Quilting Calculators
Work out fabric, cutting and finishing for your next quilt. Each calculator shows its formula, a worked example and its assumptions, so you can check the numbers before you cut.
Calculators
Fabric Yardage Calculator
Quilt size and square size in; squares, width-of-fabric strips and yards per fabric out.
Backing Calculator
Backing size, number of panels, seam direction and yardage for any quilt.
Binding Calculator
Perimeter, number of width-of-fabric strips and binding yardage.
Batting Size Calculator
Batting dimensions with overhang, and the length to buy from a roll.
HST Calculator
Starter square sizes and counts for HSTs two or eight at a time.
Flying Geese Calculator
Body and wing cut sizes for no-waste and stitch-and-flip geese.
Block Resizing Calculator
Convert a pattern's cut sizes to a new block size, and find sizes that cut cleanly.
Pre-Cut Calculator
How many jelly rolls, charm packs or layer cakes a quilt size needs.
Shared assumptions
- Usable width of fabric: 42 in, unless you change it.
- Seam allowance: 1/4 in, so squares are cut 1/2 in larger than they finish.
- Yardage rounds up to the next 1/8 yard.
- Backing and batting overhang: 4 in per side by default; ask your longarm quilter what they need.
A typical plan: size the quilt top with the fabric yardage calculator, then add backing, batting and binding. Use the HST, flying geese and block resizing calculators when a pattern needs units in a size it does not list.
Frequently asked questions
Are these quilting calculators free?
Yes. They run in your browser, need no account and do not save anything you enter.
What fabric width do the calculators assume?
42 in of usable width, typical of quilting cotton once the selvages are trimmed. Every yardage calculator lets you change it.
How is yardage rounded?
Up to the next 1/8 yard (4 1/2 in), the smallest cut most quilt shops sell. Add a little extra if you pre-wash or want room for mistakes.
How were the formulas checked?
Each calculator has automated tests with the worked examples shown on its page. The HST and flying geese sizes are checked against a geometry simulation of the sewing and cutting, the same check used for QuiltLab's block construction recipes. Sew one test unit before cutting a whole quilt's worth.
Design the quilt, then do the math
Sketch blocks and lay out your quilt in QuiltLab, then come back to these calculators for cutting and yardage.