Hobbies · Jigsaw puzzles
Jigsaw puzzle time calculator.
Enter the piece count and who is puzzling, and the calculator returns the median time from logged solves, plus the range the middle half of solo solvers fall in. Example: a 1000-piece puzzle has a solo median of 3 hours 15 minutes, with the middle 50% of solves between 2 hours 25 minutes and 4 hours 29 minutes. Two people take a median 1 hour 46 minutes and three or more 1 hour 4 minutes.
Your numbers
Result
Working out the result.
How the time is calculated
The figures come from MySpeedPuzzling's guide “Puzzle solve times by piece count”, updated 26 October 2026, built from times people logged on that site. It reports medians, not averages: “the time half of all solves beat.” A size is listed once it has 300 recorded solo solves. Times come from the site's stopwatch, which pauses during breaks, or from manual entry. Solves flagged as implausible, faster than 0.6 seconds per piece, or timed from the unopened box are excluded. A pair is two people and a team is three or more; a dash in the source means fewer than 100 recorded group solves.
For a size the source does not list, such as 750 pieces, this page interpolates in a straight line on log-log axes between the two nearest published sizes. That is our method, not a published figure, and it is flagged in the result.
Worked examples with real numbers
- 500 pieces, one person. Median 1 hour 4 minutes; the middle 50% of solves took 52 minutes to 1 hour 23 minutes, across 361,009 logged solo solves.
- 1000 pieces, one person. Median 3 hours 15 minutes, middle 50% from 2 hours 25 minutes to 4 hours 29 minutes (19,674 solves). At two hours a sitting that is two sessions.
- 1000 pieces in a pair. Median 1 hour 46 minutes, which is 54% of the solo median, not half and not far from it.
- 2000 pieces, one person. Median 10 hours 48 minutes, middle 50% from 8 hours 5 minutes to 14 hours 36 minutes (376 solves), about 19.5 seconds per piece against 5.3 seconds per piece at 100 pieces.
Median solve times by piece count
| Pieces | One person | Middle 50% of solo solves | Pair | Three or more | Solo solves logged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 8 min 48 s | 7 min to 11 min 18 s | 6 min 56 s | — | 7,269 |
| 200 | 21 min 34 s | 17 min 14 s to 28 min 2 s | 13 min 38 s | — | 12,822 |
| 300 | 38 min 20 s | 29 min 48 s to 50 min 16 s | 26 min 10 s | 21 min 30 s | 32,595 |
| 500 | 1 h 4 min | 52 min 9 s to 1 h 23 min | 44 min 39 s | 33 min 49 s | 361,009 |
| 1000 | 3 h 15 min | 2 h 25 min to 4 h 29 min | 1 h 46 min | 1 h 4 min | 19,674 |
| 1500 | 7 h 2 min | 5 h 12 min to 9 h 26 min | — | — | 532 |
| 2000 | 10 h 48 min | 8 h 5 min to 14 h 36 min | — | — | 376 |
How this compares with a maker's guidance
Galison's article gives much longer ranges: 3 to 5 hours for 300 to 500 pieces, 5 to 10 hours for 500 to 1000 pieces, 8 to 15 hours spread over 3 to 4 sessions for a first 1000-piece puzzle, and 15 to 30 or more hours for 1500 to 2000 pieces. The logged medians are far shorter, for example 1 hour 4 minutes at 500 pieces. Our reading is that people who time and log their solves skew toward practised puzzlers, so a first puzzle or a relaxed evening is better planned near the slower end or with Galison's figures. The sources do not say why they differ.
What this calculator leaves out
It does not know the picture, the cut, the piece size, whether the puzzle has a sorted-edges head start, or your own speed. A uniform sky or a double-sided puzzle can take much longer than the median. The stopwatch pauses during breaks, so these are active puzzling times, not calendar time.
Common mix-ups
-
Often assumedA 1000-piece puzzle takes about twice as long as a 500-piece one.
What the source saysThe logged medians are 1 hour 4 minutes for 500 pieces and 3 hours 15 minutes for 1000, about three times as long. Across 100 to 2000 pieces the median time grows about 74 times while the piece count grows 20 times. [1]
-
Often assumedTwo people puzzle in half the time of one.
What the source saysAt 1000 pieces a pair took a median 1 hour 46 minutes against 3 hours 15 minutes solo, 54% of the time. At 500 pieces it was 44 minutes 39 seconds against 1 hour 4 minutes, 70%. [1]
-
Often assumedThe times quoted for each size are averages.
What the source saysThey are medians, “the time half of all solves beat”, chosen to limit the effect of a long tail of slow solves. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
How long does a 1000-piece puzzle take?
A median of 3 hours 15 minutes for one person in MySpeedPuzzling's logged solves, with the middle 50% between 2 hours 25 minutes and 4 hours 29 minutes. A pair took 1 hour 46 minutes and a team of three or more 1 hour 4 minutes.
How long does a 500-piece puzzle take?
A median of 1 hour 4 minutes solo, with the middle 50% between 52 minutes and 1 hour 23 minutes, from 361,009 logged solo solves.
Why is this so much shorter than the maker's estimate?
Galison suggests 5 to 10 hours for 500 to 1000 pieces. The logged data is timed with a stopwatch by people who chose to record their solves, which likely skews toward experienced solvers. The sources do not explain the gap, so plan from whichever end suits you.
What does the middle 50% mean?
Half of all solo solves fall between the two times shown, a quarter are faster and a quarter slower. It is a better guide to a normal range than the single median.
Why is there no pair or team time for 1500 or 2000 pieces?
The source only publishes a group median when it has at least 100 recorded group solves for that size. Fewer than that, it shows a dash, and this page does too.
How are sizes like 750 pieces handled?
The calculator interpolates between the published 500 and 1000 piece medians on a log scale and marks the result as interpolated. Treat it as an estimate.
Sources
Retrieved
- MySpeedPuzzling: Puzzle solve times by piece count — medians, middle-50% ranges, pair and team medians, solve counts and method (read 2026-10-26)
- Galison: What Size Jigsaw Puzzle Should I Buy? — the maker's hour ranges by piece count (read 2026-10-26)
Medians from one site's logged solves
Not affiliated with MySpeedPuzzling or Galison. The figures were read on 26 October 2026 and the source updates them, so they can move. Nothing you type is sent or stored.