Free tool
Turf calculator
Lawn dimensions in, square metres and slab count out.
Turf is ordered in square metres, delivered in slabs and charged with a delivery fee that often surprises people more than the grass does. Put the lawn size in above and it gives you all three numbers.
The sum
Area is length times width. A lawn 12m by 8m is 96 square metres. Add an allowance for the cuts, then divide by the slab size to get the count the grower will load.
Almost every Australian grower cuts a slab at 1 metre by 0.5 metres, so there are two slabs to the square metre and about 60 slabs, or 30 square metres, to a pallet. If your grower cuts a different size they will say so, and the square metre figure is the one that still holds.
Why the allowance is small
Turf is far more forgiving than tiles. Offcuts from one run get used at the start of the next, so five per cent covers a rectangular lawn. Push it to ten if the lawn has garden beds curving through it, a round path, or a lot of narrow edges along a fence line, because each curve produces a piece that cannot be used anywhere else.
Order late, not early
This is the part that costs people money. Turf is cut to fill your order, not taken off a shelf. It is a living thing on a pallet from the moment it is cut, and in an Albury or Wagga summer it will start to yellow and heat up in the middle of the roll within about a day.
So prepare the ground first. Level it, get the soil right, check the irrigation actually reaches the corners, and only then ring the order in. Laying it the day it arrives is not advice, it is the whole job.
What the calculator does not include
Delivery, underlay or topsoil, and the sand you will want for levelling as you go. Ask for the delivered price rather than the per metre price when you compare growers, because the cartage on a pallet out to a smaller town can be a real part of the total.
Common questions
How many slabs of turf are in a square metre?
Two. The standard Australian slab is 1 metre by 0.5 metres, so a square metre is two slabs and a pallet of about 60 slabs covers roughly 30 square metres. Some growers cut a wider roll for commercial work, in which case the square metre figure still holds and the slab count changes.
How much extra turf should I order?
Five per cent on a plain rectangle, ten if the lawn has curves, garden beds cutting into it or a lot of edge work. Turf is more forgiving than tiles because offcuts get used at the start of the next run, but a curve produces pieces that cannot be reused.
How long can turf sit on the pallet before it is laid?
Not long. It is cut to order and starts breaking down immediately, and in summer heat the middle of a stacked pallet can be damaged inside a day. Prepare the ground and check the irrigation before you place the order, then lay it the day it arrives.
Does the price include delivery?
Usually not. Turf is quoted per square metre and cartage is added, which matters more the further you are from the farm. Ask for a delivered price when you compare growers rather than the per metre rate.