Cross Stitch Calculator (Finished Size by Fabric Count, Fabric to Cut, Floss Skeins & Hours)

How it works

design inches = stitches ÷ effective count (over-2 fabrics: count ÷ 2) · cut size = design + 2 × margin · floss ≈ stitches × coverage × 4.5 cm × (14 ÷ count) × (strands ÷ 2) × 1.15; skein = 8 m × 6 strands ÷ strands used · hours = stitches ÷ speed

Cross-stitch charts are counted in stitches, and the fabric count converts that into inches: a 150-stitch-wide design is 10.7 inches on 14-count and 8.3 on 18-count, while evenweave and linen stitched over two threads behave like half their count. Add a generous margin for the frame and you have the fabric to cut. Floss is the other question: a full cross on 14-count with two strands uses about 4.5 cm of thread, so total stitches times that, with waste, gives skeins — remembering that a chart with many colours needs at least one skein of each.

Worked example

A 150 × 200 stitch chart on 14-count aida finishes at 10.7 × 14.3 in (27.2 × 36.3 cm); with 7.5 cm margins cut 43 × 52 cm. At 70% coverage there are 21,000 stitches using about 1,087 m of two-strand floss — 45 skeins' worth — so with 30 colours plan on about 60 skeins. At 120 stitches an hour it is roughly 175 hours of stitching.

Frequently asked questions