Patch & MeasureA little less math. A little more making.
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02 / FINISH THE EDGES

Quilt binding calculator.

Calculate straight-grain quilt binding strips and fabric yardage, including join loss and your finishing allowance.

Example project
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Your measurements

1 Quilt top
Actual quilt-top width.
Actual quilt-top length.

Use decimals or fractions, such as 60 1/2.

2 Binding fabric
Width after removing selvages.
Before folding; 2 1/2 in is a common choice.
Extra length for corners and closing the loop.
These are straight-grain strips, not bias-cut binding.
On each edge of a straight join.
3 Fabric to buy

We round up once, at the end. Add more if you need extra for shrinkage or squaring the fabric.

Plan backing with these dimensions →

A little room to be sure: check the measurements and assumptions before buying or cutting.

THE MATH, UNPACKED

A clean edge starts
with enough binding.

Binding has to go all the way around your quilt, with extra length for corners and closing the loop. Joining strips uses some of that length, too.

Read the full method →
How is the fabric calculated?

We add the finishing allowance to twice the quilt width plus twice the length. A diagonal join loses one cut strip width per join; a straight join loses two seam allowances. We find the smallest whole strip count that covers the required length, then multiply by the cut strip width.

A 60 × 80 inch example

For a 60 × 80 inch quilt, the perimeter is 280 inches. Add 12 inches to finish. With 42-inch strips cut 2 1/2 inches wide and diagonal joins, you need 8 strips. Cut 20 inches along the bolt; rounded up to the next 1/8 yard, buy 5/8 yard.

What is outside this estimate?

Bias-cut binding, curved quilts, flange binding, fabric shrinkage and damaged sections are not included. The finishing allowance is separate from join loss, so you can adjust it without counting the same loss twice.