Maker Tools
Yarn Yardage Calculator
Scale measured swatch yarn usage to a rectangular project with contingency.
✓ Free
✓ No account
◉ Runs on this device
Maker Tools
Powering up the tool…
TOOL YARN-YARDAGE
What this tool does
About the yarn yardage calculator
Enter swatch dimensions and yarn length plus the planned project area. The area-ratio method shows its working and leaves gauge, stitch and reserve judgment with the maker.
Method
- Swatch Area
swatch width × swatch height- Project Area
project width × project height- Base Yardage
swatch yarn length × project area / swatch area- Estimated Yardage
base yardage × (1 + contingency / 100)
- Swatch and project dimensions use compatible units and represent comparable fabric.
- The same yarn, tool size, stitch pattern, gauge and maker tension are used.
- Shaping, seams, borders and waste are covered only by the user-entered contingency.
How to use it
- Knit or crochet a swatch in the actual stitch pattern, then measure it and the yarn it consumed (unravel it or weigh it).
- Enter the swatch dimensions, its yarn length and the project dimensions.
- Set a contingency — 10–15% for simple rectangles, more for anything with borders or shaping.
- Read the base and adjusted estimates, then round up to whole skeins in one dye lot.
Useful for
- Work out how much yarn a blanket, scarf or wrap needs before buying.
- Estimate whether the stash you already own will cover the project.
- Decide how many skeins to buy in one dye lot, with contingency.
Straight answers
Yarn Yardage Calculator FAQ
Why must the swatch be in my actual stitch pattern?
Because stitch patterns eat wildly different amounts — cables can use half again as much as stockinette at the same area. The area-ratio method is only as honest as the swatch it scales from.
How do I measure the yarn a swatch used?
Weigh it on kitchen scales and scale from the ball band (a 50g/125m ball at 8g = 20m), or unravel and measure directly. Weighing is quicker and kinder to the swatch.