Gardening · Updated September 2026
Lawn Turfing Cost UK 2026: Price Per m²
Laid turf costs £12–£18 per square metre including the turf itself, with ground preparation adding £80–£200 on most gardens. A typical 50m² rear lawn lands at £700–£1,100 all in. Seeding is the patient alternative at £3–£6 per square metre.
Turfing cost by lawn size — 2026
Supply and lay, including standard preparation on workable ground. Poor soil, deep weeds or old-lawn stripping move jobs to the top of the range.
| Lawn size | Typical cost laid | Timescale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (up to 25m²) | £400–£700 | 1 day | Minimum-job pricing applies |
| Typical rear lawn (50m²) | £700–£1,100 | 1–2 days | The commonest job |
| Large (100m²) | £1,300–£2,000 | 2–3 days | Machinery earns its keep |
| Old lawn stripped first | +£150–£400 | adds a day | Turf cutter hire and disposal |
| Topsoil brought in | +£60–£120 / tonne | — | Roughly 1 tonne per 10m² at 60mm |
| Seeding instead | £3–£6 / m² | 8–12 weeks to use | Cheapest route, needs patience and water |
Indicative 2026 UK prices, compiled from published installer pricing (Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, MyBuilder and BookaBuilder cost guides, August 2026). BestBuilders has no quote history in this category yet, so treat these as a budgeting guide and confirm against three written quotes.
What changes the cost
| Cost factor | Typical impact | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Ground condition | the big one | Builder-compacted new-build soil or a weed-bound old lawn can double the prep |
| Access | +10–25% | Turf, soil and machinery through a terraced house is slow, heavy work |
| Turf grade | +£1–£3 / m² | Shade-tolerant and hard-wearing family blends cost more than contract grade |
| Levels and shaping | +£100–£400 | A sloping or hollowed garden needs grading before a roll goes down |
| Season | spring and autumn best | Summer laying in a drought year needs daily water the moment a ban allows - autumn is the safer 2026 booking |
| Irrigation at the same time | +£300–£800 | Cheapest moment to add drip lines is while the ground is open |
Turfing cost per m² by UK region — 2026
Modelled from regional labour rates rather than measured in this category - materials cost much the same everywhere, the labour does not.
| Region | Typical installed cost | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £20–£20/m² | +25–30% |
| South East | £10–£20/m² | +15–20% |
| South West | £10–£20/m² | +5% |
| Midlands | £10–£20/m² | baseline |
| North England | £10–£20/m² | −5–10% |
| Scotland | £10–£20/m² | −10% |
| Wales | £10–£20/m² | −10% |
| Northern Ireland | £10–£20/m² | −15% |
Getting it priced properly
1. Measure honestly, order 5% over
Offcuts and edges eat a roll or two. Under-ordering leaves a visible seam of different-batch grass.
2. Prep decides everything
Rotavated, levelled, firmed and pre-fertilised ground is why professional lawns knit in two weeks.
3. Plan the first month of water
New turf needs daily soaking to root. In a hosepipe-ban region that means stored water or an autumn date - ask the installer which they price for.
What this costs at a glance
The same table, drawn.
Turf brands compared: Rolawn, Inturf, Harrowden and Johnsons seed
Turf is regional and perishable, so most quotes name a grower. The named cultivar blend matters less than freshness - turf is a living product that wants laying within 24 hours of harvest.
| Brand | Known for | Ranges you will be quoted | Typical price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrowden Turf | East of England grower | Meadowmat, standard lawn turf | £3.50–£6.50 / m² | Also grows wildflower mat if a lawn is not the goal |
| Inturf | Yorkshire grower; trade and retail | Classic, Masters | £3.50–£6.50 / m² | Strong in the North; same-day harvest to local delivery |
| Johnsons | Seed route instead of turf | Quick Fix, General Purpose | £6–£35 / box | Seeding a whole lawn costs a tenth of turf and takes a season to use |
| Local growers | Freshest option in most counties | Ask what cultivars are in the blend | £3–£6 / m² | Cut that morning beats any brand shipped overnight |
| Rolawn | The biggest UK grower | Medallion, Minster Pro | £4–£7 / m² | Medallion is the general-purpose standard most installers price against |
Prices above are for the per m² (turf only) only — fitting is separate and is priced in the table further up this page. Brands are listed alphabetically, not ranked: BestBuilders does not sell or endorse any of them.
Turf, seed and getting the ground right
Laid turf gives you a lawn in a day at £12–18 a square metre; seed gives you one over a season at £3–6. The choice is really about time and traffic — turf if you need it usable soon or have children and a dog, seed if you can rope the area off until it takes. Either way, the money that decides whether it lasts is the ground preparation: the £80–200 that goes on before anything green appears, clearing the old surface, levelling and getting a base that drains. Turf laid straight onto compacted, unprepared soil yellows within weeks no matter how good the roll was.
So ask what preparation is included in the per-metre price, because that is where quotes quietly differ. Price your own area with the lawn turfing calculator, and once it is down the lawn care guide covers keeping it alive through its first summer.
Turfing cost — frequently asked questions
£12–£18 per m² supplied and laid on prepared ground. The turf itself is only £3–£6 of that - preparation and labour are the bulk of the bill.
Around £700–£1,100 including standard preparation. Stripping an old lawn first or importing topsoil adds £200–£500.
Much - £3–£6 per m² against £12–£18. The trade is time: seed wants 8–12 weeks before real use, and a dry spring can force a resow.
Early autumn is the sweet spot - warm soil, regular rain, weak weed pressure. In 2026 specifically, autumn also sidesteps the hosepipe restrictions that make summer establishment risky.
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Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team · Last updated: 4 September 2026 · Next scheduled review: December 2026 · See our editorial standards.