Skip to Content

Log in / Sign up

wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow

How to Figure Cost Per Square Inch of Pizza

Download Article

Co-authored by Kevin Wang

Last Updated: September 17, 2024 Fact Checked

Download Article

When deciding where to order a pizza, you likely want to consider value. One way to consider the value of a pizza is to determine how much the pizza costs per square inch. In order to find this cost, you need to determine the area of the pizza, which can be found by using basic formulas. As long as you know the price and dimensions of the pizzas, you can find out which restaurant offers the best value.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Finding the Per Inch Cost of a Round Pizza

Download Article

{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/26\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/26\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

The formula is $A=\pi (r^{{2}})$ where $r$ equals the length of the circle’s radius. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c8\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c8\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

2
Divide the size of the pizza in half. Pizza sizes are measured by their diameter. To find the length of the radius, you have to divide the diameter in half. ^{[2]
X
Research source}
- For example, if you are ordering a 20 inch pizza, calculate $20\div 2=10$ . So the radius of the pizza is 10 inches.
Advertisement
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

3
Plug the length of the radius into the formula. Remember to substitute for the variable $r$ .
- For example, if the radius is 10 inches, your formula will look like this: $A=\pi (10^{{2}})$ .
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ef\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-4-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ef\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-4-Version-2.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-4-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

4
Square the length of the radius. To square a number, multiply it by itself.
- For example, if the radius is 10 inches, you would calculate $10\times 10=100$ , so your formula will now look like this: $A=\pi (100)$ .
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b8\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b8\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

5
Multiply by $\pi$ . You can use a calculator, or use 3.14 for $\pi$ . The result will give you the area, in square inches, of your pizza. ^{[3]
X
Research source}
- For example:
  $A=\pi (100)$
  $A=3.14(100)$
  $A=314$
  So, the area of a 20-inch round pizza is 314 square inches.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/25\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/25\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-6.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

6
Divide the price of the pizza by the number of square inches. This will give you the cost per square inch of the pizza. ^{[4]
X
Research source}
- For example, if a pizza costs $32 and has an area of 314 square inches, you would calculate $32\div 314=.101$ . So, the cost per square inch of pizza is about .10, or 10 cents.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/15\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/15\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-7.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

When comparing value, the best value is the pizza with the lowest cost per square inch. This is only true, however, when comparing pizzas with the same toppings. A cheese pizza is likely to be cheaper per square inch than a pizza with several toppings, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best value. ^{[5]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Finding the Per Inch Cost of a Rectangular Pizza

Download Article

{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-8.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

The formula is $A=l\times w$ where $l$ equals the length of the rectangle, and $w$ equals the width of the rectangle. ^{[6]
X
Research source}
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/98\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/98\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-9.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

2
Find out the length and width of the pizza. Usually menus will only give you one measurement. You will have to contact the restaurant and ask if they will provide you with the length and width of the pizza. If it is a square pizza, the length and width will be the same.
- For example, you might want to find the value of a square 16-inch pizza. Both the length and the width will be 16 inches.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/06\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/06\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-10.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

3
Plug the length and width of the pizza into the formula. Due to the commutative property of multiplication, It doesn’t matter which dimension you use for the length and which you use for the width.
- For example, for a square 16-inch pizza, your formula will look like this: $A=16\times 16$ .
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/28\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/28\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-11.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

4
Multiply the length and the width of the pizza. This will give you the area of the pizza in square inches.
- For example:
  $A=16\times 16$
  $A=256$
  So, the area of a square 16-inch pizza is 256 square inches.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a6\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-12.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-12.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a6\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-12.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-12.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

5
Divide the price of the pizza by the number of square inches. This will give you the cost per square inch of the pizza.
- For example, if a pizza costs $32 and has an area of 256 square inches, you would calculate $32\div 256=.125$ . So, the cost per square inch of pizza is about .13, or 13 cents.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-13.jpg\/v4-460px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-13.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-13.jpg\/aid145595-v4-728px-Figure-Cost-Per-Square-Inch-of-Pizza-Step-13.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>\n<\/p><p><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

The pizza with the lowest cost per square inch will have the best value. However, you should only compare similar types of pizzas when looking for the best value (for example, two veggie pizzas). A pizza with fewer toppings will cost less per square inch than a pizza with several toppings, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best value.

Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Advertisement

Tips

In general, the larger the pizza, the better the value. ^{[7]
X
Research source}

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Advertisement

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about math, check out our in-depth interview with Kevin Wang .

References

About This Article

Co-authored by:

Math Tutor

This article was co-authored by Kevin Wang . Kevin Wang is a Math Tutor based in New York, New York. Kevin has been tutoring math for over 10 years, and specializes in K-12 math topics and standardized tests, such as SAT and ACT. Kevin has an economics background and a career in both finance and marketing analytics. His interest in tutoring goes back even longer than his career. He discovered tutoring at the start of his university career and enjoys it as a way to stay sharp with fundamental skills and remain up to date with trends in our education system. Kevin received a BS in Economics from Duke University. This article has been viewed 112,974 times.

55 votes - 66%

Co-authors: 14

Updated: September 17, 2024

Views: 112,974

Categories: Mathematics | Pizza

In other languages

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 112,974 times.

Reader Success Stories

Mayah Page

Dec 20, 2017

"I didn't know how to find the cost per square inch of a pizza, but now I do. Thank you!"

More reader stories Hide reader stories

Share your story

Did this article help you?

Advertisement

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

X

-

-

471

.mwimg a.image{display:none}#header_logo{display:none}#cse-search-box{display:none}#cse-search-box-noscript{display:block !important}#cse-search-box-noscript .cse_q{color:#FFF;background-color:#B3CE9C}.wh_search .cse_q{width:88%}#mw-mf-main-menu-button{display:none;visibility:hidden}.header .search{display:none}#search_footer .cse_sa{background-image:url(/extensions/wikihow/mobile/images/white_mag.png);background-size:22px}.related_box{display:block;background:#EEE;border:5px solid #FFF;vertical-align:bottom;width:127px;background-size:180px;float:left;height:120px;position:relative}.related_box p{line-height:15px !important;font-size:13px;background-color:rgba(67,95,44,.4);color:#FFF;font-weight:bold;padding:8px;margin:0 !important;position:absolute;bottom:0}#noscript_header_logo{display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;background-position:50% 77%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(/extensions/wikihow/mobile/images/wikihow_logo_230.png);background-size:105px;width:auto;height:51px;padding:0 14px}.articleinfo{display:none}#iorg_free_data{z-index:50;width:100%;position:fixed}#ara_recommendations{display:none}

Design a Mobile Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: