PLAN WHAT TO BUY

Crochet yarn calculator

Turn a measured swatch and your target size into grams, yards and balls.

Example measurements are filled in. Replace them with your own.

01Choose your blanket size
02Your measured swatch
Weigh the same complete swatch whose dimensions you enter.

Use the same yarn, stitch and hook as the blanket. Measure after your intended washing / blocking. Swatch measuring guide ↗

03Read your yarn label
Use the label on this exact yarn.
04Use what you already own
Covers only the extra you choose. Borders need their own estimate.

How to calculate yarn for a crochet blanket

Measure the complete area and yarn weight of a representative finished swatch. Divide your target body area by the sample area, then multiply by the sample weight. Add your chosen planning allowance, subtract matching yarn already owned and round the shortfall up to whole balls.

Body grams = width × length ÷ (swatch width × swatch length) × swatch grams

Worked example

A 100 × 150 cm body and a 10 × 10 cm sample weighing 5 g give 750 g of body yarn. Adding 10% gives 825 g. If you already own 200 g and each new ball contains 100 g, you need seven new balls. If each ball has 200 m, the total 825 g plan corresponds to 1,650 m.

Why use a swatch instead of yarn weight alone?

Yarn thickness, stitch pattern, hook, tension and finishing can all change consumption. We use your measured fabric rather than assigning a fixed yardage to a thickness category. See the full yarn planning example.

Can this calculate garments, borders or colorwork?

The model is for a flat rectangular body in one representative yarn and stitch. It does not model shaped garments, floats, fringe or a separate border. For several colors, estimate each color’s need and whole-ball purchase separately.

What if I only know how much yarn I have?

Use the stash blanket calculator to work backwards to a possible length at your chosen width. Neither calculator guarantees an exact finished size or enough yarn; your sample is an estimate of the fabric you will make.

Method maintained by Loop & Yard. Published 2026-10-30. Examples illustrate the formulas; they are not measurements of a tested finished blanket.