Knitting & crochet calculator
Yarn Yardage Calculator
Enter your project's width and height, yarn weight, and stitch type, and this calculator estimates total yardage needed (plus a safety buffer) and how many skeins to buy.
Running out of yarn mid-project, or buying far more than you need, are two of the most common frustrations in knitting and crochet. Yarn usage depends on the finished area of your project, the yarn's weight category (lace through jumbo), and the stitch pattern - denser stitches like garter or single crochet use noticeably more yarn per square inch than stockinette or double crochet.
This calculator multiplies your project's area by a coverage factor for the yarn weight you select, adjusts for the stitch type's relative density, and adds a safety buffer (10% by default) to account for swatches, seaming, and tension variation. If you know your skein's yardage, it also tells you how many skeins to buy, rounded up.
Worked example: a 40in by 60in worsted-weight stockinette blanket needs roughly 1,970 yards with the default 10% buffer - about ten 200-yard skeins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does stitch type change how much yarn I need?
Denser stitches like garter or single crochet use more yarn per square inch of finished fabric than open stitches like stockinette or double crochet, because more yarn is pulled through per stitch.
How much of a safety buffer should I add?
10% is a reasonable default for most projects. Add more (15-20%) if you're new to estimating, using a variegated or hand-dyed yarn where you want to avoid dye-lot mismatches, or if the pattern has a lot of texture or cables.
What if my project isn't a simple rectangle?
Estimate the area as if it were a rectangle that roughly bounds the shape, then lean toward a larger safety buffer to cover the difference.
Does gauge affect this estimate?
This estimate is area-based and works from published coverage-factor averages for each yarn weight, so it's a solid planning estimate but not a substitute for swatching if you need an exact figure for an expensive yarn.