Artificial grass roll widths: 2m, 4m or 5m, and where to put a join

Artificial grass is made on looms of fixed width and sold by the linear metre cut from the roll. Get the width right and you pay for the lawn you have; get it wrong and you pay for a strip you throw away, or you add a join you did not need. This guide explains the 2m, 4m and 5m widths we cut from, which to pick for common garden shapes, and where a join should go when you cannot avoid one.

The short answer

Measure the shorter side of the lawn. If it is under 2m, order 2m width. If it is 2m to 4m, order 4m width. If it is 4m to 5m, order 5m. Anything wider needs two pieces and a join. The roll length is your longer side plus 10cm. Two measurements into the calculator and it picks the width that wastes least and prices it.

The three widths

• 2m wide. Side returns, paths, balconies, dog runs, strips between a patio and a fence. Cheapest per metre but the narrowest; a 2.2m wide space needs the 4m roll, not two 2m strips with a join down the middle of a path.
• 4m wide. The standard for most back gardens. Covers a lawn up to 4m across in one piece, and a 4m by 6m lawn is 24m² with no join.
• 5m wide. For lawns between 4m and 5m across. It costs more per metre than 4m width but avoids a 1m strip and a join, which is almost always the better deal once you count the joining tape and the labour.

Not every range is made in every width. The product page for each grass lists what is available; Dan 38mm and Rum 40mm, our two most popular, come in all three.

Worked examples

Lawn 3.6m by 7m. Shorter side 3.6m, so 4m width. Order 4m by 7.1m: 28.4m². The 0.4m offcut along one side is the cost of a one-piece lawn. In Dan 38mm at £8.99 that is £255.

Lawn 4.5m by 5m. Shorter side 4.5m, so 5m width. Order 5m by 5.1m: 25.5m². Using 4m width instead would mean a 4m piece plus a 0.5m strip, a 5m join to tape and peg, and about the same amount of grass. In Rum 40mm at £10 the 5m roll comes to £255 with no join.

Side return 1.4m by 9m. 2m width, 9.1m long: 18.2m². In Rocco 18mm at £7.49 that is £136. Lay it with the pile facing the house so it looks fullest from the kitchen window.

Lawn 6m by 8m. Wider than any roll, so two pieces. Two lengths of 4m by 6.1m laid side by side give 8m by 6.1m with one join along the 6m line. Alternatively a 5m piece and a 2m piece with the join off-centre; it hides better under a border or beside a path than down the middle of the lawn.

Where to put a join

Joins are made with joining tape and adhesive under the seam, pile brushed the same way on both pieces. They are invisible when done well and obvious when not. Rules:

1. Both pieces must have the pile running the same direction. Never turn one piece round to save an offcut.
2. Put the join where it is least walked on and least looked at: along a fence, beside a path, not across the line from the back door to the shed.
3. Run joins along the length of the lawn, not across it, so there is one seam rather than several.
4. A join at the edge of the roll uses the factory edge, which is straighter than anything you cut.

Pile direction and width

Artificial grass looks greener and fuller viewed against the pile, so decide which way it should lean before you decide which way the roll runs. In most gardens the pile faces the house. That fixes which side of the lawn is the "width", and sometimes it means choosing a 5m roll run one way rather than a 4m roll run the other. The measuring guide walks through it with diagrams.

Ordering

Every roll is cut to your length from the width you choose, so you pay for the piece, not the roll. Free delivery over £190, with you in 2 to 4 working days on a pallet or a courier depending on size. If the shape is awkward, send us the two measurements and a sketch and we will tell you what to order and where the join goes. Free samples of every range are there to check the colour first.