Paver Edging Calculator

To determine how much paver edging you need: (1) Measure the total outside perimeter of your project. (2) Subtract any sides that abut a solid, immobile boundary (such as a poured concrete house foundation, concrete driveway, or retaining wall). (3) Add a user-selected cutting and ordering allowance (typically 5% to 10%) to account for corner trims and offcuts. (4) Divide the planning length by the manufactured piece length (commonly 8.0 ft for rigid strips) or roll length (e.g. 20 ft or 50 ft) and round up (ceil) to whole units.

No. Only unconfined (open) pavement boundaries exposed to soil, turf, or garden beds require manufactured edge restraint. Edges that abut a permanent rigid structure—such as an existing poured foundation wall, an existing concrete curb, or a concrete slab—are already laterally retained and do not normally require plastic or metal edging on that specific side.

For a rectangle of Length L and Width W, total geometric perimeter equals 2 × (L + W). If all 4 sides are unconfined in an open yard, your net restraint equals the full perimeter. If one length side sits against your house foundation, your required manufactured restraint equals L + 2W. For example, a 20 × 12 ft patio against a house requires 20 + 12 + 12 = 44 linear feet of edging rather than the full 64 feet.

For a full circle of diameter D, the perimeter equals circumference C = π × D (or 2πr). For a 14-ft diameter circular patio, circumference is approximately 43.98 linear feet. For partial arcs (e.g. a curved garden corner), calculate arc length as (θ / 360) × π × D, where θ is the central angle in degrees (e.g. 180° for a semi-circle equals 21.99 ft).

To calculate 8-foot rigid edging pieces: Take your selected restrained edge footage, multiply by (1 + Order Allowance), divide by 8.0, and round up to the nearest whole piece: Purchase Pieces = ceil((Restrained Length × (1 + Allowance)) / 8). For example, a 44-ft net run with a 5% allowance requires ceil(46.2 / 8) = ceil(5.775) = 6 pieces (yielding 48 linear feet).

Spike quantity depends on manufacturer system instructions and project curvature. For a continuous run of length L (in inches) and fastener spacing S (in inches), the spacing-based estimate equals ceil(L / S). At a typical 12-inch spacing, a 44-foot (528-inch) run requires approximately 44 spikes. Adding corners, run start/end anchors, and an ordering buffer may increase the count.

Always consult the manufacturer's technical instructions for your specific edging product. Common contractor planning baselines are: 12" to 18" for straight pedestrian walkways and patios, and 8" to 12" (or every anchor hole) along curved edges, vehicular driveways, and high-traffic corners.

Yes. Poured concrete foundations and structural masonry walls serve as permanent, immobile rigid boundaries that resist lateral paver thrust. When laying pavers against a building, ensure the compacted aggregate base extends fully to the foundation wall and bedding sand is screeded flush to the wall.

For simple straight rectangular perimeters, a 5% ordering allowance is typical. For projects with multiple diagonal corners, serpentine curves, or complex multi-section footprints, hardscape contractors often select 10% to 15% allowance to accommodate corner mitering and non-reusable offcuts.

No. This calculator estimates edge restraint linear footage, discrete manufactured pieces/rolls, and optional anchoring spikes. The horizontal base extension (the crushed stone footprint extending beyond the paver perimeter so spikes drive into solid compacted aggregate) is an excavation and sub-base structural design parameter calculated separately in the Paver Base Calculator.