How to Measure Your Yard for Artificial Turf (Step by Step)

Start with a rough sketch

Before you touch a tape measure, draw your yard on a bit of paper. It doesn't need to be pretty. A wobbly bird's-eye view with the house wall, fence lines, paths and garden beds marked is plenty. As you measure, write each number straight onto the sketch. This one habit prevents the classic stuff-up: getting to the checkout with three measurements and no memory of which edge was which.

You'll want a tape measure (8m covers most backyards, 30m for big blocks), a pen, and ideally a second person to hold the dumb end of the tape. Measure in metres to one decimal place. So 4 metres 35 becomes 4.4. Always round up, never down.

Rectangles: longest by widest

For a square or rectangular area, measure the longest side and the widest side, then multiply them. A lawn that's 6.2m long and 4.8m wide is 6.2 × 4.8 = 29.8m². Done.

Two things trip people up here:

• Measure the longest point of each dimension. If one fence bows out or the paving isn't square, take the bigger number. Turf gets trimmed to fit on the day; it can't be stretched.
• Don't trust the fence line. Fences are rarely straight or parallel. Measure the actual ground you're covering at two or three points along each side and use the largest figure.

L-shapes and odd shapes: split them into rectangles

An L-shaped yard is just two rectangles stuck together. Draw a line on your sketch that splits the L into a big rectangle and a small one, measure each rectangle as above, and add the areas together.

The same trick works for T-shapes, Z-shapes and most odd yards: break the shape into the fewest rectangles you can, measure each one longest-by-widest, and total them up. Three rectangles is usually the most you'll ever need. If you're slicing your yard into six boxes, you're overcomplicating it. Go back to the sketch and find bigger, simpler rectangles.

Keep each rectangle's measurements written on the sketch separately. You'll need them again when you plan which direction the turf runs.

Curves and circles: measure the box, not the shape

Curved lawns, circles and kidney shapes, the kind you get around a pool surround or a garden bed, all get measured the same way: pretend there's a rectangle drawn tightly around the whole shape, and measure that rectangle. It's called the bounding box. For a circular area 4m across, you measure a 4m × 4m square (16m²), not the circle's actual 12.6m². For a kidney-shaped lawn that's 7m at its longest and 4.5m at its widest, you order 7 × 4.5 = 31.5m², even though the grassed bit might only be 26m².

Feels wasteful, but there's no way around it, which brings us to the next point.

Why you buy the box, not the net area

Turf comes off a roll as a rectangle. You can't buy a kidney shape. The curve gets cut on site with a sharp knife, and the offcuts fall away as waste.

Can't you use those offcuts elsewhere? Usually not. Artificial grass has a pile direction (the blades all lean slightly one way), and every piece in a lawn has to run the same direction or the patches show up as light and dark blocks, like a badly mown oval. Offcuts from a curve are odd crescent shapes with the pile running whichever way they happened to fall, so they're rarely reusable in the same lawn. Budget for the bounding box and treat anything you salvage as a bonus (door mats, pet patches, the base of the kids' cubby).

Roll width and seams: the 3.71m rule

Artificial turf in Australia is commonly made on 3.71m wide rolls (a hangover from imperial 12-foot looms, sometimes sold as "4m"). This number matters more than most people expect:

• If your area is 3.71m wide or less, you can cover it with a single piece. One piece means no seams, which is the easiest possible install.
• If it's wider than 3.71m, you'll need two or more pieces joined side by side with joining tape and adhesive. That's completely normal, and most decent-sized lawns have at least one seam, but you should plan where the seam falls before you order.

When planning seams:

• Run every piece in the same pile direction. Non-negotiable. Flip one piece and the colour mismatch is obvious from the back door.
• Think about orientation. Sometimes running the turf across the yard instead of down it needs less material. Sketch both options and compare.
• Keep seams out of the main sightline where you can, and never place one where a trampoline leg or other high-traffic spot in a play area will work at it.

A well-made seam on properly prepared base is close to invisible. A rushed one on lumpy base is visible forever, so it's worth reading up on how to lay artificial turf before you commit to a seam position.

How much extra to order

Add a waste allowance on top of your measured area. It covers trimming, squaring-up, and the inevitable small measuring error.

Yard shape	Waste to add
Simple rectangle, single piece	5%
Rectangle with one seam	5–7%
L-shape or multiple rectangles	7–10%
Curves, circles, odd angles	10%

Running short is far more expensive than over-ordering. Turf is made in dye batches, and a top-up roll ordered a month later can be a slightly different shade. At typical Australian mid-range supply prices of $30–45 per m², an extra 2m² of allowance costs $60–90. A visible colour-mismatched patch costs you every time you look at it.

Three worked examples

Simple rectangle

Lawn measures 6.2m long by 4.8m at the widest point. Net area: 6.2 × 4.8 = 29.8m². It's wider than one 3.71m roll, so plan one seam. Running two 4.8m drops across the yard covers 7.42m of the 6.2m length. That works, and uses about 35.6m² of turf. Add 5–7% for the seam and trimming and you're ordering roughly 38m².

L-shape

Main lawn 8m × 5m, plus a side strip 3m × 2m down the path. Split it: rectangle A = 40m², rectangle B = 6m², net total 46m². The 5m width needs a seam in the main section, and the leg is a separate piece (same pile direction as the rest). Add 7–10%: order around 50m².

Curved edge

A kidney-shaped lawn, 7m at the longest point and 4.5m at the widest. Bounding box: 7 × 4.5 = 31.5m². The width almost fits, but not quite: 4.5m is wider than 3.71m, so you'll either need a seam or, if the wide bulge is short, sometimes a clever single-piece layout on an angle. Add 10% for the curve cutting: order around 34–35m². Sketch the shape onto the rectangle so your installer (or future you) knows where the curves fall.

Put your numbers into the calculator

Once you've got your bounding-box measurements and waste allowance, you're done with the maths. Every product page on this site has an instant per-m² calculator: punch in your dimensions and price your exact size in a few seconds, or compare the same area against the Turf Pro 40mm if you're weighing up a thicker pile. Not sure which thickness suits your yard? The pile height guide covers that, and the artificial turf cost guide breaks down what the full job typically runs to, base materials and all.

Measure twice, sketch once, and the ordering part takes care of itself.

Frequently asked questions

What if my area is wider than one roll of turf?

Standard rolls are 3.71m wide, so any area wider than that needs two or more pieces joined side by side with joining tape and outdoor adhesive underneath. This is normal; most Australian backyards need at least one seam. Plan the seam position before ordering, run both pieces in the same pile direction, and keep the join away from your main sightline and heavy-traffic spots.

How much extra turf should I order for waste?

Add 5% for a simple single-piece rectangle, 5–10% for shapes needing seams or multiple rectangles, and a full 10% for curved or irregular shapes. The allowance covers trimming, squaring-up and small measuring errors. Ordering a top-up later is risky because turf is made in dye batches, and a second batch can be a noticeably different shade.

Should I order a custom cut length or full rolls?

Order cut-to-length where it's offered, because you pay only for the metres you need off the 3.71m-wide roll rather than a fixed full-roll length. Give the supplier your piece lengths (from your sketch) rather than just a total area, so each piece comes off the roll correctly. Full rolls only make sense for very large jobs where you'd use the whole roll anyway.

Can I patch offcuts together to save money?

Generally no, not in a lawn you'll look at every day. Artificial grass has a pile direction, and patched offcuts almost never run the same way, so the joins show as light and dark blocks. Multiple small joins are also the weakest points in an install and tend to lift first. Save offcuts for hidden or low-stakes spots like a dog run, a bin corner or a door mat instead.