Garden Lawn area calculator
Almost every lawn product is sold by coverage per 1,000 square feet, so getting the area wrong throws off everything downstream. Measure the mowed area only — subtract the house, driveway, patio and beds, because seeding or feeding them is wasted money.
How this is calculated
Rectangle = length × width. L-shape = the two rectangles added. Circle = π × radius². Triangle = ½ × base × height. Then subtract anything you will not be treating.
Source: Standard area geometry
Worth knowing: Irregular lawns are easiest handled by splitting them into two or three rectangles and adding the results. Being a few percent over is fine; being under means a second trip and a visible seam where coverage ran out.
Common questions
Do I measure the whole yard or just the grass?
Just the grass you actually mow and treat. Subtract the house footprint, driveway, patio, paths and planting beds. Seed and fertilizer spread onto a driveway is money on the concrete, and fertilizer washed off hard surfaces ends up in storm drains.
How do I measure an irregular lawn?
Break it into rectangles. Almost any lawn can be approximated by two or three overlapping-free rectangles, and the sum is close enough for product coverage. For a curved bed edge, measure to the average of the curve rather than its widest point.
Why does everything use 1,000 square feet?
It is the standard unit on US lawn product labels — seeding rates, fertilizer rates and pesticide rates are almost all quoted per 1,000 sq ft. Knowing your lawn in those units makes every bag you pick up directly readable.
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