The Lawn Price Floor Calculator

Calculate the floor

Use measured time whenever you have it. Square footage is a starting point, not a substitute for timing a complete visit.

Mowable lawn areaGrass only, not total lot size. Calibrated mowing rateSquare feet cut per hour with your mower. Detail and setup timeTrim, edge, blow, unload, load. Allocated route timeTravel from the prior stop or route average. Complexity multiplierOpen 1.0 / normal 1.2 / difficult 1.5. Target gross revenue per hourBefore labor, overhead, and tax. Minimum visit priceThe smallest stop worth scheduling. Round quote toUse clean customer-facing numbers.

Recommended price floor

$70

Mow time14.4 min

Total production time34.4 min

Rate at floor$122/hr

Planning tool only. Verify the property, route, costs, access, terrain, frequency, and local market before issuing a quote.

The formula

Mowing minutes = lawn area ÷ calibrated square feet per hour × 60 × complexity.

Total production minutes = mowing minutes + detail/setup minutes + allocated route minutes.

Price floor = the greater of your minimum visit price or total production hours × target gross revenue per hour.

A price per square foot is not one universal number.

Small properties carry more fixed time per square foot. A clean open commercial field can carry less fixed time but more equipment and contract risk. Use a production model first, then derive the per-square-foot figure for that property type.

Calibrate your mower

Measure or estimate the actual turf area.
Start the clock when the blade starts. Stop when mowing is complete.
Record mower width, grass condition, slope, obstacles, and whether you bagged.
Calculate square feet per hour: area ÷ mowing minutes × 60.
Repeat on three normal lawns and use the median rate.

Benchmark	Measured pace	3,768 sq ft mow-only time
30-inch example	23,625 sq ft/hr	9.6 minutes
21-inch example	18,852 sq ft/hr	12.0 minutes

The benchmark video measures mowing only. Your quote must include every minute required to service and travel between accounts.

Use the result

If the calculated floor is above what the route can support, improve density or equipment before cutting the price.
If the customer values more than the base service, quote the added work separately.
If the lawn is steep, wet, gated, heavily obstructed, or overgrown, verify it in person.
If a commercial property is open and repeatable, measure it with the equipment that will actually service the contract.

Your next calibration

Time your own 3,768-square-foot yard today. Record mow-only time and complete visit time. Those two numbers will be more useful than the mower's advertised walking speed.