Lawn Mowing Calculator

Estimate how long it will take to mow a lawn given a mower size, speed, and lawn size. Find how many acres per hour you can mow.

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Mowing Pace:

 
Total time
 
Acres per hour
Accounts for some overlap and assumes a flat lawn with no obstacles
Learn how we calculated this below

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How to Estimate the Time to Mow a Lawn

zero-turn riding lawn mower cutting the grass on a large lawn

The time it takes to mow a lawn is determined by several factors including the size of the lawn, size of the mower, speed the mower is moving, and lawn conditions such as hills or obstacles.

Size of the Lawn

The property size greatly impacts how long it takes to mow. Larger lawns require more mowing time for obvious reasons. Find how large your lawn is in acres to help find how long it will take to cut.

Size of the Mower

The size of the mower deck impacts how long it will take to mow a lawn. A larger deck will allow the mower to cut a larger swath of grass in a single pass, allowing it to complete a lawn in a less time. Larger mowers have longer blades which require a larger engine and are typically more expensive.

How Fast Can You Mow

Some lawn mowers are designed to cut at a faster pace than others. The size of the engine greatly influences how fast it can move and how fast the blades can spin. It is important to have sharp blades and not push your mower by going too fast to get an even cut and avoid damage to the lawn.

Average Lawn Mower Speeds

The average speeds of common lawn mowers
Mower Type Speed
Push Mower 3 MPH
Lawn Tractor 3-5 MPH
Residential Zero-Turn 5-8 MPH
Commercial Zero-Turn 7-13 MPH

Lawn Conditions

The conditions of the lawn greatly impact how long it takes to mow. A yard with many curves, trees, hills, walls, and other obstacles will take much longer to mow than a square yard with no obstacles. It will be difficult to predict exactly how long these obstacles will slow mowing time, but keep in mind that the more there are the longer it will take.

Muddy or overgrown patches of lawn can also take longer to mow or work around. Use our grass seed calculator to estimate how much seed is required to fill in these areas with grass or our sod calculator to estimate sod needed.

Average Lawn Mowing Time

How long will it take to mow a 1 acre lawn with common lawn mower sizes
Mower Type Time per Acre
22 inch push mower 1 hour 39 minutes
30 inch push mower 1 hour 13 minutes
38 inch lawn tractor 34-57 minutes
42 inch lawn tractor 31-52 minutes
42 inch zero turn 19-26 minutes
46 inch lawn tractor 28-47 minutes
46 inch zero turn 17-23 minutes
54 inch lawn tractor 24-40 minutes
54 inch zero turn 15-20 minutes
66 inch zero turn 10-12 minutes
72 inch zero turn 9-11 minutes

Average Lawn Mowing Pace

Approximate pace of common lawn mower sizes
Mower Type Pace
22 inch push mower .6 acres per hour
30 inch push mower .75 acres per hour
38 inch lawn tractor 1-1.75 acres per hour
42 inch lawn tractor 1-1.9 acres per hour
42 inch zero turn 2.3-3.1 acres per hour
46 inch lawn tractor 1.2-2.1 acres per hour
46 inch zero turn 2.5-3.4 acres per hour
54 inch lawn tractor 1.5-2.5 acres per hour
54 inch zero turn 3-4 acres per hour
66 inch zero turn 4.5-6 acres per hour
72 inch zero turn 5.2-6.6 acres per hour