If you are thinking of using landscaping blocks in your next project, you'll need to know how to calculate the number of blocks you'll need, both for estimating the cost of your project and for ordering.
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Get the measurements from your plans, or directly measure the area on which you are planning to use the landscaping blocks.
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Multiply the length of the area you will be covering by the width to get the square footage, in units of feet. We will call this value "A." For example, a 10 foot by 10 foot area equals 100 square feet: A = 10 x 10 = 100 square feet
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Convert the size of the landscaping blocks you will be using to square feet. Do this by multiplying the length of the block by the width, in units of inches, and then dividing by 144. We will call this value "B." For example, for a 4 inch by 8 inch block, we obtain the square footage of the block like this: B = (4 x 8) / 144 = .222 square feet
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Divide the value for "A" by the value for "B" to get the number of blocks needed for the project. We will call this value "#." In this example, our calculation looks like this: # = A / B = 100 / .222 = 450.45 blocks If you are planning on using more than one level of blocks, simply multiply the number of blocks needed by the number of levels.
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Add another 1 1/2 blocks for every linear foot of edge around the planned area to account for cutting. Add this number to the value "#" calculated above, and you have calculated the number of landscaping blocks you will need.