How long does it take to mow a lawn?
Enter the lawn and your mower. The times come from planning real mowing routes, every pass, turn and lap, then the trimming, not from a mower's rated acres per hour.
The grass you cut, not the lot. Not sure? Measure it free.
Mowing times by lawn size and mower
Scroll sideways for the bigger mowers.
| Lawn | 21" push | 36" walk-behind | 48" zero-turn | 60" zero-turn | 72" zero-turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500 sq ft | 14 min | 6 min | 4 min | 3 min | 3 min |
| 5,000 sq ft | 26 min | 10 min | 7 min | 5 min | 5 min |
| 7,500 sq ft | 38 min | 14 min | 9 min | 7 min | 6 min |
| 10,000 sq ft (0.23 acres) | 50 min | 18 min | 11 min | 9 min | 8 min |
| 15,000 sq ft (0.34 acres) | 1 hr 13 min | 25 min | 15 min | 12 min | 10 min |
| 20,000 sq ft (0.46 acres) | 1 hr 36 min | 32 min | 20 min | 15 min | 13 min |
| 30,000 sq ft (0.69 acres) | 2 hr 21 min | 46 min | 27 min | 21 min | 18 min |
| 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) | 3 hr 23 min | 1 hr 5 min | 37 min | 28 min | 24 min |
| 65,340 sq ft (1.5 acres) | 4 hr 59 min | 1 hr 39 min | 53 min | 40 min | 33 min |
| 87,120 sq ft (2 acres) | 6 hr 36 min | 2 hr 4 min | 1 hr 8 min | 51 min | 42 min |
| Lawn | 21" push | 36" walk-behind | 48" zero-turn | 60" zero-turn | 72" zero-turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500 sq ft | 17 min | 9 min | 7 min | 6 min | 6 min |
| 5,000 sq ft | 32 min | 14 min | 10 min | 10 min | 8 min |
| 7,500 sq ft | 44 min | 19 min | 13 min | 12 min | 10 min |
| 10,000 sq ft (0.23 acres) | 56 min | 24 min | 16 min | 13 min | 12 min |
| 15,000 sq ft (0.34 acres) | 1 hr 20 min | 31 min | 21 min | 17 min | 15 min |
| 20,000 sq ft (0.46 acres) | 1 hr 42 min | 38 min | 24 min | 20 min | 18 min |
| 30,000 sq ft (0.69 acres) | 2 hr 27 min | 52 min | 33 min | 26 min | 23 min |
| 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) | 3 hr 29 min | 1 hr 11 min | 42 min | 33 min | 30 min |
| 65,340 sq ft (1.5 acres) | 5 hr 7 min | 1 hr 42 min | 58 min | 46 min | 38 min |
| 87,120 sq ft (2 acres) | 6 hr 46 min | 2 hr 11 min | 1 hr 14 min | 59 min | 48 min |
| Lawn | 21" push | 36" walk-behind | 48" zero-turn | 60" zero-turn | 72" zero-turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500 sq ft | 19 min | 10 min | 8 min | 7 min | 8 min |
| 5,000 sq ft | 34 min | 16 min | 12 min | 11 min | 10 min |
| 7,500 sq ft | 47 min | 22 min | 16 min | 15 min | 14 min |
| 10,000 sq ft (0.23 acres) | 58 min | 27 min | 20 min | 16 min | 16 min |
| 15,000 sq ft (0.34 acres) | 1 hr 25 min | 39 min | 23 min | 20 min | 18 min |
| 20,000 sq ft (0.46 acres) | 1 hr 46 min | 47 min | 27 min | 24 min | 22 min |
| 30,000 sq ft (0.69 acres) | 2 hr 35 min | 57 min | 36 min | 30 min | 27 min |
| 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) | 3 hr 32 min | 1 hr 15 min | 48 min | 37 min | 33 min |
| 65,340 sq ft (1.5 acres) | 5 hr 10 min | 1 hr 46 min | 1 hr 5 min | 50 min | 42 min |
| 87,120 sq ft (2 acres) | 6 hr 50 min | 2 hr 14 min | 1 hr 17 min | 1 hr 2 min | 52 min |
How these times were worked out
Most mowing calculators divide the square footage by how many acres an hour a mower is rated for. That leaves out what actually makes a yard slow: the turn at the end of every pass, the lap round the edge, the house and beds the passes have to stop at, and the trimming after.
These come from the Mow Mapper route planner instead. It laid out every pass for yards of each kind at each size, with each mower, and timed the route: one lap of the boundary, the fill, every turn, and the trimming for one person. The calculator reads those planned times; it does not guess them.
Want the mower's side of it? The mowing efficiency calculator turns a deck width and speed into acres an hour, with the efficiency these routes measured.
What each mower was timed at
| Mower | Mowing speed | Each turn |
|---|---|---|
| 21" push | 1.7 mph | 3 s |
| 36" walk-behind | 3.4 mph | 3.5 s |
| 48" zero-turn | 5 mph | 4 s |
| 60" zero-turn | 5.8 mph | 4.5 s |
| 72" zero-turn | 6.3 mph | 5 s |
Real speeds vary with the grass, the ground and the operator. Treat the times as a fair starting point and adjust from what your own stopwatch says.
Questions
Anything else, see support or email support@mowmapper.com.
How long does it take to mow an acre?
About 42 min with a 48-inch zero-turn on a typical yard, trimming included, or 37 min on an open acre with nothing in the way. A 36-inch walk-behind takes about 1 hr 11 min, and a 21-inch push mower about 3 hr 29 min.
How long does it take to mow a quarter-acre lawn?
A typical quarter-acre yard (10,890 sq ft) takes about 17 min with a 48-inch zero-turn, 25 min with a 36-inch walk-behind, and 1 hr with a 21-inch push mower, including trimming.
How much of the time is trimming?
More than people expect on a small yard. On a typical quarter acre with a 48-inch zero-turn, trimming is about 6 min of the 17 min. The edge of a lawn does not shrink as fast as its area, so the smaller the yard, the bigger the share.
Does a bigger mower always save time?
Not on small, busy yards. On a 2,500 sq ft yard full of beds and trees, a 72-inch zero-turn takes about 8 min and a 60-inch about 7 min: the wide deck spends its speed turning round things. On open ground the bigger deck wins every time.
What is not included?
Driving between yards, unloading, blowing off the hard surfaces, and bagging. Steep slopes take longer than these flat yards too. The times are for one person mowing and then trimming.
Guides
- How long does it take to mow an acre?Real times to mow an acre with a push mower, a walk-behind and zero-turns, from planned mowing routes rather than acres-per-hour ratings, and what slows it down.
- How to price slopes, trees and obstaclesWhat a tree, a bed or a bank actually adds to a mow, measured on planned routes, and how to charge for them without guessing.
Time your own yards, not ours.
Mow Mapper plans the route for the actual yard, every bed and tree, and gives you the time and the price for the mower you run. $9.99 a month after a 7-day free trial.