How much fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft? (pounds of 32-0-4, 24-0-6, 16-8-8 and 10-10-10 at 1 lb of nitrogen)
At the 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft that Purdue Extension AY-27, Maintenance Calendar for Indiana Lawns gives for a regular feed, you spread 3.13 lb of 32-0-4 per 1,000 sq ft, 4.17 lb of 24-0-6, 6.25 lb of 16-8-8 or 10 lb of 10-10-10: pounds of nitrogen wanted ÷ (N% ÷ 100). The tables below give the product for every common analysis, for the 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5 lb rates on the extension calendars, for lawns of 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft with the year's 4 feeds, bags and cost, and per m² for a UK lawn. The arithmetic is the fertilizer calculator's.
Open the fertilizer calculator
How many pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft, by N-P-K?
Product = nitrogen wanted ÷ (N% ÷ 100), the formula Purdue Turf, Calculating the pounds of fertilizer to apply writes and the fertilizer calculator runs. At 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft a bag with more nitrogen goes further: 32-0-4 is 3.13 lb per 1,000 sq ft, 10-10-10 10 lb. The phosphate and potash come along in the bag’s proportions, so the last two columns show what else you put down. Read on 2026-09-20.
| N-P-K | Per 1,000 sq ft | Per 5,000 sq ft | P2O5 applied | K2O applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32-0-4 | 3.13 lb | 15.6 lb | 0 lb | 0.13 lb |
| 24-0-6 | 4.17 lb | 20.8 lb | 0 lb | 0.25 lb |
| 16-8-8 | 6.25 lb | 31.3 lb | 0.5 lb | 0.5 lb |
| 10-10-10 | 10 lb | 50 lb | 1 lb | 1 lb |
| 6-2-4 | 16.7 lb | 83.3 lb | 0.33 lb | 0.67 lb |
How much fertilizer at ½, ¾, 1 and 1½ lb of nitrogen?
The rate changes with the month. Purdue Extension AY-27, Maintenance Calendar for Indiana Lawns feeds the high-maintenance lawn 0.75-1.0 lb N in May, 0.75 lb in July, 1 lb in September and 1.5 lb of fast-release nitrogen in November after the final mowing; the warm-season calendar (Clemson HGIC 1216, Bermudagrass Yearly Maintenance Program) runs ½-1 lb per feed. Purdue Extension PPP-155, A Simple Procedure for Fertilizing Cool-Season Lawns sets the ceiling at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft in one application, and the calculator flags a target above the maximum you give it.
| Nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft | When | 32-0-4 | 24-0-6 | 16-8-8 | 10-10-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 lb | Low end of the warm-season feeds (Clemson: ½-1 lb) | 1.56 lb | 2.08 lb | 3.13 lb | 5 lb |
| 0.75 lb | May (low end) and July on the Purdue calendar | 2.34 lb | 3.13 lb | 4.69 lb | 7.5 lb |
| 1 lb | May (top) and September; the most in one application | 3.13 lb | 4.17 lb | 6.25 lb | 10 lb |
| 1.5 lb (above the maximum) | November, fast-release, after the final mowing | 4.69 lb | 6.25 lb | 9.38 lb | 15 lb |
How much fertilizer for my lawn, per feed and per year?
32-0-4 at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft on the cool-season calendar: 4 feeds a year (May, July (irrigated lawns), September and November; September and November matter most). Bags are 12.5 lb at $26.99 (Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food 12.5 lb), rounded up per application and again for the year, which is what the year’s cost is priced on. One bag feeds 1,000 sq ft for the whole year: 12.5 lb.
| Lawn | Per feed | Bags per feed | Per year | Bags per year | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 3.13 lb | 1 | 12.5 lb | 1 | $26.99 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 6.25 lb | 1 | 25 lb | 2 | $53.98 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 9.38 lb | 1 | 37.5 lb | 3 | $80.97 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 12.5 lb | 1 | 50 lb | 4 | $107.96 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 15.6 lb | 2 | 62.5 lb | 5 | $134.95 |
| 6,000 sq ft | 18.8 lb | 2 | 75 lb | 6 | $161.94 |
| 7,000 sq ft | 21.9 lb | 2 | 87.5 lb | 7 | $188.93 |
| 8,000 sq ft | 25 lb | 2 | 100 lb | 8 | $215.92 |
| 9,000 sq ft | 28.1 lb | 3 | 113 lb | 9 | $242.91 |
| 10,000 sq ft | 31.3 lb | 3 | 125 lb | 10 | $269.90 |
A new lawn takes a starter feed at seeding instead, with phosphate for roots and less nitrogen: How much starter fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft? has those figures. For a field rather than a lawn, How much grass seed per acre? scales the same rates to 43,560 sq ft.
How much lawn feed per m² (UK)?
