Artificial turf calculator
A 20 × 30 ft lawn takes 630 sq ft of artificial turf in two 15 ft strips, 24 bags of infill at 2 lb a square foot and about 10.56 tons of crushed rock for a 3 in base.
How much turf to order
Landscape turf comes on rolls 15 ft wide and up to 100 ft long, cut to the length you order, in the installation guides from Artificial Turf Supply, Imperial Synthetic Turf and Watersavers Turf. An area wider than 15 ft takes two or more strips seamed side by side, all with the grain running the same way. The calculator tries the strips both ways across your area and orders the layout that wastes less, adding 6 in at each end for trimming. At a seam, Watersavers trims three stitch rows in from each factory edge, so the strips meet cleanly.
| Lawn | Area, sq ft | Turf to order, sq ft | 50 lb bags of infill | Tons of base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 15 ft | 150 | 165 | 6 | 2.64 |
| 15 × 20 ft | 300 | 315 | 12 | 5.28 |
| 20 × 30 ft | 600 | 630 | 24 | 10.56 |
| 25 × 40 ft | 1,000 | 1,170 | 40 | 17.59 |
| 30 × 50 ft | 1,500 | 1,530 | 60 | 26.39 |
Infill
Infill is sand or granules brushed down between the blades to hold them up and weigh the turf down. The guides give different rates: 1 to 2 lb a square foot in The Home Depot's guide, 1.5 to 2 lb from Watersavers, at least 2 lb from Imperial, and 2 lb for heavy turf or 3 lb for light turf from Artificial Turf Supply. Longer pile takes more. A 50 lb bag covers about 25 to 50 sq ft. Use silica sand made for turf or a coated infill, never ordinary masonry sand, and brush it in a layer at a time.
Area: 20 ft × 30 ft = 600 sq ft
Infill: 600 sq ft × 2 lb = 1,200 lb ÷ 50 = 24 bags
The base
Turf is laid over compacted crushed rock: 2 to 3 in in The Home Depot's guide, 3 to 4 in of Type II road base in Star Nursery's, and 2½ to 3 in topped with 1 to 1½ in of decomposed granite in Watersavers'. Artificial Turf Supply recommends 4 in as standard, as little as 2 in in a dry climate and up to 6 in where it's wet or the ground freezes. The Home Depot, Star Nursery and Watersavers guides compact it to 90%. Remove the old sod and enough soil to fit the base below the finished level.
Turf suppliers often say a ton of base covers 100 sq ft at 3 in. Compacted crusher run is heavier: state highway departments measure it at about 1.9 tons a cubic yard, so 100 sq ft at 3 in takes about 1.76 tons. The calculator uses the compacted weight; ask your yard what its base weighs, and see the crusher run calculator for more on base rock.
Nails, seams and weed barrier
The Home Depot's guide fastens turf with 6 in nails every 3 to 4 in around the edges and every 12 to 24 in across the middle; Watersavers joins seams with seaming tape and glue and nails along them every 4 in. A weed barrier under the turf is optional in most guides; Star Nursery overlaps its seams 6 to 12 in. Edge the lawn with bender board or metal edging to keep soil out.
What artificial turf costs
Landscape turf sold by the square foot, 15 ft wide, ran $1.79 to $3.51 a square foot in 10 online listings in November 2026, with a middle of $2.68. Infill and base rock add to that, and the calculator totals them under Prices.
| Item | Typical | Range | Stores |
|---|---|---|---|
| square foot of landscape artificial turf, 15 ft wide | $2.68 | $1.79 to $3.51 | 10 |
| 50 lb bag of artificial turf infill | $19.50 | $10.50 to $49.99 | 6 |
We found no current public source for what installers charge. The most recent public figure is from Burbank Water and Power, whose rebated projects averaged over $9 a square foot installed in 2014; prices have changed since then, so get quotes.
What you'll need
- A turf knife cuts the turf from the back, between the stitch rows, so the edges stay tidy.
- Seaming tape and glue join strips side by side so the seam doesn't show.
