How to measure for artificial turf
Measure the longest length and the widest width of the area, including any curves. Turf is bought as a rectangle, so the shape you want gets cut out of that. Sketch how the strips will sit before you order, because the layout is what you are paying for.
Next decide the direction of the grain, since every piece must run the same way. SYNLawn and Turf and Ivy both say to keep the grain direction the same, because a piece turned the other way looks like a different color. That is why you often cannot use an offcut to fill a gap, however well it fits.
Then look at the ground under it. Installation guides call for 2 to 4 inches of compacted base, and they disagree on how hard to compact it, with figures of 80, 90 and 95 percent. Follow the guide for the product you buy. A poor base is where drainage problems start.
A worked example
Here is a 30 by 20 foot yard on 15 foot rolls, with infill at 1.5 pounds a square foot and 3 inches of base. These lines come from the same formula the calculator above runs.
30 by 20 ft yard, 15 ft rolls
- Area: 30 × 20 = 600 sq ft
- Strips: 20 ÷ 15 rounds up to 2, with 1 seam
- Order: 2 × 15 × 30 = 900 sq ft
- Infill: 600 × 1.5 = 900 lb
- Base: 5.56 cu yd at 3 in
That is half as much turf again as the yard, and it is the reason width matters so much. A yard that is 15 feet wide or under needs only one strip, and uses far less. To compare the cost of a real lawn, see the sod calculator, and for the base itself, the crushed stone calculator.
Turf for common yards
These all use a 15 foot roll, with 10 percent extra where whole widths do not already give you that. Look at the first three rows to see how much narrower yards save.
| Yard | Area | Order, 15 ft roll | Seams | Infill at 1.5 lb | Base, 3 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 100 sq ft | 150 sq ft | 0 | 150 lb | 0.93 cu yd |
| 15 × 10 ft | 150 sq ft | 225 sq ft | 0 | 225 lb | 1.39 cu yd |
| 15 × 15 ft | 225 sq ft | 248 sq ft | 0 | 338 lb | 2.08 cu yd |
| 20 × 20 ft | 400 sq ft | 600 sq ft | 1 | 600 lb | 3.70 cu yd |
| 30 × 20 ft | 600 sq ft | 900 sq ft | 1 | 900 lb | 5.56 cu yd |
| 40 × 30 ft | 1200 sq ft | 1320 sq ft | 1 | 1800 lb | 11.11 cu yd |
Mistakes that cost you turf
- Ordering the exact area. Realturf adds 10 percent to cover cuts and direction leftovers, and SYNLawn suggests up to 20 percent for shapes.
- Assuming narrow is cheap. You must buy the roll's width, even if the yard is narrower.
- Regular sand for infill. Installation guides warn never to use masonry sand for this, so buy what the product calls for.
- Mixing up loose and compacted depth. Your base guide means compacted depth, and loose stone takes more.
- Forgetting the rest. Seam tape, adhesive and nails are extra, and none of them is counted here.
Questions
How much artificial grass do I need?
At least your area plus 10 percent, and usually more, because you buy whole widths. A 30 by 20 foot yard on 15 foot rolls takes two full strips, which is 900 square feet of turf for 600 square feet of yard.
How wide is a roll of turf?
Most rolls in the US are 15 feet wide, and SYNLawn sells in that width. Others come in 7.5, 12 or 13.1 feet. Rolls are often about 100 feet long, though stores cut to length. A wider or narrower roll can change how many seams you have.
How much infill for artificial grass?
About 1 to 2 pounds per square foot for landscape turf, by Purchase Green's installation guide, but it depends on the product. A 600 square foot yard at 1.5 pounds is 900 pounds. Never use regular masonry sand, as two installation guides warn.
How much base for artificial turf?
About 2 to 4 inches of compacted base, depending on the guide. At 3 inches, 100 square feet takes about 0.93 cubic yards, or roughly a ton. SYNLawn's own rule at 4 inches is the area divided by 80, in tons.
Can I turn offcuts to fill a gap?
No, not if they will show, because the grain must run the same way or the piece looks like a different color. SYNLawn and Turf and Ivy both say to keep it consistent. That is a big reason why turf wastes more than the area suggests.
How do I measure a curved yard?
Measure the rectangle that fits around it, and allow more for cutting. SYNLawn suggests adding 10 to 20 percent for shapes. Sketch how the strips will lay across the area, since that is what you are buying.
