {…}}`
- Response: unified envelope (`success`, `request`, `result.values`, `result.units`, `sources`, `freshness`, `timestamp`, `next_actions`, `links`); see https://tttkmbb.com/docs/response-format.md
- Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/sod-turf · OpenAPI operationId `estimate_sod` in https://tttkmbb.com/openapi.json
- Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use, see https://tttkmbb.com/docs/rate-limits.md.

## MCP

- Server: `https://tttkmbb.com/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, JSON-RPC 2.0, no auth)
- Tool:  `run_calculator` with `{"calculator_id": "sod-turf", "inputs": {…}}`

## Example

- 100 m², 1 m² rolls, 5 % waste, 50 per pallet, 50 mm topsoil: inputs `{"area":100,"area_unit":"m2","roll_area":1,"roll_area_unit":"m2","waste_percent":5,"rolls_per_pallet":50,"topsoil_depth_mm":50}` → `{"area_m2":100,"area_with_waste_m2":105,"area_with_waste_ft2":1130.21,"rolls":105,"pallets":2.1,"pallets_to_order":3,"topsoil_m3":5,"topsoil_yd3":6.54}`
- 2,000 ft², 10 ft² rolls, 5 % waste, 50 per pallet: inputs `{"area":2000,"area_unit":"ft2","roll_area":10,"roll_area_unit":"ft2","waste_percent":5,"rolls_per_pallet":50}` → `{"area_with_waste_ft2":2100,"area_with_waste_m2":195.1,"rolls":210,"pallets":4.2,"pallets_to_order":5,"topsoil_m3":0}`

```
GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/sod-turf?area=100&area_unit=m2&roll_area=1&roll_area_unit=m2&waste_percent=5&rolls_per_pallet=50&topsoil_depth_mm=50
```

## Limitations

You are seeding rather than laying turf (multiply the area by the sowing rate on the seed bag) or you only need the soil volume and weight (use gravel with material = topsoil). Sod is sold by the roll or slab and delivered on pallets; roll sizes vary by grower (0.5 × 2 m = 1 m² in Europe and Australia, 2 × 5 ft = 10 ft² or 16 × 24 in slabs in North America), so enter the supplier's coverage. Planning estimate only; check quantities against the supplier's coverage figures and local code before ordering. All values are computed from the formula above; no measurement or live data is involved.

## FAQ

**How much waste should I allow?**

5 % for a simple rectangle; 10 % where there are curves, trees or narrow strips, because every cut strip loses a piece and rolls dry out if left over more than a day.

**How heavy is a pallet of sod?**

Roughly 1–1.5 t: a 1 m² roll weighs 15–25 kg depending on soil moisture, so a 50-roll pallet is around a tonne; check access for the delivery truck.

## Related

- [Gravel Calculator](https://tttkmbb.com/construction/gravel.md) — Topsoil weight from the volume (material = topsoil).
- [Rectangle Calculator](https://tttkmbb.com/geometry/rectangle.md) — Area of each rectangular lawn section.
- [Paver Calculator](https://tttkmbb.com/construction/pavers.md) — Paved areas next to the lawn.