Artificial Grass Cost Calculator

How much does artificial grass cost?

Artificial grass typically costs about $6 to $20 per square foot installed in the US (most home lawns land around $8 to $14), and about $4 to $9 per square foot if you do it yourself. These are typical 2026 ranges and they vary by region. With this calculator’s defaults of $8 turf and $4 labor per sq ft, a 25 ft × 20 ft yard (500 sq ft) costs $6,000 installed.

This artificial grass cost calculator multiplies the area by two per-square-foot rates: one for the turf material and one for labor. The formula is total cost = (length × width × material rate) + (length × width × labor rate). Enter the length and width in feet, then replace the two rates with numbers from your own quotes. The calculator returns the area, material cost, labor cost, and total.

How the formula works

Turf installers almost always quote by the square foot, so the math is simple:

1. Area = length × width, in square feet.
2. Material cost = area × material rate. This covers the turf rolls and, depending on the quote, infill, weed barrier, nails, and seam tape.
3. Labor cost = area × labor rate. This covers demolition, base work, and installation.
4. Total = material cost + labor cost.

If your quote is “per square foot of turf purchased” rather than “per square foot of yard,” add 5 to 10 percent to the area before entering it. The next section shows why.

Roll widths, seams and waste

Turf is sold in rolls. Common widths are 12 ft and 15 ft, and a roll is cut to length. You pay for the whole strip, even the part you trim off.

Take the 25 ft × 20 ft yard with 15 ft rolls. Run the strips along the 20 ft side:

• Strip 1: 20 ft long × 15 ft wide = 300 sq ft
• Strip 2: cut from a second 20 ft × 15 ft piece, trimmed to 10 ft wide
• Turf bought: 2 × 300 = 600 sq ft
• Turf used: 500 sq ft
• Seam: one seam, 20 ft long

At $8 per sq ft, buying 600 sq ft costs $4,800, not $4,000. The 100 sq ft offcut can often cover a corner or a pet area. Fewer seams look better, so installers plan the layout to keep seams short and out of sight lines.

Cost per sq ft by quality: typical 2026 US ranges

These are typical ranges, not quotes. Prices vary by region, supplier and order size.

Quality	Turf only, per sq ft	Typical use
Budget	$2 to $3.50	Low-traffic areas, play yards
Mid-grade	$3.50 to $5.50	Most front and back lawns
Premium	$5.50 to $8+	Soft, dense, realistic blades
Pet turf	$3.50 to $7	Pet runs, needs good drainage
Putting green	$6 to $12	Short pile, sand-filled

Installed prices run higher because they add removal, base, and labor. About $6 to $20 per sq ft installed covers almost all jobs; most residential lawns land around $8 to $14.

Installed vs DIY

Cost item	Pro installed, per sq ft	DIY, per sq ft
Turf	$2 to $8	$2 to $8
Base stone and fabric	included	about $1 to $2
Infill, nails, seam tape	included	about $0.50 to $1
Labor	about $3 to $8	$0 (your time)
Compactor rental	included	a one-time rental fee
Typical total	about $9 to $18	about $4 to $9

On 500 sq ft, DIY runs about $2,000 to $4,500. A pro job runs about $4,500 to $9,000. The labor-heavy steps are digging out the old lawn, hauling it away, and compacting the base. Seaming is the skill that is hardest to fake.

What goes under artificial grass

The base is where most of the labor goes. A typical cross-section, top to bottom:

Layer	Typical thickness	Purpose
Infill (silica sand, coated sand, or organic)	Fills between blades	Holds blades upright, adds weight
Turf backing	Manufactured	Perforated so water drains through
Weed barrier fabric	Thin sheet	Stops weeds growing up from the soil
Crushed stone or decomposed granite base	3 to 4 in compacted	Drainage and a smooth, firm surface
Native soil	Excavated 3 to 4 in down	Graded with a gentle fall for runoff

Here is the base math for the 500 sq ft yard at 4 in deep. Four inches is one third of a foot, so 500 × 0.333 = 166.7 cubic feet. That is 166.7 ÷ 27 = 6.17 cubic yards. At roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard of crushed stone, that is about 8.6 tons. Compaction means you need a bit more, so ask your supplier. The crushed stone calculator does this math for you, and the road base calculator works for a base too.

Material list for a DIY job

• Turf rolls, with 5 to 10 percent extra
• Crushed stone or decomposed granite for the base
• Weed barrier fabric
• Infill, often around 1 to 2 lb per sq ft depending on the product (follow the manufacturer)
• Seam tape and seam adhesive
• Landscape nails or staples for the edges
• Edging such as bender board or concrete curbing
• Plate compactor, utility knife, stiff broom and power brush

For 500 sq ft at 1 to 2 lb per sq ft, infill is 500 to 1,000 lb. That is 10 to 20 bags of 50 lb.

Worked examples

1. Default backyard: 25 ft × 20 ft, $8 material, $4 labor

• Area: 25 × 20 = 500 sq ft
• Material: 500 × $8 = $4,000
• Labor: 500 × $4 = $2,000
• Total: $6,000

2. Larger lawn: 40 ft × 30 ft, $7 material, $5 labor

• Area: 40 × 30 = 1,200 sq ft
• Material: 1,200 × $7 = $8,400
• Labor: 1,200 × $5 = $6,000
• Total: $14,400

3. Pet area: 20 ft × 15 ft, $9 material, $5 labor

• Area: 20 × 15 = 300 sq ft
• Material: 300 × $9 = $2,700
• Labor: 300 × $5 = $1,500
• Total: $4,200

The cost per square foot stays the same as the yard grows in this calculator. In real bids, very small areas often carry a minimum charge, and large open lawns sometimes get a lower labor rate.

Does it pay off? A simple break-even

Divide the extra upfront cost by your yearly savings. Say turf costs $6,000 installed, and you spend $900 a year on water, mowing and fertilizer. These are example numbers, not averages. Break-even is $6,000 ÷ $900 = 6.7 years. Use your own lawn-care bills. For the cost of real grass, see the sod installation cost calculator.

Things that push the cost up or down

Factor	Effect on price
Pile height and face weight	Taller, denser turf costs more per sq ft
Pet or sports turf	Often needs a special backing or infill
Access	Narrow side gates mean more hand-carrying
Existing lawn removal	Adds labor and dump fees
Shape	Curves and many beds mean more cuts and seams
Drainage problems	May need extra base depth or a drain line

How to measure your area

• Measure the longest length and widest width of each section in feet.
• Break L-shaped or curved yards into rectangles. Run each one, then add the totals.
• Leave out patios, beds, and paths that will not get turf.
• If the turf wraps up onto a slope, measure along the slope surface, not the flat footprint.

Common budgeting mistakes

• Comparing quotes with different scopes. One installer’s $4 labor rate may include sod removal and base; another’s may not. Ask for line items.
• Skipping the base to save money. Turf laid on bare soil ripples, puddles, and lets weeds through.
• Forgetting roll waste. Odd-shaped yards can waste a noticeable share of each roll.
• Ignoring edging. Turf needs a firm edge along beds and paths. Bender board or concrete curbing is often an extra line item.
• Forgetting haul-away. Old sod and soil are heavy and dump fees add up.

Compare with real grass

If you are weighing turf against a natural lawn, the sod calculator counts rolls, and the sod installation cost calculator prices the install. For the weed layer alone, the landscape fabric calculator counts rolls.

Estimates only. Actual cost depends on your region, turf product, and site prep. Get written quotes before you budget.