Check the footprint and cutting budget
The circular footprint is cut from its diameter square. Corner cutoffs are not reused, and seam pins use the square’s full seam lengths. The finished perimeter is 50.27 feet. The cut budget reserves 336 square feet, including 48 square feet in overlapping layers and 86.94 square feet trimmed from the footprint. The purchased 3 rolls provide 450 square feet; 114 square feet remain as uncut stock.
Read each panel's cuts before buying
Panel 1 runs 16 feet along the strips and 16 feet across them, using the lengthwise direction. The 7 strips cover 18 feet after side overlaps. Each strip uses 1 piece(s): 0 full-length pieces plus a 16-foot tail. One roll supplies 3 complete tails; the panel requires 0 full-piece rolls plus 3 tail-piece rolls. Total full-width cut length is 112 feet. Panels do not share remnants.
What changes with a wider overlap?
Changing this exact footprint to twelve-inch overlap produces 3 rolls and 384 square feet of cut fabric, including 112 square feet in overlap. Its trimming allowance becomes 70.94 square feet. A changed overlap may alter the preferred direction; the program recomputes both rectangular choices.
What changes with closer pins or a fixed direction?
At twelve-inch spacing instead of twenty-four inches, this six-inch-overlap layout reserves 153 pins: 51 around the outside and 102 on seams. With the original spacing and overlap but a forced lengthwise direction, it requires 3 rolls, 336 square feet of cut fabric, and 80 pins. These alternatives keep the same ground dimensions; they change the layout or fastening budget.
Before using this estimate on site
Confirm the actual package dimensions and include any border extensions. Pin counts treat each open seam's endpoints independently, and do not add anchors for plant holes or interior field positions. The roll-size table compares complete cutting plans rather than dividing ground area by package area. Automatic direction checks two directions per panel and does not search every possible patchwork arrangement. Any reduction through offcut reuse requires a separate drawn cut list.
Read the full formulas, assumptions, common mistakes, and FAQs.
Other worked footprints
- 8-ft diameter circle3 × 50 ft rolls · 1 rolls · 23 pins
- 8-ft diameter circle4 × 100 ft rolls · 1 rolls · 23 pins
- 8-ft diameter circle6 × 100 ft rolls · 1 rolls · 18 pins
- 16-ft diameter circle4 × 100 ft rolls · 1 rolls · 62 pins
- 16-ft diameter circle6 × 100 ft rolls · 1 rolls · 44 pins
- 24-ft diameter circle3 × 50 ft rolls · 5 rolls · 155 pins