Answers.Body: <p>What a tricky (bricky!) question. 
  Let's estimate...</p>
  
  <h2>By Weight</h2>
  
  <p>So, can one estimate the number of bricks in a bag or box by weight?</p>
  
  <p>In fact, they do weigh bags and boxes over at the factory to make sure there aren't any parts missing. But of course they're just comparing expected weights. </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>That's why <strong>you can't simply weigh a big mix of unknown bricks to
  calculate their number.</strong> There's no reference.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>However, you can use a scale to estimate a number of bricks, if you have <strong>sorted them out individually</strong>. </p>
  
  <p>If you keep your pieces in trays or drawers and you have a big bin of <strong>identical pieces</strong> (2x4's, 2x1's, ...), you can estimate them by weighing them. </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><strong>Weigh them all, then divide by the weight of a single one.</strong></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Gets close. Speeds things up. </p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h2>By Numbers</h2>
  
  <p>Anyway, try to narrow things down. To do so, collect as much data as possible. </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Which <strong>sets</strong> do you own?
  Look up the <strong>number of pieces per set</strong>. </li>
  <li>Take into account if you bought an <strong>incomplete</strong> set. How much is missing?</li>
  <li>Did you mailorder <strong>pieces</strong>? </li>
  <li>Can you estimate the amount? Maybe check your orders/ accounts.</li>
  <li>Did you buy a considerable number of <strong>bulk</strong>?</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>All this should already give you a rough number, considering the sets/mailorder/bulk ratio. </p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h2>By Eye</h2>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Do you <strong>sort out</strong> your Lego into trays and drawers? You could <strong>count some</strong> of them, calculate an average amount and <strong>project it</strong>.</li>
  <li>What about the <strong>relevance</strong> of certain parts? Do they count? Where there's lego technic, there's plenty of technic pins. You could simply leave out those piles of pins and separators or
  weigh them. If they're sorted out, of course.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><em>(Disclaimer: Do not take this last part too seriously...)</em></p>
  
  <h2>Or is it all in ONE BIG BIN?</h2>
  
  <p>Well, let's see. </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><strong>How can one estimate the number of people in a crowd?</strong></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Take an aerial view, divide it into sections, count people in one frame and multiply by frames. As long as people are spread out evenly, you should get close enough. </p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/QPMv2.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/QPMv2.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p><em>Example: There are (maybe) 63 minifigs in this picture. Count all minifigs in one of the frames and multiply them by four for a rough answer.</em> </p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <ul>
  <li><strong>How can one estimate the number of jellybeans in a jar?</strong></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/tD8rJ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/tD8rJ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>Find out about jar and jellybeans, diameter, height, volume. Calculate. As long as you're not getting peckish, you should win big.</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h2>Now, how can one estimate the number of bricks of completely different shapes and sizes in ONE BIG BIN?</h2>
  
  <ul>
  <li><em>In theory</em>, you would <strong>stirr everything</strong> to get one humongeous mass.</li>
  <li>That is, you want bricks, pins, wheels, minifigs, separators all next
  to each other, not in different layers with small parts at the bottom
  of the bin. Next, <strong>pour it out</strong> and <strong>spread it</strong> evenly. <strong>Take a photo</strong>. Use the method
  mentioned above.</li>
  <li><strong>Or, leave it in the bin</strong>. Take out <strong>one cup full</strong> of Lego,
  <strong>count the parts</strong>, determine how many cups your bin holds and
  extrapolate.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: You're better off counting. While sorting out. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-04-10T23:24:19.870Z
Answers.Text: Thank you, this is extremely helpful. I might try a few different methods and average their answers. That'll probably get me as close as possible. :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Magnus
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-04-11T07:16:15.693Z
Answers.Text: I can only add that "by eye" method is a bit tricky. I've seen bunches of bricks and allways underestimated the numbers. It is like you cannot believe there are 100 bricks of the same type. More like 50-60. But then you go count it and here you go - 100 bricks.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Alex
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-04-11T21:25:51.277Z
Answers.Text: Right, that's an excellent point. Maybe I'll estimate a smaller number "by eye" and then I'll count to see how accurate I am or am not. :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Magnus
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-04-10T21:53:31.690Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-04-10T21:53:31.690Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Uli
Answers.Body: <p>If the parts came from sets then you can search <a href="https://www.bricklink.com/catalogTree.asp?itemType=S&amp;itemBrand=1000" rel="nofollow noreferrer">bricklink.com</a> for the sets, and it will then tell you how many parts is in each set. It is then just a matter of summing them up.</p>
  
