acalculator

How much quilt binding do I need?

Type the size of your quilt, the width you cut binding strips, and the usable width of the fabric. The calculator adds an allowance for joins and corners, counts the strips, and rounds the fabric up to the next 1/8 yard and 0.1 meter.

Your numbers

Units
Binding fabric to buy
1/2 yd (0.5 m)

A 60 in × 80 in quilt needs 290 in of binding: cut 7 strips and buy 1/2 yd (0.5 m).

Strips to cut
7
Binding length
290 in
Quilt perimeter
280 in
Fabric length
17.5 in
Yards to buy
0.5

Binding fabric to buy: 1/2 yd (0.5 m). A 60 in × 80 in quilt needs 290 in of binding: cut 7 strips and buy 1/2 yd (0.5 m).

How to calculate

Works out the length of binding a quilt needs, how many strips to cut across the fabric width, and how much fabric to buy, rounded up to the next 1/8 yard.

Example with the default inputs (Quilt width 60 in, Quilt length 80 in, Strip width 2.5 in, Fabric width 42 in, Extra length 10 in): A 60 in × 80 in quilt needs 290 in of binding: cut 7 strips and buy 1/2 yd (0.5 m).

Method: Binding = 2 × (width + length) + extra; strips = ⌈binding ÷ fabric width⌉; fabric = strips × strip width, rounded up to 1/8 yd.

  • Strips are cut straight across the fabric width (not on the bias) and joined end to end.
  • The extra length covers the joins, the corners and the two ends.
  • The length is rounded up to the next 1/8 yard (or 0.1 m), as fabric is usually cut.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Quilt width 60 in, Quilt length 80 in, Strip width 2.5 in, Fabric width 42 in, Extra length 10 in gives Binding length 290 in, Strips to cut 7, Fabric length 17.5 in, Yards to buy 0.5, Binding fabric to buy 1/2 yd (0.5 m).Source: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C, General Tables of Units of Measurement (1 yard = 36 inches; 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters exactly), https://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-c (retrieved 2026-10-03)
  2. Quilt width 90 in, Quilt length 108 in, Strip width 2.25 in, Fabric width 40 in, Extra length 12 in gives Binding length 408 in, Strips to cut 11, Fabric length 24.75 in, Yards to buy 0.75, Binding fabric to buy 3/4 yd (0.7 m).Source: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C, General Tables of Units of Measurement (1 yard = 36 inches; 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters exactly), https://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-c (retrieved 2026-10-03)
  3. Quilt width 39.37 in, Quilt length 47.24 in, Strip width 2.559 in, Fabric width 43.31 in, Extra length 9.843 in gives Strips to cut 5, Binding fabric to buy 3/8 yd (0.4 m).Source: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C, General Tables of Units of Measurement (1 yard = 36 inches; 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters exactly), https://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-c (retrieved 2026-10-03)

How it works

Let the quilt be W wide and L long, the strip width s, the usable fabric width F, and the extra length x.

  1. Perimeter: P = 2 × (W + L).
  2. Binding length: B = P + x.
  3. Strips: n = ⌈B ÷ F⌉, cut across the full fabric width.
  4. Fabric: n × s.
  5. To buy: the fabric length rounded up to the next 1/8 yard (1 yd = 36 in), and to the next 0.1 m (1 in = 2.54 cm exactly).

Rules

  • Sizes are typed in inches or centimeters and used as the exact decimals typed, so a fabric length of exactly 3/8 yd is not rounded up.
  • The quilt is 1 in to 500 in each way; the strip width 0.5 in to 10 in; the fabric 5 in to 200 in; the extra length 0 in to 200 in.
  • Strips are straight-grain strips across the width, not bias strips.

Worked examples by hand

60 × 80 in, 2 1/2 in strips, 42 in fabric, 10 in extra. P = 2 × 140 = 280 in; B = 290 in. 290 ÷ 42 = 6.9, so 7 strips. Fabric 7 × 2.5 = 17.5 in = 0.486 yd, buy 1/2 yd; 0.4445 m, buy 0.5 m.

90 × 108 in, 2 1/4 in strips, 40 in fabric, 12 in extra. P = 2 × 198 = 396 in; B = 408 in. 408 ÷ 40 = 10.2, so 11 strips. Fabric 11 × 2.25 = 24.75 in = 0.6875 yd, buy 3/4 yd; 0.6287 m, buy 0.7 m.

100 × 120 cm, 6.5 cm strips, 110 cm fabric, 25 cm extra. P = 440 cm; B = 465 cm. 465 ÷ 110 = 4.2, so 5 strips. Fabric 5 × 6.5 = 32.5 cm, buy 0.4 m; 0.3554 yd, buy 3/8 yd.

Other questions people ask

How do I work out how much binding I need?

Add the four sides of the quilt, 2 × (width + length), and about 10 in for joining the strips and turning the corners. Divide by the usable fabric width and round up to get the number of strips, then multiply by the strip width.

How much binding for a 60 × 80 in quilt?

The perimeter is 280 in; with 10 in extra, 290 in. At 42 in usable width that is 7 strips. Cut 2 1/2 in wide, they need 17.5 in of fabric, so buy 1/2 yard.

How wide should I cut binding strips?

2 1/2 in is the most common width for double-fold binding on a quilt with ordinary batting; 2 1/4 in gives a narrower binding. Thick batting may need wider strips.

Why add extra length?

Joining strips with diagonal seams uses some of each strip, the corners need a little more, and you need tails at the ends to join the binding. About 10 in covers this for most quilts.

Does bias binding need more fabric?

Yes. This calculator is for strips cut straight across the fabric width. Bias strips are cut at 45° and come out of a square of fabric, which needs a different calculation.

Why round up to 1/8 yard?

Shops usually cut fabric in 1/8 yard steps (or 10 cm steps), so the calculator rounds the fabric length up to the next step that covers all the strips.