HOW MUCH IS A PALLET OF GRASS IN TEXAS?

Giving your yard a makeover and wondering how much a pallet of grass is in Texas?

Your choice of ground surface should balance personal design preferences with practical concerns like how well it will handle wear and tear, how much maintenance is required, and how much money and other resources it will eat up.

Despite the popularity of grass alternatives like artificial grass, pavers, mulch, and gravel, real grass remains ever-popular in Texas yards. Most homeowners must put time, money, and effort into maintaining their grass lawns—but some types of grass are lower-maintenance and more drought- or shade-tolerant than others.

So, if you’re budgeting for a grass lawn in Texas, how much will you pay for a pallet of grass sod? Let’s find out the estimated costs for the most popular types of grass in Texas…

How Much is a Pallet of Grass in Texas?

A full pallet of Zoysia, St. Augustine or Bermuda grass sod in Texas will usually cost between $220 and $350 if you pre-order (not including delivery or installation) and $350 to $500 if you buy from stock. A half pallet of grass sod is usually sold for between $135 and $300 depending on the grass type. Zoysia grasses are usually the most expensive.

Suppliers vary with location and sod quality but these are good guidelines for estimating the costs of installing a new grass lawn in Texas. There’s more about how to calculate the costs below—as well as the costs for each type of grass available here.

Summary of costs for grass pallets in Texas

SOD TYPE	FULL PALLET (PRE-ORDER)	FULL PALLET (STOCK)	HALF PALLET	PER PIECE
Bermuda	$230-$250	$350-$360	$150-$200	$2.50
Palmetto St. Augustine	$245-$260	$375-$460	$190-$250	N/A
Raleigh St. Augustine	$220-$240	$350-$400	$135-$200	$2.50
Texas Native St. Augustine	$230-$240	N/A	$175-$200	N/A
Palisades Zoysia	$305-$350	$400-$500	$225-$275	$3
Zeon Zoysia	$320-$330	$475-$500	$200-$300	N/A

How is Grass Usually Sold in Texas?

If you’ve never had to buy grass before, you’ll first need to consider the look you want, your appetite for maintenance, the ongoing costs involved, the local climate, and how much wear and tear the area will receive.

You may want your yard to be more than a carpet of emerald green to admire. It can be a family picnic area, kids’ playground, pet play area, barbecue area, swimming area or even a putting green!

If you’re only considering grass for your yard, you have four basic choices:

1. Grass seed
2. Grass sod
3. Grass plugs 
4. Artificial grass 

Grass seed is usually sold in bags, sod is usually sold in pallets, and artificial grass is manufactured and sold in rolls. Plugs are sold to repair small areas of grass lawns that have been damaged or receive little sunlight.

Most homeowners who don’t have very green fingers will order sod. Thick lawn areas are easier to start with sod than with grass seed, which is generally cheaper but requires know-how to flourish.

How much grass is included in a pallet of sod?

One piece of sod generally measures 16 inches x 24 inches, which is equal to 2.66 square feet.

One pallet of sod usually covers 450 square feet but there may be slight variations to this. Check with your supplier.

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What Factors Affect Grass Cost in Texas?

The cost of grass sod in Texas varies mainly according to the type of grass, sod quality, and location, all of which need to be considered before purchasing grass sod—but there are a few other factors to bear in mind too.

Let’s take a closer look at each factor…

The type of grass sod

The main lawn grasses in Texas are warm-season grasses, such as Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bermuda grass, and Centipede grass. However, you may also see buffalo grass (which is native) or even ryegrass (a cool-season variety) in some areas.

Grass types vary in properties like appearance, drought tolerance, shade tolerance, pest resistance, maintenance requirements, soil requirements, and resistance to wear and tear. The price you pay will likely reflect how specialized the grass type is for your location (more detail below).

Sod quality 

Not all Zoysia Palisades or St. Augustine Palmetto grasses are the same quality in sod form.

High-quality sod should have a dense root system with no weeds or signs of disease. Most sod needs considerable care and attention before it is sold as well as after it’s installed. Regular watering, fertilization, and pest protection pre-sale generally result in higher-quality sod that grows healthily after installation.

