Lawnmowers - Choosing the optimal cutting width for your lawn

When it comes to cutting width, there’s a wealth of choice in the marketplace, so what’s the difference and does it really matter? Read on to find out more.

Cutting width determines how wide the cutting path is when mowing the lawn. It is influenced by the diameter of the blade as opposed to the actual width of the lawnmower itself.

Typically, the wider the cutting width, the fewer the passes needed to mow the lawn. But this increase in size often makes the mower larger and heavier to move around.

With various cutting widths on offer, starting from 30cm and going up to 46cm+, what is the optimal cutting width for your lawn?

One of the simplest approaches to choosing the cutting width is based on the size of your lawn.

How to measure the area of your lawn

Square or rectangular lawns:

If you have a square or rectangular garden, calculating the area of the lawn is easy.

Simply measure the length and width of the lawn in metres (m), then multiply the two numbers together, giving you the surface area in metres squared (m²).

Circular lawns:

For circular lawns, measure the radius (from the centre point to the edge) multiply it by itself and then by 3.14.

Triangular lawns:

For a triangular lawn, multiply the height by the width and divide the result by 2.

Pro tip: If you have a more complex lawn shape, it’s easier to split the lawn into smaller areas of regular shapes, for example an L shaped lawn can be split into two rectangles.

Classifying your lawn by size

Whilst there’s no universal classification system to determine the size of a lawn based on its surface area, we typically base it on:

• Small Lawns – Up to 100m²
• Medium Lawns – Between 101m² and 300m²
• Large Lawns – Over 301m²

To put this in perspective, a standard tennis court is c. 261m² so would be classed as a medium sized lawn.

Choosing the optimal cutting width for your garden size

Once you have classified your lawn by size you can choose the most appropriate cutting width for your lawn. Striking a balance between efficiency and useability, this is what we’d recommend:

• Small Lawns – up to 34cm cutting width
• Medium Lawns – 35-40cm cutting width
• Large Lawns – 40cm+ cutting width

Remember, cutting width is just one part of choosing the right lawnmower. Here at LawnMaster® we have a mower for every size and shape of lawn. Contact our friendly customer services team if you need any help to choose your next lawnmower.