Embroidery Floss Calculator
On 14-count each stitch sits in a 0.18 cm square, and one cross is two diagonals of it — 0.51 cm. Travelling on the back and securing the starts and ends eats roughly as much again, so budget about 1.03 cm per stitch per strand. Two strands over 1,000 stitches comes to 20.5 m.
Your numbers
Floss length
20.5m
Balls
1balls
Formula
Floss length = Stitch count × Strands × 4 × √2 × 2.54 ÷ Fabric count ÷ 100
A DMC skein is six strands of 8 m, or 48 m of single strand, which covers about 2,300 stitches at two strands. Long jumps on the back and frequent colour changes burn through it much faster, so allow extra for a colour scattered across the whole chart.
What to enter
| Input | Default | Accepted range |
|---|---|---|
| Stitch count (sts)Total stitches to work. | 1,000 | 1 and up |
| StrandsStrands in the needle, out of the six in the skein. | 2 | 1 ~ 6 |
| Fabric countStitches per inch of fabric; 14-count is the common one. | 14 | 6 ~ 32 |
Step by step
Quick reference table
Results when only Stitch count (sts) changes and everything else stays put.
| Stitch count (sts) | Floss length (m) | Balls (balls) |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 10.3 | 1 |
| 750 | 15.4 | 1 |
| 1,000 | 20.5 | 1 |
| 1,500 | 30.8 | 1 |
| 2,000 | 41.1 | 1 |
What each result means
| Result | At default values |
|---|---|
| Floss length (m)Floss length for the strands in the needle, not whole skeins. | 20.5 |
| Balls (balls)Balls to buy; you cannot split one, so it rounds up. | 1 |
Common mistakes
A DMC skein is six strands of 8 m, or 48 m of single strand, which covers about 2,300 stitches at two strands. Long jumps on the back and frequent colour changes burn through it much faster, so allow extra for a colour scattered across the whole chart.
Glossary
- Stitch count
- Total stitches to work.
- Strands
- Strands in the needle, out of the six in the skein.
- Fabric count
- Stitches per inch of fabric; 14-count is the common one.
- Floss length
- Floss length for the strands in the needle, not whole skeins.
- Balls
- Balls to buy; you cannot split one, so it rounds up.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How is Embroidery Floss Calculator calculated?
Floss length = Stitch count × Strands × 4 × √2 × 2.54 ÷ Fabric count ÷ 100 — On 14-count each stitch sits in a 0.18 cm square, and one cross is two diagonals of it — 0.51 cm. Travelling on the back and securing the starts and ends eats roughly as much again, so budget about 1.03 cm per stitch per strand. Two strands over 1,000 stitches comes to 20.5 m.
Q. Can you walk through an example?
With Stitch count 1,000sts, Strands 2, Fabric count 14, the answer is Floss length 20.5m.
Q. What do I need to enter?
Enter Stitch count, Strands, Fabric count. The result recalculates as you type, and an empty box counts as zero.
Q. How much does the answer move if I change a number?
Changing only Stitch count (sts) moves the answer to Stitch count (sts) 500 → Floss length (m) 10.3 and Stitch count (sts) 2,000 → Floss length (m) 41.1. The table below lays out five steps.
Q. How are the numbers rounded?
Money is shown to the nearest whole unit, percentages to one decimal place and everything else to two. What you see is rounded; the calculation itself carries the unrounded value forward.
Q. Anything to watch out for?
A DMC skein is six strands of 8 m, or 48 m of single strand, which covers about 2,300 stitches at two strands. Long jumps on the back and frequent colour changes burn through it much faster, so allow extra for a colour scattered across the whole chart.
Related calculators
Materials differ in density and absorption. If your label states a figure, use it — the defaults here are only common values.