Paying a little extra for well-prepared sod can make the establishment and maintenance of your lawn easier.

The growing and selling locations

Where was your sod grown and prepared? Don’t assume the grass was grown locally. Sometimes, sod is transported from another region with different soil and climatic conditions, increasing the costs to you while providing few benefits.

Texas has a diverse climate that creates special challenges for homeowners looking for pristine lawns. It’s generally best to find locally grown and harvested sod that is already well-adapted to the local conditions. 

The location where you buy the sod may also affect its price. Sod can be more expensive in more affluent areas of cities than in rural locations or less well-to-do suburbs.

Pallet, half-pallet or piece?

Most homeowners looking to establish an entirely new lawn from sod will buy their grass by the pallet. One pallet generally contains 160 pieces of sod and covers a total lawn area of about 450 square feet.  Half a pallet is 80 pieces and will cover around 200-225 square feet.

Believe it or not, the average yard size in Texas is 14,876 square feet. That may sound like a lot if you live in the middle of a major city, such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin or Houston.

Most lawns in Texas yards are combined with other landscaping for driveways, flowerbeds, pathways, patios, and so on. So, lawn areas are generally far smaller than 14,876 square feet.

Unless you live in a particularly spacious property, your lawn size is more likely to be between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet. For a 2,000-square-foot lawn, you’d need around 4.5 full pallets of sod to cover the entire area. Most suppliers sell half pallets at slightly higher rates than full pallets.

Turf suppliers in Texas may also offer some sod varieties for sale by the piece. Remember, a piece of sod generally covers about 2.67 square feet.

Delivery costs of the sod 

On top of the pallet, half-pallet or per-piece-cost of the grass sod, you’ll likely need to pay delivery charges to your turf supplier for transportation—unless you can collect the sod yourself from the warehouse or nursery.

Delivery charges are affected by the quantity of sod ordered and the distance from the supplier as well as the ease of delivery for trucks (it’s generally best to choose a local supplier).

Before committing to picking up sod yourself, remember that it’s heavy! A full pallet weighs around 3,000 pounds, which is the upper limit for the bed of a half-ton pickup.

Suppliers generally don’t include delivery costs in their pallet prices. Delivery costs can range from $50 to $400, depending on the volume ordered and the distance to travel. Local delivery rates shouldn’t be more than $150 but a minimum number of pallets may be required to get the best deal.

Breakdown of Pallet Costs for the Main Grass Types in Texas

Getting into the nitty-gritty of the main grass types in Texas, we’ll focus on the three most popular lawn grasses here:

1. Bermuda grass
2. St. Augustine grass
3. Zoysia grass

Each of these grasses is available in sod form in Texas (St. Augustine seeds are not sold in the U.S.) and offers different qualities for homeowners. Zoysia grass is more expensive than St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. 

Some varieties are only sold in full pallet form by pre-order, so you’ll need to check with your intended supplier if you need a stock item. You may pay considerably more for same-day pickup if it’s available. 

But how much is a pallet of grass in Texas—and do the costs vary much between grass types?

Let’s find out…note that the per-pallet prices quoted below are based on 450-square-foot pallets and include guideline prices for pre-order and same-day pickup (if available)…

Bermuda grass 

Known for:

• Beautiful, lush appearance
• Drought resistance 
• Ability to withstand high temperatures
• Thrives in sun but struggles in shade
• Good tolerance of foot traffic 
• High maintenance (lots of mowing)

Guideline price per pallet in Texas (pre-order):	$230-$250
Guideline price per pallet in Texas collecting same day:	$350-$360
Guideline price per half pallet in Texas:	$150-$200
Guideline price per piece: $2.50	$2.50

St. Augustine grass 

Known for:

• Its lush and dense appearance
• Excellent shade tolerance (especially Palmetto)
• Flourishes in the heat and humidity of Texas
• Relatively high-maintenance 

The main types of St. Augustine grass sod in Texas are Palmetto, Raleigh, and Texas Native. These vary in price per pallet in Texas but the following guidelines can be used:

Zoysia grass 

Known for:

• Fine texture and density with a luxurious look 
• Softness to the touch
• Versatility for various weather conditions
• Shade-tolerant 
• Handles relatively low foot traffic

The main types of Zoysia grass sod in Texas are Palisades and Zeon.

