How this turf calculator works
The maths is as simple as turf comes: calculate your area in square metres, round up to the nearest whole roll. AU turf rolls are a standardised 1 m² — 1710 mm long by 585 mm wide. A 40 m² lawn needs 40 rolls. Easy.
We add a 5% waste margin to your order. Real lawns are rarely perfect rectangles — you'll have cut-offs around garden edges, paths, trees and anywhere the lawn doesn't meet a straight edge. Ordering 42 rolls for a 40 m² lawn is the difference between "job done" and "back to the yard for an extra roll on Sunday afternoon."
Choosing a turf variety (AU)
- Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo — Australia's #1 seller since 1997. Soft-leaf, shade tolerant (3+ hours sun), drought tolerant, kid and pet friendly. The default safe choice for most AU backyards.
- Kikuyu (Eureka) — fast-growing, high-wear tolerance. Best for full sun, active families, big yards. Goes dormant in cold winters in southern AU.
- Empire Zoysia — fine leaf, dense growth, low water needs. Slower to establish than buffalo but very low maintenance once settled. Best for formal lawns.
- Nullarbor Couch — fine leaf, heat and drought tolerant. Needs full sun (minimum 6 hours). Common in QLD, northern NSW and WA.
- Palmetto Buffalo — soft-leaf buffalo variant, good shade tolerance, slightly less expensive than Sir Walter.
- Matilda Buffalo — soft-leaf buffalo with excellent shade tolerance. Good for gardens with lots of trees.
- TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda — premium drought-tolerant couch hybrid. Excellent for sports fields and active lawns in warmer climates.
Turf underlay — why it matters
Laying turf directly on poor existing soil is a false economy — the grass won't establish properly and you'll be replacing patches within 6 months. Most AU landscape suppliers recommend 100-150 mm of turf underlay soil before laying.
Turf underlay is a specifically-formulated soil blend with the right balance of drainage and moisture retention for grass establishment. At 1.2 tonnes per cubic metre, it's denser than general garden mix.
This calculator defaults to 100 mm — enough for most new lawns on reasonable existing soil. Bump it to 150 mm if you're laying over compacted clay, heavy fill, or previously paved areas.
When to lay turf in Australia
Best time: Spring and early autumn, when soil is warm but not scorching. Roots establish quickly and water stress is manageable.
Buffalo varieties (Sir Walter, Palmetto, Matilda): can be laid year-round in most of AU except during hard frost.
Kikuyu, Couch, Zoysia: prefer warm soil. Avoid laying in mid-winter in southern states. Best laid September through April.
Lay your turf the day it arrives. Rolls left stacked for more than 24 hours in warm weather will yellow and may not recover.
Bulk vs single rolls
AU turf is sold by the square metre — 1 roll = 1 m². For small patch jobs, most Bunnings stores stock 0.5 m² or 1 m² slabs of Sir Walter. For a full lawn, order by the pallet (usually 40 m² per pallet) from a turf supplier — significantly cheaper per square metre than Bunnings, and delivered fresh-cut.
Most suppliers have a minimum order of around $200 for delivery — about 15-25 m² of turf depending on variety. Below that, pickup is often required.