Turf Measuring Guide: How To Measure For Artificial Grass & Calculate Square Footage

April 13, 2022

The most common question that we’re asked about artificial grass is, “How Much Does Artificial Grass Cost To Install?”

While this might be a very common question, it’s also the most difficult to provide a straightforward answer to.

The cost of installing artificial grass depends on a number of factors, the most important of which is the size of the installation in question.

More specifically, what is the square footage of the area where you want to install artificial grass?

In general, the larger the area, the higher the installation cost as it will require more materials, time, and labor.

If you’re considering an artificial grass installation for your residential or commercial property and would like a more accurate approximation of the cost, you’ll need to calculate the square footage of the space.

In this turf measuring guide, we’ll show you how to measure an area and calculate the square footage.

How To Measure for Artificial Grass & Calculate Square Footage

Artificial grass is extremely versatile and can be installed just about anywhere you can imagine.

That also means that the area you want to install artificial grass can be a variety of sizes and shapes.

To keep things simple, we’re going to refer to the example spaces as “lawns,” but the same techniques can be applied to measure any space for artificial grass.

Whether you have a roof, deck, patio, dog run, side yard, or backyard, the same measuring techniques still apply.

We’ll use differently shaped areas to show you how to measure and calculate the square footage for:

Square and rectangular lawns
Round lawns
Triangle-shaped lawns
L-Shaped lawns

Why Do You Need To Measure For Artificial Grass?

As mentioned above, the most common question people have about artificial grass is, “how much will it cost?”

Without knowing how much artificial grass will be needed for a project, it’s impossible to provide an accurate estimate.

By measuring the space you want to install artificial grass and calculating the square footage, you can determine how much turf will be required to cover the area.

Artificial turf comes from the manufacturer in a variety of sizes, but most turf rolls are 15 feet wide by 100 feet long [15′ x 100′].

It’s also important to remember that artificial grass is directional, meaning the turf fibers list in one direction, like fur.

This means that your space will require enough turf for the pieces to be cut with the fibers of both pieces facing the same direction.

Here in the US, artificial grass is sold by the square foot, so in the examples below the measurements will be in feet.

What Tools Do I Need to Measure for Artificial Grass?

Measuring a space to calculate the square footage is pretty straightforward and you’ll need a few tools before getting started.

Gather the following items before you measure your lawn/space/area.

Tape measure
Pen or pencil
Graph Paper [Any paper will suffice, but graph paper is best for odd-shaped areas]
Calculator

Step-By-Step Turf Measuring Guide

Now that you have your materials, you’re ready to measure how much square footage of synthetic grass your yard or space will require.

If you’re not sure how to do this, don’t worry.

We’ll guide you through and break down each step of the process.

STEP #1: Measure Widest & Longest Points

To make measuring your area as simple as possible, regardless of how it is shaped, you should measure it as if it’s a rectangle or square.

For areas that have rounded edges, curves, sharp angles, or just an odd shape, extend your measurements so the area can sit in a rectangle or square.

Keep in mind, that artificial turf comes from the manufacturer in large 15′ x 100′ rolls, that are essentially giant rectangles.

Any curves, sharp angles, or odd shapes will need to be cut from a rectangular piece of turf.

To help make a little more sense of this, we’ve put together some custom graphics to provide examples of how to measure differently shaped lawns for artificial grass.

Square & Rectangular Lawns

If you have a square or rectangular lawn, you’re in luck, because those are the easiest spaces to measure for turf.

Using your tape measure, measure the length and width of your lawn, as represented in the graphic above.

Because artificial grass rolls primarily come in 15′ widths, divide the width of your space into segments measuring 15-feet.

If the width of your lawn can’t be divided evenly by 15, you’ll have a strip of turf that ends up mostly as waste.

Round Lawns

Measuring round spaces to calculate the square footage is actually pretty simple.

Begin by measuring the diameter of your round lawn and draw it to scale of a piece of graph paper.

