Use this free grass seed calculator to learn exactly how much seed you need for your project.
Order the perfect amount of seed based on your lawn size, grass seed type, and growing zone.
There’s nothing more frustrating than buying the wrong amount of grass seed.
You do the hard work of preparing your lawn, spreading the seed and starter fertilizer, are dilligent about watering, and the results are a thin lawn where weeds quickly take hold.
That’s why I created this free grass seed calculator to help you determine how much grass seed per square foot you should plant for GREAT results.
Wondering “How do I calculate how much grass seed I need?”
It couldn’t be easier. There are only three steps to get your results.
Try it out for yourself right here:
LawnChick.com is reader supported. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Do you have some questions about how the calculator functions, or need some help using it? I’ve tried to address these for you below:
Lower on this page you’ll see a breakdown of the numbers and exactly what I consider the proper seeding rate per 1,000 square feet of lawn for different grass types. This is the data that is used in my grass seed calculator to deliver my suggested seed weight for your lawn size.
In general I recommend you use half as much seed for overseeding an existing lawn as you would for planting a new lawn.
In most cases I suggest that you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for how much seed to spread for best results.
The type of grass seed you buy will change this slightly. For example, some grass seeds you purchase will have seed coating, fertilizer and mulch in with the seed (so your 25 pound bag of grass seed may only contain 12-14 pounds of actual seed). Others have 100% seed that is very fresh and most of it will germinate without issue.
It’s always important to read the label and understand what you’re buying and spreading on your lawn. That bag of seed from the box store may be half the price … but it also may be half the seed.
With all of that said, in my experience most homeowners want a thick, full lawn right away after seeding, and may not have the patience to wait for seedlings to fill in over a couple of seasons.
I have always found that seeding a little on the heavy side produces the best results, because not all the seed will germinate, some will be eaten by birds and critters, some may wash away, etc.
The seeding rate I suggest accounts for some of these factors, and should deliver good results for you.
Having an accurate measurement of the lawn area where you’ll plant your grass seed will help you be sure that you spread the perfect amount of seed for great results.
I have a free lawn size calculator which allows you to measure your lawn using satellite imagery to help with this.
It’s better than a lot of tools out there because you can also subtract the square footage of outbuildings, walkways, garden beds, etc. from your total lawn area to get the most accurate measurement of the grass area you hope to seed or overseed.
You can use that right here to make sure you’re seeding at the correct rate on your upcoming project.
A little. My blog is reader supported and I earn money in two ways. I try to be transparent about both and you can read my advertising policy here.
Most of the product recommendations in the grass seed calculator above are affiliate links, but I’m recommending these products because they are high quality, have great reviews, and will work well for my readers. Many I have personally tried and can vouch for their quality.
There are so many choices when it comes to grass seed, I’ve tried to do the research for you to save you some time. My motto is provide as much value as I can to my website visitors, and if I earn enough to keep the lights on by recommending great products, all the better.
If you’ve found this tool helpful, making a purchase after clicking through these links is an easy way to support my blog and will help me develop more useful free tools like this for my readers. But no pressure – the seed calculator and product recommendation are 100% free either way. You do you!
The information on this page was written by Lawn Chick Owner Sarah Jameson and has been reviewed for accuracy by Horticulturists Nicole Forsyth, M.S. and Arthur Davidson, A.S.
I invite you to read our editorial policy and publishing principles to learn more about how we source, fact-check, and review content for accuracy.
Many homeowners wonder how much grass seed to use per square foot of lawn area, and the seeding rate for grass varies for different types of turfgrass, and what kind of seeding project you’re tackling.
Typically, homeowners want to either kill their lawn and start over, plant a new lawn on bare soil after a construction project, or they hope to thicken up their existing lawn by aerating and overseeding it (sowing grass seed into an established lawn to create a denser canopy and better appearance).
As a rule of thumb, you will want to use half as much seed for overseeding as you would if you were planting a new lawn.
