`"Bales Needed" = "A" / (300 ft^2"/ bale")`

Enter a value for all fields

The Bales of Straw Needed to Cover Area calculators computes the number of regular square-bales of straw needed to cover an area such as a field or garden.  The common bales are 2 string square bales of 14"x18"x"36" inches weighing between 40lbs and 60 lbs.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (A) Area Covered

Bales of Straw (BN) : The calculator computes the number of bales of straw needed to cover the area for seed growth, and the approximate cost based on the most recent pricing survey for straw (see below).    Pasture covered in oat straw for new grass.                     The End Result

How to measure the acres of an field:

1. Find the field on Google maps.
2. Switch to Satellite View
3. Right click to "Measure Distance"
4. Left click out the perimeter of the field.
5. Toggle the input field for Area (A) in this calculator to square meters
6. Calculate the bale of straw for the area

Cost of Straw

vCalc does a regular survey on commodity prices including agriculture products.  Here is the most recent market price for straw:

• Date: 7/17/24
• State: PA
• Region: New Holland
• Cost of 2 string (40lb to 60lb) bale of Straw: $3.69 USD

For a video on how to use this calculator, CLICK HERE.

Considerations

When planting grass, it is often recommended to cover the seed with straw to protect the seed and encourage the growth of the grass and retention of moisture.  This answers the question, "How much straw do I need to cover grass seed?"

• This formula uses 300 ft² as the average area covered by one bale of straw or hay.  The number of square feet covered was computed in a larger application of 20 bales and averaged out.
• This formula mentions hay.  However, straw is better than hay for ground coverage that is trying to encourage undergrowth in applications such as new grass seed.  Straw is often a little cheaper than hay.  For those who don't know the difference, straw is the remains (stalks) after the grain has been harvested (e.g. wheat and oat straw). Hay is grass that is allowed to grow high and cut before it goes to seed.  Hay has significant forage value (nutritional value) for animals like cows and horses where straw typically does not. 
• Coverage for planted grass seed is different than coverage as mulch for weed suppression.  If you are using straw as mulch (e.g. in a vegetable garden) you will need to make it deeper than covering grass seed.  This should make sense.  We want the grass to come up and grow in this application, but we want to stifle weeds when mulching.  To compute how much straw is needed for mulching, CLICK HERE.
• Square bales are actually rectangular, roughly in the shape of a right parallelepiped (box). This formula returns the number of square bales of straw needed.  Straw is typically not processed into the large round bales.  That treatment is typically reserved for hay.

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• Straw Cover Area Calculator: Computes the number of regular square-bales of straw needed to cover an area such as a field or garden for new grass seed.  The common bales are 2 string square bales of 14"x18"x"36" inches weighing between 40lbs and 60 lbs.
  • Bales of Straw over Rectangle: compute the number of regular square-bales of straw needed to cover new seed on a rectangle area (length by width).  .  
  • Market Price for Bales of Straw: Returns recent market survey on the price of straw bales.