  <p>If the parts are not part of a set then im afraid there is no easy way to do that, especically if the parts are quite varied.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-04-19T03:20:22.113Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-04-19T03:20:22.113Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: TechnicTechnician
Body: <p>I have a relatively large LEGO collection and I would like to know roughly how many pieces I have; however, it would not be worth my time to count each piece individually. Is there a faster way to estimate the number of pieces? Is there is a way to tell by their weight?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-04-10T09:28:16.820Z
Comments.Text: what's the "known number of parts/ unknown number of parts" ratio of your collection? do you mainly own lego SETS, do you frequently mailorder individual PARTS, do you even buy BULK by weight?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Uli
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-04-10T16:51:19.603Z
Comments.Text: I own a good deal of sets (maybe 5% of my total collection), but the majority of my collection is pieces. I'd say I buy from Bricklink monthly, and I have not yet bought bulk by weight.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Magnus
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-04-10T19:13:59.447Z
Comments.Text: i'm not too familiar with bricklink, but i think you can download a list of purchased items. since you bought the majority of your collection there, the data in that list should tell you what some roughly 95% of your inventory are in numbers...
Comments.UserDisplayName: Uli
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-04-10T20:47:12.670Z
Comments.Text: Hmm... Well, even if that were possible on Bricklink (which it might be, I haven't checked), that would still only cover about another 20% of my collection, as a lot of my parts are from disassembled sets.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Magnus
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-04-11T20:15:22.213Z
Comments.Text: If you have just sets (without additional loose bricks) it might be easier to add all of theese sets to your collection on Rebrickable. It will then give you more details, like number of parts, estimate value, etc.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Alex
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-04-12T21:22:56.593Z
Comments.Text: @Alex That's a good suggestion. I think I'll do that with the sets I have.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Magnus
Tags: <size><weight>
Title: What is the fastest way to estimate the number of pieces in a large collection?
UserDisplayName: Magnus
ThreadText: # What is the fastest way to estimate the number of pieces in a large collection?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2019-04-09)
  
  I have a relatively large LEGO collection and I would like to know roughly how many pieces I have; however, it would not be worth my time to count each piece individually. Is there a faster way to estimate the number of pieces? Is there is a way to tell by their weight?
  
  **Tags:** size, weight
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: what's the "known number of parts/ unknown number of parts" ratio of your collection? do you mainly own lego SETS, do you frequently mailorder individual PARTS, do you even buy BULK by weight?  
  > **username_0**: I own a good deal of sets (maybe 5% of my total collection), but the majority of my collection is pieces. I'd say I buy from Bricklink monthly, and I have not yet bought bulk by weight.  
  > **username_1**: i'm not too familiar with bricklink, but i think you can download a list of purchased items. since you bought the majority of your collection there, the data in that list should tell you what some roughly 95% of your inventory are in numbers...  
  > **username_0**: Hmm... Well, even if that were possible on Bricklink (which it might be, I haven't checked), that would still only cover about another 20% of my collection, as a lot of my parts are from disassembled sets.  
  > **username_2**: If you have just sets (without additional loose bricks) it might be easier to add all of theese sets to your collection on Rebrickable. It will then give you more details, like number of parts, estimate value, etc.  
  > **username_0**: @username_2 That's a good suggestion. I think I'll do that with the sets I have.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2019-04-10. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  What a tricky (bricky!) question.
  Let's estimate...
  