UK labels write the rate in grams per square metre. The calculator’s UK starting bag is 6-2-4 at 2.1 g of nitrogen per m² (Westland SafeLawn technical fact sheet), which is the label’s 35 g per m²; the rows give the other analyses at that same nitrogen. Feeds: 2 a year (Late March to April (spring feed), September to October (autumn feed); an optional second summer feed no later than August).
| N-P-K | Per m² | Per 100 m² | P2O5 applied | K2O applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32-0-4 | 6.56 g per m² | 0.66 kg | 0 kg | 0.03 kg |
| 24-0-6 | 8.75 g per m² | 0.88 kg | 0 kg | 0.05 kg |
| 16-8-8 | 13.13 g per m² | 1.31 kg | 0.11 kg | 0.11 kg |
| 10-10-10 | 21 g per m² | 2.1 kg | 0.21 kg | 0.21 kg |
| 6-2-4 | 35 g per m² | 3.5 kg | 0.07 kg | 0.14 kg |
Every figure above is the fertilizer calculator’s own arithmetic on the starting values, whose sources and dates are listed on the calculator page. The label on the bag wins, a soil test decides the phosphate and potash, and local rules on fertilizer near water apply.
Frequently asked questions
- How many pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft?
- Nitrogen wanted ÷ N%. At 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft: 32-0-4 3.13 lb, 24-0-6 4.17 lb, 16-8-8 6.25 lb, 10-10-10 10 lb. Halve the figures for ½ lb of nitrogen; the second table lists the calendar rates.
- How much Scotts fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft?
- The calculator starts with Scotts Turf Builder 32-0-4 (Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food label): 3.13 lb per 1,000 sq ft at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft. The label rates the 12.5 lb bag at 5,000 sq ft, which is 2.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft, or 0.8 lb of nitrogen: a little under the Purdue rate. The bag's spreader setting delivers the label rate; type 0.8 into the calculator to match it.
- How much nitrogen fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft?
- Purdue Extension AY-27, Maintenance Calendar for Indiana Lawns: 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft for the September feed, and Purdue Extension PPP-155, A Simple Procedure for Fertilizing Cool-Season Lawns says not more than 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft in a single application. The calculator's year on the cool-season calendar is 4 applications, 4 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft in total; the November feed on the calendar is the one exception at 1.5 lb, which the calculator flags as above the maximum.
- How much 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft?
- 10 lb at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft, which also brings 1 lb of P2O5 and 1 lb of K2O; at ½ lb of nitrogen, half that. As a starter feed at seeding the Penn State rate is lower: see the starter fertilizer guide linked below the tables.
- How much fertilizer for 5,000 sq ft?
- 15.6 lb of 32-0-4 per application (five times the 3.13 lb per 1,000 sq ft), 2 bags of 12.5 lb; for the year's 4 feeds 62.5 lb, 5 bags, $134.95 at $26.99 a bag. Measure the lawn once in the calculator and it gives the figure for your area.
- How much fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft per year?
- 12.5 lb of 32-0-4 on the cool-season calendar (4 feeds at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft): one 12.5 lb bag per 1,000 sq ft per year, $26.99. A warm-season lawn gets 3 feeds (Clemson HGIC 1216, Bermudagrass Yearly Maintenance Program) and a UK lawn 2 (RHS, Lawn Care in Spring and Summer); pick the climate in the calculator and the year's bags follow.
- How much lawn fertilizer per square metre (UK)?
- 35 g per m² of 6-2-4 at the label rate (Westland SafeLawn technical fact sheet), 3.5 kg per 100 m² and 7 kg for the year's 2 feeds; the 2.8 kg pack covers 80 m². The UK table gives the grams per m² for the other analyses at the same nitrogen.
More guides
- How much starter fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft? (10-10-10, 16-8-8, 20-10-10 at seeding)
Starter fertilizer at seeding: the Penn State nitrogen range as pounds of 10-10-10, 16-8-8 and 20-10-10 per 1,000 sq ft, and for lawns of 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft.
- How much grass seed per acre? (pounds by grass type, new lawn and overseeding, ¼ to 5 acres)
Grass seed per acre from the extension rates: tall fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass, fine fescue, bermuda, zoysia; new lawn and overseeding; ¼ to 5 acres.
- How much bermuda grass seed per square foot? (per 1,000 sq ft, new lawn and overseeding, zoysia too)
Bermudagrass seed at the NC State rate of 1-2 lb per 1,000 sq ft: ounces per 100 sq ft, pounds for 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft, new lawn and overseeding.
- How much sod do I need for 500 square feet? (rolls, pallets and cost, 100 to 2,000 sq ft)
Sod for lawns of 100 to 2,000 sq ft: rolls and pallets with the extra for cuts, the cost from the price per roll and the weight to expect; UK turf rolls in m² too.
Last updated 2026-09-22. Rates from university extension guides and product labels, each with its source and date: the label on the bag wins.