This artificial grass order is a planning estimate for a plain rectangle, and curves or odd corners waste more. Sources disagree on base depth and compaction, so follow your product's own guide. Infill rates are product by product, masonry grit should never go in, and your supplier and the label settle it. Towns may restrict fake lawns, so check first.
Sources and review
- Installation guidelines for artificial grass, SYNLawn, no date shown, read November 2026.
- How to measure a surface before installing artificial grass, Realturf USA, 2021.
- Roll width and size, Purchase Green, 2022.
- Landscape installation guide, Purchase Green, 2025.
- 014 installation guide, Turf and Ivy, 2024.
Checked in November 2026. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it goes in the corrections log.
How this is calculated
Every figure below is read from the code that produces the answer, so what is written here is what the calculator ran. The constants were last checked against their sources in November 2026.
The arithmetic
Turf to order
Order = the larger of Strips × Roll width × Length, and Area × (1 + Extra ÷ 100)
- Strips
- Width ÷ Roll width, rounded up
Worked through: 700 × 1.1 = 770 sq ft
Base
Base = Area × Depth ÷ 12 ÷ 27
- Depth
- Inches of compacted base
Worked through: 100 × 3 ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = 0.93 cu yd
The constants, and where they come from
SUGGESTED_WASTE_PERCENT
Published range, narrowedExtra to add for waste, in percent
Applies to: Plain shapes. SYNLawn suggests 10 to 20 percent for curves
Source: How to measure a surface before installing artificial grass, Realturf USA, published 2021-04, read 2026-11. This source is about 5 years old, and it is the one the figure rests on.
Also from: Installation guidelines for artificial grass, SYNLawn, no date on the page, read 2026-11.
Realturf adds 10 percent to cover grain direction leftovers, cutting waste and imperfections. The Synthetic Turf Council's guidelines refused our request, so we did not read them.
COMMON_ROLL_FEET
Published figureThe common US roll width, in feet
Applies to: US products. Others come in 7.5, 12 or 13.1 feet
Source: Installation guidelines for artificial grass, SYNLawn, no date on the page, read 2026-11.
Also from: Roll width and size, Purchase Green, published 2022-07, read 2026-11.
SYNLawn says its grass is sold in 15 foot widths, and Purchase Green says most US rolls are 15 feet wide.
TONS_PER_CU_YD
ModelledTons of road base in one cubic yard
Applies to: A rough working figure for base material
No published figure exists for this. It is derived, and the derivation is below rather than a citation to something that does not say it. Last checked in November 2026.
An installation sheet sold through Home Depot says 1 yard = 1 ton, and SYNLawn's rule of area ÷ 80 tons at 4 inches comes to about the same. Your supplier can give you the real weight.
INCHES_PER_FOOT
DefinitionalInches in one foot
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Twelve inches make a foot by definition, so a base depth in inches is divided by 12.
CU_FT_PER_CU_YD
DefinitionalCubic feet in one cubic yard
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Three feet in a yard, and a volume is three lengths multiplied, so 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.
What the labels mean
- Published range, narrowed:
- a source publishes a range and this calculator uses a representative value from it.
- Published figure:
- taken directly from the source named beside it.
- Modelled:
- derived rather than measured, and the derivation is shown.
- Definitional:
- true by definition, like the number of inches in a foot, so there is nothing to cite.
If a figure here looks wrong, it may be. Tell us what you found and we will check it against the source and publish a correction if it needs one. How constants are chosen and how often they are reviewed is set out in our methodology.
How to use the artificial turf calculator
- 1
Measure the longest length and width of the area
- 2
Decide which way the grain will run, usually toward the house
- 3
Ask what width the turf comes in, and choose it
- 4
Enter the infill rate from the product and the base depth from its guide
- 5
Read the order, the seams, the infill and the base
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate here rests on the assumptions below. Where your job differs from one of them, the figure will differ too.
- A rectangle, with all strips running one way so the grain matches
- You buy whole widths of roll, even when the yard is narrower
- Infill is the rate from your product, which we do not fix, since sources vary
- Base depth is compacted depth, and the amount of loose material you buy may be more
Pro tips
- Run the seams along the line of sight, away from where you stand most
- Have the grain point toward the house, so that it looks its fullest
- Compact the base well, as a poor base is where drainage goes wrong