How much grass seed per square foot? (by grass type, new lawn and overseeding, cost per sq ft, 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft)
Grass seed takes 0.02-0.11 oz per square foot for a new lawn (1.5-7 lb per 1,000 sq ft) depending on the grass type: tall fescue 0.112 oz, Kentucky bluegrass 0.04 oz, bermudagrass 0.024 oz. Tall fescue seed costs $0.037 per square foot ($37.10 per 1,000 sq ft) at $5.30 a pound (Twin City Seed Company, Blue Resilience tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass mixture, 2026); other seeds: rate per 1,000 sq ft × your price per pound ÷ 1,000. Extension guides write seed rates per 1,000 square feet, not per square foot: tall fescue (turf-type) at 7 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn (Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1) is 3.5 lb for 500 sq ft and 7 lb for 1,000 sq ft; overseeding takes 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft (University of Maryland Extension, Maintaining an Established Lawn, overseeding rate). To overseed 10,000 sq ft of tall fescue (turf-type) you need 40 lb; a new lawn that size takes 70 lb. The first table gives every grass type for 1,000 sq ft, 5,000 sq ft, 10,000 sq ft (and 100 m², 500 m², 1,000 m² in the UK), new lawn and overseeding; then the rates in both units, seed and sod by lawn size, and the fertilizer. All of it is computed by the same code as the calculators.
Open the grass seed calculator
Grass seed for 1,000 sq ft, 5,000 sq ft, 10,000 sq ft, by grass type
Seed = lawn area × the rate for the grass type and the purpose, the same arithmetic as the calculator. The new-lawn and overseeding rates are the ones in the next table, each with its extension source; the UK rows use the seed labels, per m².
| Grass type | New, 1,000 sq ft | New, 5,000 sq ft | New, 10,000 sq ft | Overseed, 1,000 sq ft | Overseed, 5,000 sq ft | Overseed, 10,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | 2.5 lb | 12.5 lb | 25 lb | 1.25 lb | 6.25 lb | 12.5 lb |
| Tall fescue (turf-type) | 7 lb | 35 lb | 70 lb | 4 lb | 20 lb | 40 lb |
| Perennial ryegrass | 4.5 lb | 22.5 lb | 45 lb | 5 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb |
| Fine fescue | 4.5 lb | 22.5 lb | 45 lb | 2.75 lb | 13.8 lb | 27.5 lb |
| Bermudagrass | 1.5 lb | 7.5 lb | 15 lb | 0.75 lb | 3.75 lb | 7.5 lb |
| Zoysiagrass | 1.5 lb | 7.5 lb | 15 lb | 0.75 lb | 3.75 lb | 7.5 lb |
| Sun and shade mix (bluegrass, fine fescue, ryegrass) | 3.5 lb | 17.5 lb | 35 lb | 1.75 lb | 8.75 lb | 17.5 lb |
| Grass type | New, 100 m² | New, 500 m² | New, 1,000 m² | Overseed, 100 m² | Overseed, 500 m² | Overseed, 1,000 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General-purpose lawn (ryegrass and fescue) | 3.5 kg | 17.5 kg | 35 kg | 2.3 kg | 11.5 kg | 23 kg |
| Shade lawn | 3.5 kg | 17.5 kg | 35 kg | 2.5 kg | 12.5 kg | 25 kg |
| Hard-wearing lawn (ryegrass) | 5 kg | 25 kg | 50 kg | 5 kg | 25 kg | 50 kg |
How much grass seed to overseed 10,000 sq ft?
40 lb of tall fescue (turf-type) at 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft (University of Maryland Extension, Maintaining an Established Lawn, overseeding rate), which is 4 bags of 10 lb. The other grass types: Kentucky bluegrass 12.5 lb, perennial ryegrass 50 lb, fine fescue 27.5 lb, bermudagrass 7.5 lb, zoysiagrass 7.5 lb, sun and shade mix 17.5 lb. Overseeding usually takes less seed than a new lawn (Ohio State Extension: about half); perennial ryegrass is the exception, because Penn State's renovation rate is not below its new-lawn rate. Where an extension page gives no overseeding figure, the table uses that half rule and says so in the source. The grass seed calculator opened on overseeding does it for your own area, grass type and bag.
