How To Lay Turf Part 1: Measuring

10th Oct 2018

Not sure how much turf you need?

Laying turf doesn’t have to be hard – you just have to get the preparation right and your lawn will be looking amazing in no time. Landscaping and turfing demand some skill with numbers, but not much beyond the simple arithmetic and geometry you probably learned at primary school. Although most of the necessary calculations are generally straightforward, it is nevertheless important that you take care to be accurate. Read on to see how to calculate even the most difficult of shapes.

How to calculate how much turf you need

  1. Get a piece of paper and sketch out the areas to be turfed.
  2. Break up the areas into basic shapes such as squares, rectangles and circles. See our full list below.
  3. Measure each area and write down your measurements.
  4. Calculate how many square metres are in each area using the easy formula below.
  5. Add the totals together.
  6. Order extra! For simple areas like a rectangle, order 5% extra. For more complex irregular areas, order 10% extra. This will allow for any slight miscalculations and also the odd roll or slab in poor condition that you sometimes get. It’s better to have some turf left over than run out.
  7. Calculate the volume of turf underlay that you need.

Calculating the volume of turf underlay

Materials such as soil and sand are measured and ordered in cubic metres and tonnes. To calculate the volume of material required, first work out the area in square metres, and then multiply by the depth to get the cubic metres. Typically you might need 100mm or 150mm of turf underlay (0.1 or 0.15 metres).

Example 1 – You have a rectangle measuring 10m x 6m and need to add 100mm of turf underlay soil. 10m x 6m x 0.1m = 6m3.

Example 2 – You have a circular area with a diameter of 14 metres and a radius of 7 metres, needing 150mm of soil. The area is 7m x 7m x 3.14 = 153.86m2. The volume is 153.86m2 x 0.15m = 23.079m3, rounded down to 23m3.

You can order premium turf underlay from your local Lawn Solutions Australia turf grower, for delivery along with your turf.

Rivendale Turf is here to help you with quality turf, Contact Us.