Below I share the grass seeding rates per 1000 square feet that I recommend for some of the most popular grass seed types:
Each turfgrass variety has unique growth habits and prefers different conditions to thrive.
Where your lawn is located will also determine what type of grass you should plant, as some warm season grasses can’t survive the cold winters of northern climates and some cool season grasses cannot survive the heat and drought of southern climates.
If you live in the transition zone you may be able to grow either type of grass, but your micro-climate within this part of the United States will determine which grass is best for you.
Here are the seeding rates per 1000 square feet and per acre for different cool season grass types:
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
And here are the seeding rates per 1000 square feet and per acre for different warm season grass types:
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
Seeding rate per 1000 square feet
Seeding rate per acre
* St. Augustine is not planted from seed, but rather is installed via sod or by planting St. Augstine grass plugs.
A thick, beautiful St. Augustine lawn can be established quickly by planting high quality plugs like these ones on Amazon.
Plant your plugs 12″ apart and within a few months your lawn will fill in nicely, saving you a lot of money over sod.
If you are seeding either a sun and shade mix or a shade mix of seed in the south, look closely at the grass types used. Often, your seeding rate will resemble that of seed mixes listed above under cool-season grass types.
Need some guidance or information to make sure you have a successful seeding project? The articles below can help.
But as a short summary, I recommend that you always pay special attention to:
Here are some of my most popular articles on the subject to provide some additional guidance:
It can be tempting to simply spread some grass seed in your yard and be done with it, but this is not the ideal way
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When deciding when you will plant your grass seed, you may wonder “Can new grass seed survive a frost?” The best times of year to
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Horticulturist
Dustin Stoll is the owner of a horticulture design and consulting company. He has done planting design work on many commercial and residential projects. Previously, Dustin was Director of Horticulture at Tulsa Botanic Garden, where he worked for over eight years.
Every article we publish on LawnChick.com is written and/or reviewed by founder Sarah Jameson for accuracy. Additionally, each article is reviewed carefully by a member of our expert panel. We hire these credentialed subject-matter experts to share their knowledge and experience with us to ensure we present information that is 100% accurate, and that aligns with industry best-practices.
Nicole Forsyth is a passionate Instructor of Plant Science at an agricultural vocational high school, and a certified landscape design professional, certified horticulturist, certified arborist, and the CEO of NF Landscape Design and Horticultural Consulting.
Dustin Stoll is the owner of a horticulture design and consulting company, Stoll Design. He has done planting design work on many commercial and residential projects. Before starting his own company, Dustin was Director of Horticulture at Tulsa Botanic Garden, where he worked for over eight years.
Arthur Davidson is a seasoned horticulturist with over five decades of hands-on experience. Holding an A.S. in Horticulture, Arthur’s expertise spans landscape design, organic gardening, soil science, and more. A former ISA Arborist and Master Gardener, Arthur maintains a gardening blog of his own.
Read our editorial policy to learn more.
Horticulturist
Arthur Davidson is a seasoned horticulturist with over five decades of hands-on experience. Holding an A.S. in Horticulture, Arthur’s expertise spans landscape design, organic gardening, soil science, and more.
Managing Editor, Lawn Chick Editorial
As the managing editor of Lawn Chick, Joe brings nearly 20 years of experience in marketing and digital publishing to the team. He earned his M.F.A from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa.
Sr. Editor, Lawn Chick Editorial Team
With a M.A. in English from the University of Windsor, Samantha is a key part of the editorial staff working to ensure every article we publish is grammatically correct, free of factual errors, and appropriately sourced.
Certified Landscape Design Professional, Horticulturist & Arborist
Nicole Forsyth is a passionate Instructor of Plant Science at an agricultural vocational high school, and a certified landscape design professional, certified horticulturist, and certified arborist in Massachusetts.
Founder & Owner of LawnChick.com
Sarah’s blog is read by over 2 million homeowners each year and she is regularly cited as an expert source of lawn care knowledge by major publications like Family Handyman, Homes & Gardens, Livingetc, and House Digest. She’s an active member of MELNA, and the American Horticultural Society.