Seed rate by grass type, new lawn and overseeding
Rates in lb per 1,000 sq ft and in kg per 100 m² (the same figure converted). US types from Penn State Extension, NC State Extension and the University of Maryland Extension; the overseeding figures for bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and the mix apply Ohio State Extension’s rule of thumb (half the new-lawn rate). Read on 2026-09-20.
| Grass type | New, lb/1,000 sq ft | Overseed, lb/1,000 sq ft | New, kg/100 m² | Overseed, kg/100 m² | Source (new lawn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | 2.5 | 1.25 | 1.22 | 0.61 | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 seeding rates |
| Tall fescue (turf-type) | 7 | 4 | 3.42 | 1.95 | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 |
| Perennial ryegrass | 4.5 | 5 | 2.2 | 2.44 | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 |
| Fine fescue | 4.5 | 2.75 | 2.2 | 1.34 | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 |
| Bermudagrass | 1.5 | 0.75 | 0.73 | 0.37 | NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns, seeding rate |
| Zoysiagrass | 1.5 | 0.75 | 0.73 | 0.37 | NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns, seeding rate |
| Sun and shade mix (bluegrass, fine fescue, ryegrass) | 3.5 | 1.75 | 1.71 | 0.85 | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 mixtures |
| Lawn seed | New, lb/1,000 sq ft | Overseed, lb/1,000 sq ft | New, kg/100 m² | Overseed, kg/100 m² | Source (new lawn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General-purpose lawn (ryegrass and fescue) | 7.17 | 4.71 | 3.5 | 2.3 | Rolawn, Overseeding a Lawn |
| Shade lawn | 7.17 | 5.12 | 3.5 | 2.5 | Johnsons Shady Lawn Seed label |
| Hard-wearing lawn (ryegrass) | 10.24 | 10.24 | 5 | 5 | Boston Seeds Quality Hard Wearing Lawn Seed, Landscape Centre listing |
Cost of grass seed per square foot
Grass seed cost per square foot = the rate per 1,000 sq ft × the price per pound ÷ 1,000. The price is one supplier’s, Twin City Seed Company, Blue Resilience tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass mixture: $53.00 for a 10 lb bag, $5.30 a pound (read 2026-09-20). Only the tall fescue row is priced: that bag is the calculator’s starting type, and the other seeds sell at their own prices per pound. For those, divide your bag’s price by its pounds and type your own bag and price into the calculator. The calculator charges whole bags: 1,000 sq ft of tall fescue is 7 lb: 1 bag of 10 lb, $53.00; the lawn-size table below shows the bag-rounded cost. For large plots, the grass seed per acre guide gives the seed and bags for an acre of each type.
| Grass type | New lawn, oz/sq ft | Cost per sq ft (new) | Cost per 1,000 sq ft (new) | Cost per 1,000 sq ft (overseed) | 10 lb bag covers (new) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | 0.04 | — | — | — | 4,000 sq ft |
| Tall fescue (turf-type) | 0.112 | $0.037 | $37.10 | $21.20 | 1,428.6 sq ft |
| Perennial ryegrass | 0.072 | — | — | — | 2,222.2 sq ft |
| Fine fescue | 0.072 | — | — | — | 2,222.2 sq ft |
| Bermudagrass | 0.024 | — | — | — | 6,666.7 sq ft |
| Zoysiagrass | 0.024 | — | — | — | 6,666.7 sq ft |
| Sun and shade mix (bluegrass, fine fescue, ryegrass) | 0.056 | — | — | — | 2,857.1 sq ft |
In the UK, Rolawn Medallion Lawn Seed 1 kg at £38.99 a box is £1.36 per m² for a new general-purpose lawn (ryegrass and fescue) at 35 g per m² and £0.90 per m² overseeding. Only the general-purpose row is priced: the starting box is that seed, and the other UK labels sell at their own prices.
Seed and sod by lawn size
Seed for the region’s starting grass type (tall fescue (turf-type) in the US, general-purpose lawn (ryegrass and fescue) in the UK) as a new lawn and as overseeding, the bags at the starting bag size, and the sod rolls with the region’s extra for cuts (10% US, 5% UK). Pallets of 50 rolls in the US; UK turf is sold by the roll.
