Embroidery Thread Yardage Calculator
Enter your design size, stitch type, and how many colours you plan to use to get exact yards per colour and the number of DMC skeins to buy. Nothing uploaded.
Design area
Colours & cost
Totals
Per-colour breakdown
| Colour | Yards needed | Skeins to buy |
|---|
Learn more: estimating embroidery thread yardage
Stitch type sets the rate
The calculator multiplies the area by a thread rate for the stitch type and by your coverage percentage. The rates are in yards per square inch: fill 4.0, satin 3.5, cross stitch 2.8, backstitch 1.5 and running stitch 1.2. The heaviest stitch uses more than three times as much thread as the lightest over the same area.
A 10 square inch patch in cross stitch at 100% coverage needs 10 x 2.8 = 28 yards for one colour. Stitched as a running-stitch outline it needs 10 x 1.2 = 12 yards. Areas entered in square centimetres are converted at 0.155 square inches per square centimetre.
Why skeins round up for each colour
A skein is counted as 8 metres, which is 8.748 yards. The calculator divides each colour's yardage by that figure and rounds up to a whole skein. For the 28-yard patch, 28 / 8.748 = 3.2, so you buy 4 skeins and have about 7 yards left.
The yardage is split evenly across the colours you enter, and each colour rounds up separately. Split the same 28 yards over 3 colours and each needs 9.33 yards, which is 2 skeins each, so 6 skeins in total. More colours can mean more leftover thread.
Where the estimate stops
The rates are fixed estimates for each stitch type, so real use will vary with how densely you stitch, how many strands you use and how much thread you waste. If you buy thread in a length other than 8 m, divide the yardage by your own skein length instead.
FAQ
Why does the calculator ask for coverage percentage?
Not every square inch inside a design is stitched. A design with open background gets a lower coverage percentage, and the yardage scales down in proportion instead of assuming full fill everywhere.
Does thread brand change the estimate?
The calculator assumes a skein of 8 metres, or 8.748 yards, and has no other length option. If your skeins or spools are a different length, divide the yardage it shows by that length to get your own count.
Why do running stitch and backstitch need so little thread?
They follow a line, while satin and fill stitches cover a whole area. In the calculator that shows up as rates of 1.2 and 1.5 yards per square inch against 3.5 and 4.0.