- Landscape nails hold the turf down along the edges and across the middle.
- A drop spreader spreads infill evenly, a layer at a time.
- A stiff broom brushes the infill down and stands the blades up; rent a power broom for a big lawn.
- A plate compactor compacts the base to the firmness the guides call for; most people rent one.
Sources
- Professional installation manual, Artificial Turf Supply, May 2023. Rolls 15 ft wide and up to 100 ft long, about ½ lb a square foot; base 4 in as standard, 2 in in arid climates to 6 in where it is wet; infill 2 to 3 lb a square foot.
- Installing guide, Imperial Synthetic Turf, 2020. Rolls 15 ft wide and up to 100 ft long; at least 2 lb of sand infill a square foot.
- Artificial grass installation guide, Watersavers Turf, February 2023. Turf sold 15 ft wide; 2½ to 3 in of base rock and 1 to 1½ in of decomposed granite, each compacted to 90%; infill 1.5 to 2 lb a square foot; trim 3 stitch rows at seams.
- Artificial grass installation guide, The Home Depot (product guide), read November 2026. 2 to 3 in of base compacted to 90%; infill 1 to 2 lb a square foot; nails every 3 to 4 in at the edges and 12 to 24 in in the field.
- Emerald Carpet synthetic turf installation guide, Star Nursery, read November 2026. 3 to 4 in of Type II road base compacted to 90%; weed barrier seams overlapped 6 to 12 in.
- Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WHRP 0092-22-05), Wisconsin Highway Research Program, Michigan State University, December 2023. Measured loose and compacted weights of base aggregates, recycled asphalt and recycled concrete; tons per compacted cubic yard.
- Maintenance Manual Volume 1, Appendix: Useful Information, California Department of Transportation, July 2014. Loose weights of crushed gravel, limestone, granite, screenings, sand and soil; 111 lb of asphalt mix per square yard per inch; 2.0 tons per compacted cubic yard of base.
- Online store listings for bagged concrete, mortar, grout, block, rebar, mesh, gravel, sand, soil, mulch and pavers, Google Shopping results (Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Ace Hardware, Walmart and others), November 2026. Single-item prices by store; the calculators use the median as the default and show the range.
- Price sheet, Pallas Landscape Supply (Georgia), 1 January 2025. Crusher run $60, #57 granite $68 and pea gravel $135 a ton; fill dirt $20 and screened topsoil $40 a cubic yard; delivery from $75.
- 2025 product price list, S. St. George Enterprises (Fredonia, New York), 1 April 2025. #57 stone $36, 1 in crusher run limestone $37, 1A pea stone $33.50 and fill dirt $7 a ton.
- 2025 price list, Rock Hard Landscape Supply (Minnesota), 2025. Class 5 $34 a ton; delivery $85 to $105 for a single axle (5 tons) and $125 to $140 for a quad or quint axle (17 to 20 tons); fabric 4 × 100 ft $48.
- Supply yard: contractor price list, Ricupero Supply (Verona, Pennsylvania), 2025. 2A modified $46 and pea gravel $49 a ton; delivery at least $45.
- Materials, supplies and recycling price list, Lawton Adams Construction (Somers, New York), 17 March 2025. Per cubic yard at the yard: Item #4 base $57, fill $2, structural screened fill $14; delivery $8 to $16 a cubic yard more by load size.
- Bulk and bag material pricing, 2025, Natorp Landscape Supply (Mason, Ohio), 2025. Per cubic yard, wholesale: #57 washed gravel $70, #411 limestone $75, pea gravel $35.
- Retail price sheet, Nature's Way Resources (Conroe, Texas), 1 January 2025. Per cubic yard: road base $100, pea gravel $110.45, fill dirt $36.
- Local material prices, Just Deliveries (Bennington, Vermont), 26 June 2025. William E. Dailey: #2 stone $28.80 and dense-graded crushed stone $27.50 a ton.
- Rebates for artificial turf in front yards, Burbank Water and Power (staff report), 25 November 2014. Average installed cost of rebated artificial turf projects over $9 a square foot, in 2014.