| Lawn | Seed, new lawn | Seed, overseeding | Bags (new) | Seed cost (new) | Sod rolls | Pallets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 7 lb | 4 lb | 1 × 10 lb | $53.00 | 110 | 3 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 14 lb | 8 lb | 2 × 10 lb | $106.00 | 220 | 5 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 21 lb | 12 lb | 3 × 10 lb | $159.00 | 330 | 7 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 28 lb | 16 lb | 3 × 10 lb | $159.00 | 440 | 9 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 35 lb | 20 lb | 4 × 10 lb | $212.00 | 550 | 11 |
| 6,000 sq ft | 42 lb | 24 lb | 5 × 10 lb | $265.00 | 660 | 14 |
| 7,000 sq ft | 49 lb | 28 lb | 5 × 10 lb | $265.00 | 770 | 16 |
| 8,000 sq ft | 56 lb | 32 lb | 6 × 10 lb | $318.00 | 880 | 18 |
| 9,000 sq ft | 63 lb | 36 lb | 7 × 10 lb | $371.00 | 990 | 20 |
| 10,000 sq ft | 70 lb | 40 lb | 7 × 10 lb | $371.00 | 1,100 | 22 |
| Lawn | Seed, new lawn | Seed, overseeding | Boxes (new) | Seed cost (new) | Turf rolls | Pallets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m² | 3.5 kg | 2.3 kg | 4 × 1 kg | £155.96 | 105 | — |
| 200 m² | 7 kg | 4.6 kg | 7 × 1 kg | £272.93 | 210 | — |
| 300 m² | 10.5 kg | 6.9 kg | 11 × 1 kg | £428.89 | 315 | — |
| 400 m² | 14 kg | 9.2 kg | 14 × 1 kg | £545.86 | 420 | — |
| 500 m² | 17.5 kg | 11.5 kg | 18 × 1 kg | £701.82 | 525 | — |
| 600 m² | 21 kg | 13.8 kg | 21 × 1 kg | £818.79 | 630 | — |
| 700 m² | 24.5 kg | 16.1 kg | 25 × 1 kg | £974.75 | 735 | — |
| 800 m² | 28 kg | 18.4 kg | 28 × 1 kg | £1,091.72 | 840 | — |
| 900 m² | 31.5 kg | 20.7 kg | 32 × 1 kg | £1,247.68 | 945 | — |
| 1,000 m² | 35 kg | 23 kg | 35 × 1 kg | £1,364.65 | 1,050 | — |
Fertilizer product by N-P-K
Product per 1,000 sq ft at 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft of nitrogen (Purdue Extension AY-27, Maintenance Calendar for Indiana Lawns, September; the Purdue formula: nitrogen wanted ÷ N%), with the phosphate and potash that come along; the fertilizer calculator turns it into bags and cost per feed and per year. The UK table uses the label rate of the starting bag, 2.1 g per m² of nitrogen, per 100 m². Feeds per year: 4 for a cool-season lawn (Purdue AY-27), 3 for a warm-season lawn (Clemson HGIC 1216), 2 in the UK (RHS).
| N-P-K | Product per 1,000 sq ft | Spreader rate | P2O5 applied | K2O applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32-0-4 | 3.13 lb | 3.13 lb per 1,000 sq ft | 0 lb | 0.13 lb |
| 24-0-6 | 4.17 lb | 4.17 lb per 1,000 sq ft | 0 lb | 0.25 lb |
| 16-8-8 | 6.25 lb | 6.25 lb per 1,000 sq ft | 0.5 lb | 0.5 lb |
| 10-10-10 | 10 lb | 10 lb per 1,000 sq ft | 1 lb | 1 lb |
| 6-2-4 | 16.7 lb | 16.67 lb per 1,000 sq ft | 0.33 lb | 0.67 lb |
| N-P-K | Product per 100 m² | Spreader rate | P2O5 applied | K2O applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32-0-4 | 0.66 kg | 6.56 g per m² | 0 kg | 0.03 kg |
| 24-0-6 | 0.88 kg | 8.75 g per m² | 0 kg | 0.05 kg |
| 16-8-8 | 1.31 kg | 13.13 g per m² | 0.11 kg | 0.11 kg |
| 10-10-10 | 2.1 kg | 21 g per m² | 0.21 kg | 0.21 kg |
| 6-2-4 | 3.5 kg | 35 g per m² | 0.07 kg | 0.14 kg |
Every figure above is the calculators’ own arithmetic on the starting values, whose sources and dates are listed on each calculator page. The label on your bag wins.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does grass seed cost per square foot?
- For tall fescue, $0.037 per square foot ($37.10 per 1,000 sq ft) at $5.30 a pound (Twin City Seed Company, Blue Resilience tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass mixture, 2026): rate per 1,000 sq ft × price per pound ÷ 1,000. For other seeds: rate per 1,000 sq ft × your price per pound ÷ 1,000; bluegrass, ryegrass and bermuda seed sell at their own prices per pound. Installed seeding quoted by lawn services includes labor and soil work and is a different number.
- How much grass seed to overseed 10,000 sq ft?
- At the overseeding rates: Kentucky bluegrass 12.5 lb, tall fescue 40 lb, perennial ryegrass 50 lb, fine fescue 27.5 lb, bermudagrass 7.5 lb, zoysiagrass 7.5 lb, sun and shade mix 17.5 lb. In 10 lb bags that is 4 bags of tall fescue (turf-type) or 2 of kentucky bluegrass. Open the grass seed calculator on overseeding and type your own area and bag.
