St. Augustine grass is a popular warm-season turf, common in the humid, subtropical regions of the Southern United States. It is distinguished by its broad, flat leaf blades and dense, carpet-like growth. When planning a lawn installation, determining the amount of material needed is crucial. Since St. Augustine sod is typically sold and delivered on wooden pallets, understanding the quantity of individual pieces contained within a standard pallet is necessary for accurate purchasing and project planning.
Standard Coverage Area of a Pallet
The starting point for any sod calculation is the total square footage a full pallet is designed to cover, which represents a standardized unit of sale in the turfgrass industry. For St. Augustine grass, the standard full pallet typically covers an area between 400 and 500 square feet. This range accounts for regional differences in harvesting practices and transportation limits.
While some suppliers may offer a 400 square foot pallet, 450 square feet of coverage is a common industry measure. This area is established by the sod farm to ensure consistency for customers and to manage the total weight for shipping. The pallet’s square footage remains the foundational variable for all ordering and installation estimates.
The exact dimensions may vary slightly (e.g., 399, 452, or 503 square feet), though they are marketed simply as 400 or 450 square feet. These minor fluctuations are usually insignificant for a typical residential installation. However, it is prudent to confirm the exact square footage with the local sod farm, especially for large commercial projects.
Typical Dimensions of St. Augustine Sod Pieces
To determine the number of pieces on a pallet, the standardized area must be divided by the size of a single harvested piece. St. Augustine sod is generally cut into uniform rectangular slabs for efficient stacking and easier handling during installation. The most common dimensions for these individual pieces are 16 inches wide by 24 inches long.
This 16-inch by 24-inch dimension translates to a coverage area of approximately 2.66 square feet per piece. Some producers may cut slightly different sizes, such as pieces that cover exactly 2.5 square feet, but the 16″ x 24″ slab is the prevalent standard in the southern markets.
The choice of cutting dimensions is often influenced by the harvesting equipment used by the sod farm, designed to create slabs that are manageable for a single person to lift and lay. The thickness of the cut sod, including the underlying soil layer, remains relatively uniform to ensure proper root establishment. The precise square footage per piece is the second variable needed to perform the final calculation.
Determining the Piece Count and Weight
By synthesizing the standard pallet coverage and the piece dimensions, the approximate number of sod pieces can be determined. For a common 400 square foot pallet, dividing this total area by the standard 2.66 square feet per piece yields a count of approximately 150 pieces of St. Augustine sod.
If the pallet is sold as the 450 square foot standard, the piece count increases to about 169 slabs (450 sq. ft. / 2.66 sq. ft. per piece). Some sod farms may intentionally add a few extra pieces, sometimes marketing the pallet as a “170-piece” count, to account for potential damage or to ensure the buyer is not shorted on the square footage.
Pallet Weight Considerations
A significant factor in planning is the pallet’s weight, which impacts transportation and handling. A full pallet of St. Augustine sod typically weighs between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds. This weight is highly variable and depends on the moisture content of the soil, the depth of the cut, and the soil type used by the farm.
A pallet cut during the rainy season or immediately after irrigation will be considerably heavier than a dry one. Due to this substantial weight, which can exceed the payload capacity of many standard pickup trucks, delivery or the use of heavy-duty equipment is a necessary logistical consideration for any St. Augustine sod project.