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Conversion Chart
Basic Formulas
The formulas provided are approximate and Burke Landscape Supply can not be held responsible for any miscalculationsSquare Footage of a Circle
Radius x Radius x 3.14 = Area- Example: Radius = 10 ft
- 10 X 10 = 100 X 3.14 = 314 Square Ft.
Square Footage of Rectangular Shapes
These shapes are defined by the opposite sides being straight, parallel, and of equal length. The area of all 3 shapes is found by multiplying the length (L) times the width (W).
Square Footage of a Triangle
Consider the longest side of the triangle the base.
Measure a perpendicular line from the opposite angle to the base to determine the triangle's height.
Multiply the base by the height, and divide that number in half to determine the area.
Square Footage of an Oval
The area of an oval is found by multiplying the width (W) times the length (L), then multiplying the result by 0.8Square Footage of a Trapezoid
The area of a trapezoid is found by first finding the average length of the parallel sides (A + B) / 2, then multiplying the result times the height (h).
Compound Simple Shapes
Many landscape areas can be sub-divided into multiple, simple shapes. In these cases, use the formulas for the simple shapes and add the results for the total square footage. See the appropriate formula in other sections of this article
Odd Shapes
The method used for irregular shaped areas is called the "offset method". First measure the length of the longest axis of the area (line AB). This is called the length line. Next, divide the length line into equal sections, for example 10 ft. At each of these points, measure the distance across the area in a line perpendicular to the length line at each point (lines C through G). These lines are called offset lines. Finally, add the lengths of all offset lines and multiply the result times the distance that separates these lines (10 ft. in this example).
- Length line (AB) = 60 ft., distance between offset lines is 10 ft apart
- Length of each offset line:
- C = 15ft, D = 10ft, E = 15ft, F = 25ft, G = 20ft
- Total length of offset lines = C(15) + D(10) + E(15) + F(25) + G(20) = 85 ft
- Area = Distance between offset lines(10ft) x sum of the length of the offset lines(85ft) = 850 Square Feet