  ## By Weight
  
  So, can one estimate the number of bricks in a bag or box by weight?
  
  In fact, they do weigh bags and boxes over at the factory to make sure there aren't any parts missing. But of course they're just comparing expected weights.
  
  * That's why **you can't simply weigh a big mix of unknown bricks to
    calculate their number.** There's no reference.
  
  However, you can use a scale to estimate a number of bricks, if you have **sorted them out individually**.
  
  If you keep your pieces in trays or drawers and you have a big bin of **identical pieces** (2x4's, 2x1's, ...), you can estimate them by weighing them.
  
  * **Weigh them all, then divide by the weight of a single one.**
  
  Gets close. Speeds things up.
  
  ---
  
  ## By Numbers
  
  Anyway, try to narrow things down. To do so, collect as much data as possible.
  
  * Which **sets** do you own?
    Look up the **number of pieces per set**.
  * Take into account if you bought an **incomplete** set. How much is missing?
  * Did you mailorder **pieces**?
  * Can you estimate the amount? Maybe check your orders/ accounts.
  * Did you buy a considerable number of **bulk**?
  
  All this should already give you a rough number, considering the sets/mailorder/bulk ratio.
  
  ---
  
  ## By Eye
  
  * Do you **sort out** your Lego into trays and drawers? You could **count some** of them, calculate an average amount and **project it**.
  * What about the **relevance** of certain parts? Do they count? Where there's lego technic, there's plenty of technic pins. You could simply leave out those piles of pins and separators or
    weigh them. If they're sorted out, of course.
  
  ---
  
  *(Disclaimer: Do not take this last part too seriously...)*
  
  ## Or is it all in ONE BIG BIN?
  
  Well, let's see.
  
  * **How can one estimate the number of people in a crowd?**
  
  Take an aerial view, divide it into sections, count people in one frame and multiply by frames. As long as people are spread out evenly, you should get close enough.
  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/QPMv2.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/QPMv2.jpg)
  
  *Example: There are (maybe) 63 minifigs in this picture. Count all minifigs in one of the frames and multiply them by four for a rough answer.*
  
  ---
  
  * **How can one estimate the number of jellybeans in a jar?**
  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/tD8rJ.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/tD8rJ.jpg)
  
  Find out about jar and jellybeans, diameter, height, volume. Calculate. As long as you're not getting peckish, you should win big.
  
  ---
  
  ## Now, how can one estimate the number of bricks of completely different shapes and sizes in ONE BIG BIN?
  
  * *In theory*, you would **stirr everything** to get one humongeous mass.
  * That is, you want bricks, pins, wheels, minifigs, separators all next
    to each other, not in different layers with small parts at the bottom
    of the bin. Next, **pour it out** and **spread it** evenly. **Take a photo**. Use the method
    mentioned above.
  * **Or, leave it in the bin**. Take out **one cup full** of Lego,
    **count the parts**, determine how many cups your bin holds and
    extrapolate.
  
  **Conclusion**: You're better off counting. While sorting out.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thank you, this is extremely helpful. I might try a few different methods and average their answers. That'll probably get me as close as possible. :)  
  > **username_2**: I can only add that "by eye" method is a bit tricky. I've seen bunches of bricks and allways underestimated the numbers. It is like you cannot believe there are 100 bricks of the same type. More like 50-60. But then you go count it and here you go - 100 bricks.  
  > **username_0**: Right, that's an excellent point. Maybe I'll estimate a smaller number "by eye" and then I'll count to see how accurate I am or am not. :)  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2019-04-19. Score: 1
  
  If the parts came from sets then you can search [bricklink.com](https://www.bricklink.com/catalogTree.asp?itemType=S&itemBrand=1000) for the sets, and it will then tell you how many parts is in each set. It is then just a matter of summing them up.
  
  If the parts are not part of a set then im afraid there is no easy way to do that, especically if the parts are quite varied.
  
  
  ---
  
  