It's the first question almost everyone asks before re-sodding a yard: "How much is a pallet of St. Augustine sod?" The short answer, across Southwest Florida in 2026, is roughly $130 to $250 for the pallet itself — and a single pallet covers about 400 to 500 square feet. The longer answer is the part that actually saves you money, because the pallet price is only one line on the final bill.
We deliver and lay St. Augustine sod every week across North Port, Venice, Port Charlotte, and Englewood, so we see the real numbers — what a pallet runs at local farms, what delivery adds, and where the surprise costs hide. Here's the whole picture.
A pallet of St. Augustine sod in Florida ≈ $130–$250 material, covers ~400–500 sq ft, and weighs ~2,500–3,000 lbs. Installed and watered-in by a crew, expect roughly $0.90–$2.50 per square foot depending on prep. Your own number depends on square footage and site prep — get it measured.
What's actually in a pallet of St. Augustine grass
A St. Augustine grass pallet isn't a fixed national unit — coverage varies a little by farm — but in Florida it's almost always sold to cover 400 to 500 square feet. Most local farms stack a pallet as roughly 165–176 pieces of cut sod, each slab about 16" × 24" (about 2.67 sq ft per piece).
A loaded pallet weighs 2,500–3,000 lbs — real freshly-cut grass holding moisture. That weight matters for two reasons: you can't fit more than one or two pallets in a standard pickup or trailer without overloading it, and the clock starts the moment it's cut.
A pallet of St. Augustine should go down within 24 hours of delivery in our summer heat — sooner if it's sitting in full sun. Sod that bakes on a pallet for two days yellows from the center out and may not recover. Don't buy pallets until the ground is prepped and you can lay it the same day.
What a pallet of St. Augustine sod costs
Here's what you'll typically see quoted at Southwest Florida sod farms and suppliers in 2026, for the pallet only (picked up, not delivered or installed):
- Floratam St. Augustine (the standard here): about $130–$200 per pallet
- Shade or premium varieties (Palmetto, Seville, CitraBlue, ProVista): about $180–$280 per pallet
Spread across ~450 sq ft of coverage, that's roughly $0.30–$0.55 per square foot for the grass itself. Prices drift with the season — they climb in spring and early summer when demand is highest, and soften in the cooler months.
One honest note: those are market figures so you can sanity-check a quote. We don't price re-sodding by a fixed per-pallet rate, because no two yards prep the same. What your project costs depends on the variables below — see finished projects with real pricing for context.
Material-only vs. installed: where the rest of the cost goes
The pallet price is the cheapest part of the job. The difference between "a pallet of sod" and "a finished lawn" is delivery, prep, labor, and water — and that's usually where most of the bill lives.
A turnkey St. Augustine sod install in Southwest Florida — delivered, old grass removed, soil graded, sod tight-fitted, rolled, and watered-in — commonly runs $0.90 to $2.50 per square foot. Light jobs (clean dirt, easy access, no removal) sit at the low end; heavy prep, tight backyard access, or killing off and stripping an old lawn push toward the top.
Delivery of heavy pallets · removal and haul-off of dead/old grass · grading so water drains away from the house · laying with tight seams (gaps are where weeds invade) · rolling for soil contact · and a watering-in plan for the critical first 30 days. Skip any of those and the sod that looked cheap gets expensive when it fails.
That's why a $150 pallet and a $600 installed result aren't a contradiction — you're paying for the four things that decide whether the grass lives, not just the grass.
What changes the price of a sod job
Two yards of the same square footage can land hundreds of dollars apart. These are the levers:
- Square footage / quantity. Bigger jobs lower the per-pallet and per-square-foot cost — farms and crews both give volume breaks.
- Variety. Floratam is the baseline price; shade-tolerant and premium grasses cost more per pallet (see below).
- Delivery distance. Pallets are heavy; the farther from the farm, the more freight adds.
- Old-lawn removal. Stripping and hauling dead St. Augustine or weeds adds labor and dump fees. Laying fresh sod over old grass is the #1 install shortcut that fails.
- Grading & drainage. If the soil needs leveling so water runs away from the slab, that's prep cost — but it's why the new lawn survives.
- Access. A wheelbarrow path through a narrow side gate to a back yard is slower (and costlier) than a driveway-to-front-lawn drop.
- Season. Spring/early-summer demand raises pallet prices; cooler months ease them.
Which St. Augustine variety you're paying for
"St. Augustine" isn't one grass — and the variety on the pallet is a big part of the price:
- Floratam — the Florida default. Loves full sun, vigorous, cheapest per pallet. Poor shade tolerance.
- Palmetto — better shade and cold tolerance, finer blade; a step up in price.
- Seville — handles partial shade well, dwarf-ish growth; mid-to-premium price.
- CitraBlue — newer UF release, good shade tolerance and disease resistance; premium.
- ProVista — slow-growing (mows less often), premium pricing, limited availability.
For most sunny SW Florida yards, Floratam is the practical pick and keeps the pallet cost down. If your lawn is shaded by oaks or the house, paying up for Palmetto or CitraBlue is cheaper than re-sodding Floratam that thins out in the shade a year later.
How many pallets of St. Augustine sod you need
The math is simple once you have your square footage:
Pallets needed = (lawn square footage ÷ 450) × 1.05
Measure length × width of each grass area, add them up, divide by 450 sq ft per pallet, then add ~5% for cuts and odd shapes. Round up — you can't lay half a pallet, and a few leftover pieces patch any gaps.
A quick example: a 2,000 sq ft front and back lawn ÷ 450 = 4.4, × 1.05 ≈ 4.7 → 5 pallets. At a $150–$200 Floratam pallet, that's roughly $750–$1,000 in grass before delivery, prep, and labor. Not sure of your square footage? We measure it as part of a free sod estimate so you're not guessing at pallet counts.
Common questions about St. Augustine sod pallets
How much is a pallet of St. Augustine sod?
In Southwest Florida in 2026, a pallet of St. Augustine sod typically costs $130–$250 for the material, depending on variety, supplier, and season. Floratam (the standard sun grass) is at the lower end; shade and premium varieties like Palmetto or CitraBlue run higher. That's the pallet only — delivery and installation are separate.
How many square feet does a pallet of St. Augustine cover?
About 400 to 500 square feet per pallet, with ~450 sq ft being a safe planning number. Coverage varies slightly by farm and how the slabs are cut.
How many pieces are in a pallet of St. Augustine grass?
Roughly 165–176 pieces, each about 16" × 24" (~2.67 sq ft). Some farms cut larger slabs and stack fewer, but the total coverage stays around 400–500 sq ft.
Is it cheaper to lay a pallet of sod yourself?
On material alone, yes — but DIY only saves money if you nail the prep. Most failed sod we're called to replace was laid by the homeowner over un-graded soil or old grass, then lost to poor soil contact or watering. If you have clean, level dirt and can lay it the day it's delivered, DIY works. If there's removal, grading, or drainage involved, a crew is usually cheaper than re-doing it.
When is the best time to lay St. Augustine sod in Florida?
St. Augustine establishes year-round in Southwest Florida, but spring through early fall — when it's actively growing — roots in fastest. Whenever you lay it, the first 30 days of watering decide whether it survives. (See our guide on why new St. Augustine sod dies in its first summer.)
How long can a pallet of sod sit before it's laid?
Not long — ideally it goes down within 24 hours, especially in summer heat. Fresh-cut sod heats up on the pallet and yellows from the center. Only order pallets once the ground is prepped and ready.