Materials & Quantities

Lawn Edging Calculator

Coils or straight lengths of lawn and bed edging for a measured edge, straight or curved, open or a closed bed, with the joints and the stakes along it.

  • Answers as you type
  • Every formula cited
  • Calculated in your browser
SettingsSettings for this calculationUS
Market
Imperial · sales tax
The length of the edge you are lining, measured along it — curves included.

Lay a hose or a string along the line the edging will follow, then straighten it out and measure it, or walk a measuring wheel round it. Measuring the bed's length and width and adding them up under-counts a curved edge, because a curve is longer than the chord across it.

Whether the edge has two ends or closes on itself.

A closed loop has one more joint than an open run of the same pieces, where the last piece meets the first, and one fewer stake, because there is no second end to hold.

How the edging is sold. It changes what the answer counts, not the arithmetic.

Coiled plastic or rubber edging is joined end to end with a connector; straight metal or rigid lengths usually lap or pin into each other. Type the size in the next field and the overlap, if the system has one, in the one after.

The length of one coil or one straight piece, as printed on the pack.

Read it off the pack rather than assuming it: edging is sold in many sizes, from lengths of about 1 m (3 ft) to coils of 20 m (66 ft) or more. The default is a 20 ft (6.1 m) coil.

How much of each piece is lost where it laps the next one. Zero where the ends butt into a connector.

Coils joined with a connector sleeve butt end to end and lose nothing. Straight lengths that slot or lap into each other lose the overlap the maker's instructions give, at every joint, and that length is edging you buy but do not see.

The largest gap between stakes the edging's instructions allow.

Use the spacing on the pack, and close it up on tight curves and soft ground, where the edging wants to lift. The stakes are shared out evenly along the edge at or below this spacing.

Edging to buy

4 coils

High confidence
Coil size
20 ft
Edging bought
80 ft
Connectors, one per joint
3
Left over after the last cut
14 ft
Stakes
23
Stake centres, as set out
3 ft
Then change the inputs to see how far the answer moves.

Show calculation logic

How this was calculated

Formula source(s)

  • Open run: pieces = (edge length - overlap) / (piece length - overlap), rounded up; closed loop: pieces = edge length / (piece length - overlap), rounded up. Joints = pieces - 1 open, pieces closed. Stakes = edge length / stake spacing, rounded up, plus one on an open run.

Inputs used

Edge Length
66 ft
Edge Shape
Open run (two ends)
Edging Type
Coil (flexible, sold rolled)
Coil or Length Size
20 ft
Overlap at Each Joint
0 in
Stake Spacing
3 ft

Intermediate steps

Coil size
20 ft
Edging bought
80 ft
Connectors, one per joint
3
Left over after the last cut
14 ft
Stakes
23
Stake centres, as set out
3 ft
Final result4 coils

What this calculation does not cover

  • The edge length is taken as measured and nothing is added to it. An edging that turns down into a path, wraps a corner post or tucks under a step uses more than the line on the ground, and a curve measured by pacing or across its chord is shorter than the edging that follows it.
  • Stakes are spaced evenly along the whole edge and nothing extra is added at the joints. Where the instructions ask for a stake at every joint or either side of it, add the joint count, and close the spacing on tight curves and soft ground, which this page leaves to the figure you type.
  • Every piece is taken as the same size and as usable to its very end. Offcuts are not carried from one bed to the next, so two beds worked separately can each leave a remainder that a single order would have used up, and a damaged or kinked coil end is not allowed for.
  • This counts edging, connectors and stakes, not the digging. The trench depth, the edging's height above the lawn, any mowing strip laid beside it and the backfill are outside the count, and so is whether a light plastic edging is the right restraint at all where a path or a driveway runs next to it.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

3 ft66 ft23 at 3 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.

Part of a bigger job

This trade is one line of a job takeoff. Run the whole job and every other trade comes back with it, off the same measurements.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.

Sources checked 2026-09-26 · v1.0.0

Regulatory standards & verification citations1
  1. Open run: pieces = (edge length - overlap) / (piece length - overlap), rounded up; closed loop: pieces = edge length / (piece length - overlap), rounded up. Joints = pieces - 1 open, pieces closed. Stakes = edge length / stake spacing, rounded up, plus one on an open run.
Cite this page

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

How to calculate lawn edging in 7 steps

  1. Edge LengthThe length of the edge you are lining, measured along it — curves included.
  2. Edge ShapeWhether the edge has two ends or closes on itself.
  3. Edging TypeHow the edging is sold. It changes what the answer counts, not the arithmetic.
  4. Coil or Length SizeThe length of one coil or one straight piece, as printed on the pack.
  5. Overlap at Each JointHow much of each piece is lost where it laps the next one. Zero where the ends butt into a connector.
  6. Stake SpacingThe largest gap between stakes the edging's instructions allow.
  7. Edging to buyThe tool computes the edging to buy from those figures and shows the formula, its sources, and a confidence rating alongside it.

Edging to buy by edge length

Page defaults, not your figures above.

Edge LengthEdging to buy (coils)
40 ft2
60 ft3
80 ft4
100 ft5
120 ft6

Frequently asked questions

How do I measure a curved bed edge?
Along the curve, not across it. Lay a garden hose or a string on the line the edging will follow, mark where it starts and stops, then pull it straight and measure it — or push a measuring wheel round the edge. Adding up a bed's length and width gives the rectangle round it, which is shorter than a winding edge on one side and longer than a round bed on the other.
Why does a closed bed need one more joint than the same edge left open?
Because the last piece has to meet the first. An open run of four pieces has three joints between them and two free ends; close it into a ring and the two ends become a fourth joint. The stakes go the other way: an open run needs one at each end, so it takes one more stake than a loop of the same length.
Do I need to allow for overlaps?
Only if the system laps. Coils joined with a connector sleeve butt end to end and lose nothing, so leave the overlap at zero. Straight lengths that slot or lap into each other lose that length at every joint, which on short pieces adds up quickly: three 6 m (20 ft) lengths lapped 300 mm (12 in) cover 17.4 m (57 ft) rather than 18 m (59 ft).
Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — a confirmed fix gets a permanent check of its own, so the same mistake cannot come back.