Yarn Calculator
Pick a blanket size or enter your own, choose the yarn weight, knit or crochet and the stitch pattern, and get yards, metres and skeins with a safety margin.
on the label; 364 yd is a 7 oz worsted skein
for swatching, border, dye lot
Yarn
1,980 yd
1,811 m
Skeins
6
at 364 yd each, same dye lot
Blanket area
3,000 sq in
50 × 60
Per square inch
0.6 yd
crochet, plain
Yards = area × yards per square inch for the yarn weight and craft × stitch factor × (1 + margin). The per-square-inch figures are mid-range averages from typical blanket patterns; a swatch of your stitch, weighed, is the exact answer.
Yards for every blanket size, plain stitch, 10% spare
| Blanket | Size | Worsted crochet | Worsted knit | Bulky crochet | Jumbo (arm knit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lovey / security | 14 × 14 | 129 yd | 97 yd | 86 yd | 26 yd |
| Baby / receiving | 30 × 36 | 713 yd | 535 yd | 475 yd | 143 yd |
| Stroller | 30 × 40 | 792 yd | 594 yd | 528 yd | 158 yd |
| Lapghan | 36 × 48 | 1,140 yd | 855 yd | 760 yd | 228 yd |
| Throw | 50 × 60 | 1,980 yd | 1,485 yd | 1,320 yd | 396 yd |
| Afghan | 50 × 70 | 2,310 yd | 1,733 yd | 1,540 yd | 462 yd |
| Twin | 66 × 90 | 3,920 yd | 2,940 yd | 2,614 yd | 784 yd |
| Full / double | 80 × 90 | 4,752 yd | 3,564 yd | 3,168 yd | 950 yd |
| Queen | 90 × 100 | 5,940 yd | 4,455 yd | 3,960 yd | 1,188 yd |
| King | 108 × 100 | 7,128 yd | 5,346 yd | 4,752 yd | 1,426 yd |
Yards per square inch by yarn weight
| Weight | Knit | Crochet | Typical skein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine / sport (2) | 0.85 | 1.1 | 300 yd |
| Light / DK (3) | 0.65 | 0.85 | 250 yd |
| Medium / worsted (4) | 0.45 | 0.6 | 364 yd |
| Bulky (5) | 0.3 | 0.4 | 150 yd |
| Super bulky (6) | 0.2 | 0.27 | 100 yd |
| Jumbo (7) | 0.12 | 0.16 | 30 yd |
Thicker yarn covers more per yard but a skein holds fewer yards, so a bulky blanket takes fewer yards and about the same number of skeins as a worsted one. Textured stitches add 20%, dense ones like cables and bobbles 45%, lace saves 20%. When in doubt, buy the extra skein; most shops take back unopened yarn and no shop can match a dye lot six months later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much yarn do I need for a blanket?
Area in square inches times the yards per square inch for your yarn weight and craft, plus a margin. A 50 × 60 throw is 3,000 square inches; in worsted crochet at about 0.6 yards per square inch that is 1,800 yards, or 1,980 with 10% spare, which is six 364-yard skeins. The same throw knitted in stockinette uses about 1,500 yards.
How many skeins of yarn for a blanket?
Divide the yards by the yards on the label. Skeins vary enormously: a 7 oz worsted skein is 364 yards, a 3.5 oz ball about 170, a bulky skein 100 to 150, a jumbo chenille cake 30 to 60. Buy all the skeins of a colour at once from the same dye lot, and one more than the count for a border or a mistake.
Does crochet really use more yarn than knitting?
Yes, about 25 to 35% more for the same size and yarn, because a crochet stitch wraps more yarn per square inch than a knit stitch. Double crochet and granny squares sit near the average; single crochet and dense textures use more; open lace and mesh less. The stitch-pattern setting scales for this.
How do I get an exact number for my pattern?
Make a swatch in the stitch you'll use, measure its area, then unravel and measure the yarn, or weigh the swatch and use the yards-per-gram from the label. Yards per square inch from the swatch times the blanket area is the exact figure. The calculator's averages get you to the right number of skeins to buy; the swatch tells you whether to buy the spare.
What are the standard blanket sizes?
Lovey 14 × 14, baby 30 × 36, stroller 30 × 40, lapghan 36 × 48, throw 50 × 60, afghan 50 × 70, twin 66 × 90, full 80 × 90, queen 90 × 100, king 108 × 100. A blanket meant to drape over a bed needs the mattress size plus 10 to 20 inches each side.
These tools use the standard craft-room rules (resin volume by area and depth, quilt overhang and width-of-fabric piecing, yards per square inch by yarn weight, wax weight per fluid ounce, gauge ratios), all stated on each page. Materials vary by brand: check your resin's mix ratio, your wax's fragrance limit and your own swatch, and buy a little over.