- How much grass seed per square foot for a new lawn?
- Tall fescue 0.112 oz, Kentucky bluegrass 0.04 oz, bermudagrass 0.024 oz per square foot, or in pounds: divide the rate per 1,000 sq ft by 1,000: kentucky bluegrass 0.0025 lb, tall fescue (turf-type) 0.007 lb, perennial ryegrass 0.0045 lb, fine fescue 0.0045 lb, bermudagrass 0.0015 lb, zoysiagrass 0.0015 lb, sun and shade mix (bluegrass, fine fescue, ryegrass) 0.0035 lb per square foot. Nobody weighs seed per square foot, which is why the guides and the calculator work per 1,000 sq ft (or per m² in the UK).
- How much grass seed per square foot for overseeding?
- Tall fescue 0.064 oz, Kentucky bluegrass 0.02 oz, bermudagrass 0.012 oz per square foot; about half the new-lawn rate: kentucky bluegrass 1.25 lb per 1,000 sq ft, tall fescue (turf-type) 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft, perennial ryegrass 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft, fine fescue 2.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft, bermudagrass 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft, zoysiagrass 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft, sun and shade mix (bluegrass, fine fescue, ryegrass) 1.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft. The University of Maryland gives the tall fescue, bluegrass and fine fescue figures; Penn State the ryegrass renovation rate; the warm-season and mix figures apply the half rule from Ohio State Extension.
- How much does a bag of grass seed cover?
- Bag weight ÷ the rate: a 10 lb bag covers 4,000 sq ft of Kentucky bluegrass, 1,428.6 sq ft of tall fescue, 6,666.7 sq ft of bermudagrass as a new lawn. A 50 lb bag covers 5 times that: 7,142.9 sq ft of tall fescue, 20,000 sq ft of Kentucky bluegrass. Overseeding covers more for most types because the rate is lower; perennial ryegrass is the exception (Penn State's renovation rate is not below its new-lawn rate).
- How much grass seed for 1,000 square feet?
- At the tall fescue (turf-type) rate, 7 lb: 0.7 (buy 1 bag) of 10 lb. Kentucky bluegrass needs far less (2.5 lb) because its seed is small; the table by lawn size shows the figures for 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft.
- How much grass seed per square metre (UK)?
- general-purpose lawn (ryegrass and fescue) 35 g/m² new, 23 g/m² overseeding (Rolawn, Overseeding a Lawn); shade lawn 35 g/m² new, 25 g/m² overseeding (Johnsons Shady Lawn Seed label); hard-wearing lawn (ryegrass) 50 g/m² new, 50 g/m² overseeding (Boston Seeds Quality Hard Wearing Lawn Seed, Landscape Centre listing). A 1 kg box covers about 29 m² of new lawn at the general-purpose rate.
- How much sod instead of seed?
- Sod is bought by area, not weight: 110 rolls of 10 sq ft for 1,000 sq ft with the 10% extra for cuts, 3 pallets of 50 rolls (CT Sod, How many square feet of sod comes on a pallet); in the UK 105 rolls of 1 m² for 100 m² with 5% extra (Rolawn). The sod calculator does it for your own area and supplier.
- How much fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft goes with a new lawn?
- Product = nitrogen wanted ÷ N%. At 1 lb per 1,000 sq ft of nitrogen (Purdue Extension AY-27, Maintenance Calendar for Indiana Lawns, September) a 32-0-4 bag is 3.13 lb per 1,000 sq ft and a 10-10-10 bag 10 lb; the third table lists more analyses. A starter fertilizer's P2O5 is in the last two columns.
More guides
- 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 many square feet in a pallet of sod? (400, 500 and 600 sq ft pallets, rolls and slabs per pallet, pallets for 100 to 2,000 sq ft)
A pallet of sod covers 400, 500 or 600 sq ft: 50 or 60 rolls of 2 × 5 ft or 150-170 slabs of 16 × 24 in (CT Sod); pallets for 100 to 2,000 sq ft, weight.
- How much does a roll of sod weigh? (2 × 5 ft roll, 1 to 60 rolls, zoysia slabs, per square foot)
A 2 × 5 ft roll of sod weighs 15-30 lb (6.8-13.6 kg) dry to wet, from CT Sod's pallets; weight of 1 to 60 rolls, per sq ft, zoysia slabs.
Last updated 2026-10-03. Rates from university extension guides and product labels, each with its source and date: the label on the bag wins.