Quilt Binding Calculator

Plan perfect bindings every time: enter quilt size or block layout, pick single or double‑fold, choose straight‑grain or bias, set WOF and allowances, then get strips, yardage, cut plan, jelly‑roll checks, scrappy suggestions, and a printable summary with diagrams, exports, and helpful formulas for confident, accurate quilting, backed by presets, tooltips, and shareable links.


Toggle to enter quilt dimensions in your preferred unit. Yardage is shown in yards & meters.
Optionally add border thicknesses; they apply to both sides.
Double‑fold is most common for quilts.
Cut width in
Typical: 2", 2¼", 2½".
Finished reveal in
Reveal is the visible binding on the front after stitching.

WOF in
Selvage margin in
Will be subtracted from WOF.
Usable WOF: 41 in
Corner style
Per-corner allowance in
Join style
Join allowance in
Extra tail to join the ends (10–12" typical).
Extra buffer in
Rounded/scalloped uplift %
Directional print guard %
Shrinkage / prewash %
Strips on hand pcs
When enabled, cut width is fixed to 2.5".
Seam loss per join in
We pick a combination that meets/exceeds the required length with minimal waste (greedy heuristic).
Name
Name W × H Grain Cut W WOF Strips Yards (rounded) Actions
Collect multiple quilts and export a combined cut sheet.
Results

Cut List & Yardage

Ready
Formula
L = 2(W + H) + 4 × C + J + B; then × (1 + Urounded) × (1 + Udirectional)
Binding length
0 in (0 cm)
Strips to cut
0 × WOF
Yardage (exact)
0 yd (0 m)
Yardage (rounded to ⅛ yd)
0 yd
Cut plan
—
Expected leftover
0 in
Continuous bias square
Cut a square: 0 in (0 cm)
S ≈ √(L × strip_width)
Jelly‑roll check
—
Scrappy planner
—
W H
Diagram is schematic; proportions scale with your inputs. Rounded corners preview when selected.
How‑To

Calculate quilt binding in six steps

  1. Measure W & H of the finished quilt (add borders if any).
  2. Choose single/double‑fold and set your cut width and finished reveal.
  3. Select straight‑grain (for straight edges) or bias (for curves/rounded corners).
  4. Add corner allowance, join allowance, and a small buffer.
  5. Review the calculator’s strips, yardage, and cut plan.
  6. Cut & join on 45° (if chosen), then apply binding.
Formula example

Throw 60×72 in, double‑fold 2½″, WOF 42″, mitered corners 2″ each, join 12″, buffer 10″:

P = 2(W+H) = 2(60+72) = 264 in
L = P + 4×C + J + B = 264 + 8 + 12 + 10 = 294 in
Strips N = ceil(L ÷ usableWOF) = ceil(294 ÷ 41) = 8
Yards = (N × cutWidth) ÷ 36 = (8 × 2.5) ÷ 36 = 0.556 → 0.625 yd (rounded to ⅛)
Bias square S ≈ √(L × stripWidth) = √(294 × 2.5) ≈ 27.1 in
Glossary
  • WOF: Width of fabric, selvage to selvage (often ~42″ for quilting cotton).
  • Bias: 45° to the grain; stretches to ease around curves.
  • Mitered corner: 45° folded corner for neat bindings.
  • Reveal: The visible width of the finished binding on the quilt front.
  • Selvage: The tightly woven edge; trim away for clean strips.
  • Flange/piping: Optional narrow accent; may require a slightly wider cut.

About This Calculator & How the Formulas Work

This Quilt Binding Calculator is designed to give you fast, accurate cutting guidance for nearly any project. Enter your finished quilt size directly or build it from block counts and finished block size. Add optional borders, choose single- or double-fold binding, and decide whether you need straight‑grain for square corners or bias for curves and rounded edges. The tool then computes the binding length, number of WOF strips, exact and rounded yardage (also shown in meters), and a clean cut plan you can print, copy, or export as CSV.

The core perimeter formula is simple: P = 2(W + H). To this, we add allowances for corners, the final join, and a safety buffer. Rounded or scalloped quilts typically need extra length; you can model that with a percent uplift. Directional prints (like stripes and plaids) may also require more yardage for visual alignment, so a second uplift is available. Finally, if you pre‑wash fabrics that shrink, the yardage can be increased by a shrinkage percentage before rounding to the nearest eighth of a yard.

Component Meaning Typical Value
P = 2(W + H) Perimeter of finished quilt after borders (inches) Throw 60×72 → 264 in
4 × C Mitered corner allowance (per corner, 4 corners) 1–2 in per corner
J Join allowance for connecting tails 10–12 in
B Extra buffer for comfort 8–20 in
Urounded Uplift for rounded/scalloped edges 0–10%
Udirectional Uplift for directional prints / matching 0–10%

Putting it together, the calculator uses: 

L = ( 2(W + H) + 4×C + J + B ) × (1 + Urounded) × (1 + Udirectional)

With L (the required binding length) known, the number of strips is N = ceil(L ÷ usableWOF), where usable WOF is your fabric width minus selvedge. Yardage is then computed from the number of strips multiplied by the cut width: Yards = N × cut_width ÷ 36. If shrinkage is set, yards are multiplied by (1 + shrinkage) before rounding to the nearest eighth. The “waste” figure shows the leftover inches when the last strip is more than you need.

Worked Example Value Notes
Quilt size (W×H) 60 × 72 in Throw size, no borders
Allowances C=2 in (×4), J=12 in, B=10 in Mitered corners and diagonal join
Usable WOF 41 in WOF 42 in minus 1 in selvage
Cut width 2.5 in (double‑fold) Common for quilts with medium loft
Results L = 294 in; N = 8 strips; Yardage ≈ 0.625 yd Rounded to the nearest ⅛ yard
Bias square S ≈ √(L × strip_width) ≈ 27.1 in Minimum square for continuous‑bias method

Advanced features streamline special cases. Jelly‑roll mode fixes the cut width at 2½″ and tells you if the strips you already own are sufficient. The scrappy planner accepts a list of piece lengths and, using a simple greedy approach with seam‑loss per join, builds a combination that meets or exceeds L with minimal waste. Batch mode lets you collect multiple quilts and export a combined cut sheet, while shareable URLs preserve your inputs for easy collaboration or future reference.

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Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.