How To Calculate the Edge Pieces in a 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Robotime has recently introduced a range of 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles that look like works of art when solved. However, have you ever wondered how many edge pieces are in a 1000-piece puzzle? This article will tell you how to work out the number of side pieces and why you would want to know.

Why Edge Pieces Matter?

• Edge pieces form the picture of the whole frame.
• Knowing the number helps you organize your puzzle strategy.
• Edge pieces reduce the estimated time to solve.
• It also clears up the sorting confusion.

A Brief History of Jigsaws and Edge Pieces

Jigsaw puzzles were invented in 1767 by John Spilsbury,  a cartographer and engraver. He attached maps of the world to pieces of wood and then cut out each country. They were called ‘dissected maps’ and were intended to be used in schools.

In the late 1800s, cardboard jigsaw puzzles were introduced and were die-cut. However, puzzles didn’t take off until the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s, when people needed something inexpensive to do during times of hardship. Using hydraulic presses, jigsaw puzzles were now mass-produced. 

These days,  jigsaw puzzles are big business and a popular hobby for many people. In 2023, the jigsaw puzzle market was worth USD 897.43 million.

So let’s take a look at edge pieces. Nowadays, unless you buy a circular puzzle, jigsaw puzzles have edge pieces with straight lines, which help you solve the puzzle more quickly.

However, it wasn’t always so easy. Throughout history, puzzle makers have had innovative ideas that made the puzzles more difficult to solve. For example, they cut straight lines in the inner pieces of some puzzles, while in others, the lines of the puzzle followed the image lines. Either way, they were difficult to solve. 

Edge Pieces Vs Corner Pieces

Are corner pieces edge pieces? The jury is out on this one, as some sources say they are, others disagree. You have to decide which you agree with, as it will affect the total number of edge pieces. We will look at the different options later. 

There are four corner pieces in a rectangular or square puzzle, one for each corner. They are easy to find as they have two straight sides, while the edge pieces have just one straight side.  

How Many Edge Pieces in a 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle?

1000-Piece Rectangular Puzzles

Rectangular jigsaw puzzles are most commonly produced. However, they are more complex as they do not have the same number of end pieces. Because of the shape, the two lengths have the same number, while the two widths have the same number.

When designing the rectangular jigsaw puzzle, a standard design is often used, though not always. The standard design is called the ‘golden section’, with a ratio of 1:1.6. This means, for instance, if there are 10 units in the width, there should be 16 units in the length.

So, for a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, the length would be 40 units and the width 25 units.

Now, moving to the formula. There are two ways to calculate the edge pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Method 1: General Formula =  (2 x L - 2) + (2 x W - 2).

Where:

• L = number of pieces along the length
• W = number of pieces along the width

For a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, it would be:

(2 x 40 - 2) + (2 x 25 - 2) = 126

Therefore, there are around 126 edge pieces in a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Method 2: Considering that the corner pieces are not edge pieces, and just counting the pieces in between them.

Formular: (L - 2) + (L - 2) + (W - 2) + (W - 2)

(40 – 2) + (40 – 2) + (25 – 2) + (25 - 2) = 38 + 38 + 23 + 23 = 122 pieces

However, it is believed that the first method is mostly correct, and there are 126 edge pieces in a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

1000-Piece Square Puzzles

Square puzzles aren’t common, but they’re worth considering. The formula is the same:

(2 x L - 2) + (2 x W - 2).

Square puzzles have all sides equal, so you only need to multiply twice. If the length has 30 units, the width will still be 30. If the length is 31, the width will also be 31, and so on.

Because of the equal sides, it is not possible to get a true calculation for a 1000-piece puzzle. For 1024-piece, (2 x 32 - 2) + (2 x 32 - 2) = 124 edge pieces.

Other Jigsaw Puzzle Sizes

Following the first method, we can use the formula to calculate for other puzzle sizes.

Summary

This blog post has explained how to calculate the edge pieces in a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Rectangular pieces have 126 edge pieces, while square pieces have approximately 124 edge pieces.

READMORE:

How to Move and Preserve a Jigsaw Puzzle

How to Solve a 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle Step by Step Guide

Updated on Aug 25, 2025