Bulk orders

Buying grass by the pallet in Texas works out considerably cheaper than buying by the half-pallet or piece. Discounted prices may be available for orders of 10 pallets (around 4,500 square feet) and, for even larger jobs that require around 15 pallets or more, further discount may apply. 

Landscapers and contractors usually enjoy wholesale pricing with extra savings per pallet.

How Do I Calculate How Much Grass Sod I Need?

The first step in ordering the right amount of sod for your yard is understanding the intended dimensions of your lawn area. Measure the length and the width in square feet and then multiply the two to get the surface area.

Here are some examples:

• 30 feet x 30 feet = 900 sq. ft.
• 30 feet x 60 feet = 1.800 sq. ft
• 50 feet x 50 feet = 2,500 sq. ft
• 50 feet x 70 feet = 3,500 sq. ft

Irregularly shaped areas can be divided into smaller, more regular-shaped sections and measured individually before totaling the calculation. For particularly challenging areas, you may want to call a grass professional to provide an estimate. Sod may be available in pre-cut shapes, such as rectangles, with some turf suppliers.

To calculate the number of pallets required, the total surface area of your lawn in square feet should be divided by 450 (which is the area covered by one pallet of sod).

Here are some guideline pallet numbers required for different lawn sizes:

Lawn Size	No. Pallets Required	Cost Estimate (Bermuda sod)	Cost Estimate (St. Augustine sod)	Cost Estimate (Zoysia sod)
900 sq. ft.	2	$460-$500	$440-$520	$600-$700
1800 sq. ft.	4	$920-$1,000	$880-$1,000	$1,220-$1,400
2500 sq. ft	5.5	$1,300-$1,400	$1,250-$1,450	$1,700-$2,000
3500 sq. ft	8	$1,840-$2,000	$1,760-$2,000	$2,440-$2,800
4, 500 sq. ft	10	$2,300-$2,500	$2,200-$2,600	$3,000-$3,500
6,000 sq. ft	13.5	$3,100-$3,400	$3,000-$3,500	$4,000-$4,750
7,200 sq. ft	16	$3,680-$4,000	$3,520-$4,000	$4,900-$5,600

Note: the above prices are based on purchasing full sod pallets pre-ordered and excluding delivery and installation charges. They do not include discounts for bulk orders.

If you allow a 5-to-10-percent variance when calculating how many pallets of grass to buy, you can cover wastage and measurement discrepancies. These are likely if your lawn is not geometric and any extra grass can fill odd spaces.

How Much Are the Installation Costs for Grass Sod?

Grass installation costs in Texas also vary from one provider to the next and from one yard to another.

If your yard requires a lot of preparation work with old grass taken away, new topsoil required, grading, low-nitrogen starter fertilizers, and rental equipment needed, the installation costs can be as high as $600 to $700 per pallet. 

If the yard is ready to go and the sod can be simply installed and watered, the installation costs should be closer to $100-$125 per pallet if you work with a local installation company. 

Some companies offer additional services that include soil testing, site preparation, sod installation, and ongoing maintenance—if you’re prepared to pay for it.

How Do Grass Sod Costs Compare With Artificial Grass?

Grass sod is almost always cheaper than artificial grass to purchase and install, leading some homeowners to ask whether artificial grass is worth the money?

Artificial grass costs become attractive when you factor in the ongoing maintenance costs. These costs are much higher for natural grass, which requires regular mowing, fertilizing, irrigation, aerating, weeding, and more.

The best-quality synthetic grass looks increasingly like the real thing and has other key benefits besides its low maintenance. It’s also highly versatile (for play areas, pet areas, swimming pools, sports, and putting greens as well as family lawns) and looks green and pristine all year round without regular sunlight or water.

You can read more about the pros and cons of artificial grass here.

FAQs

Considering Switching to a Grass Alternative?

If you’re considering an alternative to grass for your Texas home, discuss your options with an artificial grass professional.