Next, divide the circle into 15-foot-wide stripes and measure each strip at its longest point.

L-Shaped Lawns

Measuring an L-shaped lawn is a bit more difficult than the examples above.

You basically want to divide the area into two separate rectangular sections.

Measure each rectangular section and plot them on graph paper.

Next, determine the length and width of each independent rectangular section.

You’ll add them together in the next step.

Triangular Shaped Lawns

Measuring a triangular-shaped lawn can be quite simple if it’s small, but is a little more involved for larger spaces.

If the triangular area is less than 15 feet at its widest, then you can treat the triangle as half of a square.

Measure the two sides of the triangle that form the right angle.

For larger triangular-shaped lawns, you’ll have to follow the steps below.

Begin by measuring all three sides of your triangular space and plot it out on graph paper.

Next, you’ll take the leg of the triangle that’s on the x-axis, and divide it into 15-foot sections, as shown in the example above.

Now, you’ll take each 15-foot section and measure how long the strip of turf will need to be by measuring where the hypotenuse (the longest leg) of the triangle hits the y-axis.

If your x-axis leg doesn’t divide evenly into 15-foot lengths, account for an extra strip of turf to cover the remainder.

Remember, turf is directional, so you can’t just cobble together scrap material to cover a small space.

STEP #2: Multiply the Width x Length

To determine the square footage of a rectangular or square lawn, simply multiply the length by the width.

For example:

If your lawn is 30 feet wide and 18 feet long, you’ll need 540 square feet of turf (30 x 18 = 540).
If you have a larger yard, say 64 feet wide by 38 feet long, you’ll need 2,432 square feet of turf (64 x 38 = 2,432).

Determining the square footage of turf you’ll need for a round, L-shaped, or triangular lawn is a bit more involved, but still pretty straightforward.

You’re basically going to calculate the square feet of each strip of turf needed, then you’ll add them up to determine the total square footage of artificial grass required for your installation.

It might help, regardless of the shape of your lawn, to think of it as a series of rectangles.

In the example above of the triangular-shaped lawn, you would need three strips of artificial grass with the following measurements:

15 feet x 48 feet = 720 square feet
15 feet x 32 feet = 480 square feet
15 feet x 18 feet = 270 square feet

When you add up each of these strips, you get a total of 1,470 square feet.

You follow the same process for a circular or L-shaped lawn: just measure the area of each strip of turf needed, then add them to get the total square footage for the artificial grass installation.

STEP #3: Check Areas Estimated Cost

Determining the square footage of the area you want to install artificial grass will help us to provide you with a more accurate estimate.

Remember that even knowing the square footage, there are still a number of factors that influence the cost of an artificial grass installation.

Below is a list of some of the factors that will influence the cost of artificial grass.

Project Size [Square Footage]
Amount of Pre-Installation Site Prep Required [i.e. Removing Sod, Bushes, Shrubs, Trees, Rocks, Capping Sprinkler Heads, Moving Irrigation Systems, Etc.]
Type of Turf / Turf Product Chosen
Type of Infill Material
Extras: Bender Board, Drainage Membrane, Foam Padding, Etc.

Those are the major factors that will influence the cost of a turf installation, and there are a number of smaller factors that play a role as well.

Wrapping Up Our Turf Measuring Guide: How To Measure for Artificial Grass

If you are ready to get started on your artificial grass journey, we recommend you explore our website a bit.

There are a lot of specifics to understand about artificial grass, and the first step to creating a flawless, maintenance-free lawn is to educate yourself on the many features and options available.

Learn about:

We have artificial turf products for every situation, free quotes, and world-class customer support.

Let’s get an expert on your side to help you put together the perfect installation plan.

We have teams of the best artificial grass installers in Arlington, TX.

At Arlington Turf Installers, we are happy to help you explore this decision by answering any of your questions.

Get your FREE artificial grass installation estimate by clicking the “GET A FREE QUOTE” button or feel free to give us a call at 682-332-7122.