Two ways to estimate how much yarn and how many skeins, balls or cones to buy: a quick estimate or a calculation adjusted to your gauge swatch.
If you have a pattern, its yarn requirement always takes priority.
Use this tool to plan a purchase when you do not have an exact pattern, compare yarns or convert a required length into the actual package size of each product.
Choose a Budetex yarn or enter the details of your own yarn.
Choose your input units. Tables and results always show metric and imperial equivalents.
Your yarn selection is kept when you switch between quick and swatch calculations.
Choose how to calculate. If you have not made a swatch, use the quick estimate. If you know your gauge, we can adjust the estimate to the density of your fabric.
V.018 EN lets you choose a Budetex yarn or your own yarn, and offers two approaches: estimate before making a swatch or adjust the calculation using your measured gauge. Results show metric and imperial units.
We use the project, size and yarn weight reference table, adjusted for technique, construction and a general tension setting: loose, medium or firm.
We replace the general tension setting with your measured stitch count. Rows and swatch weight are optional and help refine the estimate.
Both modes show estimated yarn use, estimated weight and how many skeins, balls or cones to buy, with metric and imperial equivalents.
Two yarns weighing 100 g (3.53 oz) can contain very different lengths. A fine yarn can have much more length than a thick yarn, so simply saying “you need 500 g (17.64 oz)” may be misleading.
First, we ask how much yarn length the project needs. Then we check the length in each package and round up to whole units to cover the upper end of the estimated range.
A larger circumference, extra length or more ease means more fabric. An oversized garment can use considerably more yarn than a classic fit.
Cables, dense textures and some three-dimensional stitches often use more yarn than a comparable stockinette fabric.
Looser tension usually creates a more open fabric; firmer tension creates a denser one. Your swatch matters: two people can use the same yarn and needle size and still use different amounts.
A high neck, wider sleeves, a longer body, pockets, a hood, substantial borders or design changes add to the yarn requirement.
Yarns are ordered by weight, from Lace to Worsted, and within each group by approximate length per unit of weight, from highest to lowest. Purchase quantities use each product's actual package size. Imperial equivalents are rounded for display.
| Yarn | Yarn weight | Package size used |
|---|---|---|
| Lace · highest length per unit of weight | ||
| Midori | Lace | 215 m (235.13 yd) / 25 g (0.88 oz) · 860 m (940.51 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Fingering · highest to lowest length per unit of weight | ||
| Cori Cori Fingering | Fingering | 220 m (240.59 yd) / 50 g (1.76 oz) · ≈ 440 m (481.19 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Sura Fingering | Fingering | 400 m (437.45 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Merino Ultrafino · Huanaco | Fingering | 400 m (437.45 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Soki | Sock / Fingering | 385 m (421.04 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Merino de la Patagonia · Huanaco | Fingering | 380 m (415.57 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Sport | ||
| Inka | Sport | 350 m (382.76 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Cori Cori Atelier | Sport | 330 m (360.89 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| DK | ||
| Merino de la Patagonia · Huanaco | DK | 280 m (306.21 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Merino Esencia | DK | 270 m (295.28 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Numi | DK | 250 m (273.4 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Cori Cori DK | DK | 440 m (481.19 yd) / 200 g (7.05 oz) · ≈ 220 m (240.59 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Worsted | ||
| Cori Cori Worsted | Worsted | 170 m (185.91 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
| Sura Worsted | Worsted | 166 m (181.54 yd) / 100 g (3.53 oz) |
Midori is Lace weight, but its construction and halo make it suitable for different approaches. The calculator lets you select it as your main yarn and estimate requirements using 1, 2 or 3 strands held together.
One strand creates a lighter, more open fabric. Two strands add body, and three create a fuller fabric. The yarn's classification does not change: Midori is still Lace weight; what changes is the number of strands running through the project at the same time.
Midori can also be held together with another yarn. If you choose a different main yarn, you can select “Add one strand of Midori” and the calculator adds the skeins needed for that strand to run throughout the project.
A swatch remains important: changing the number of strands can affect gauge, needle or hook size, fabric density and actual yarn use.
We do not automatically add an extra skein to every project: one unit may weigh 50 g (1.76 oz), 100 g (3.53 oz) or 200 g (7.05 oz), with very different lengths. The calculator already rounds up to cover the upper end of the range.
For large garments, modified projects or yarns with dye-lot variations, we recommend buying all the yarn together. Allowing extra makes sense if you plan to lengthen sleeves or the body, add a collar or pockets, or use a yarn-hungry texture.
No. If a pattern specifies yarn length for your size, that figure is calculated for its particular construction and takes priority.
It is a simple way to describe fabric density. Loose / open reduces the estimate by about 10%; medium / standard keeps the reference value; firm / dense increases it by about 10%. It does not describe garment fit.
In V.018 EN, enter the measured stitches across 10 cm (3.94 in) in metric mode or 4 in (10.16 cm) in imperial mode. If you also know the rows and swatch weight, the calculator uses those measurements to refine the estimate instead of asking you to choose a general tension setting.
It depends on size, yarn weight, tension, length, sleeves and construction. We first estimate a length range, then convert it into the package size of your chosen yarn.
Weight alone can be misleading. Two yarns of the same weight can contain very different lengths. At Budetex, we use length as the main reference, then convert it into weight and units to buy.
A yarn weight category does not determine the length in each package. Two Fingering yarns may be broadly comparable yet have different lengths per skein.
Yes. Select Midori as your main yarn and the calculator offers a dedicated option for 1, 2 or 3 strands held together. The final skein count includes all strands used throughout the project.
Yes, as an estimate. Crochet terminology is US: single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet have separate adjustments. For lace, mesh and fancy stitches, there is no fixed multiplier; use swatch mode and enter the weight of the reference swatch shown in the form.
For large garments, round up, especially if you may modify the project or the yarn's dye lot could change before you buy more.
For garments and large projects, yes. A swatch lets you check gauge, drape, behavior after washing and whether the chosen yarn creates the fabric you want.
Fiber, yarn weight, season, project and brand: the basics to consider before buying.
VIEW YARN GUIDE →Lace, Fingering, Sport, DK and Worsted: how to read international yarn weight categories.
READ ABOUT YARN WEIGHTS →Compare fibers, yarn weights, color palettes and package sizes currently available at Budetex.
VIEW YARNS →Budetex Yarn Calculator · V.018 EN
This calculator was developed by Budetex, is open to the whole yarn craft community and is continually being improved. It was created to help people choose materials and plan projects with better information.
You may use, share, reproduce and adapt this tool, and include it in other websites, educational resources or documentation, including for commercial use. Please keep a visible credit naming Budetex as the creator of the original tool, with a link to our calculator. This helps more people find the current version and contribute to its improvement.
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Based on the Budetex Yarn Calculator, developed and improved by Budetex. Original version and updates: budetex.com/yarn-calculator
If you make changes, identify your version as an adaptation and describe those changes. Crediting Budetex acknowledges the tool's origin; it does not imply that Budetex has reviewed or endorsed third-party versions. Estimates are a guide and do not replace your pattern's yarn requirement or a gauge swatch.
This permission covers Budetex's own contributions to the tool and its documentation. It does not grant rights to trademarks, photographs or other third-party materials. If you find an error or develop an improvement, we would love to hear from you at [email protected].
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