Quilt Binding Calculator
Strips to bind a quilt, and the yardage they take.
Calculate how many binding strips a quilt needs from its perimeter, and the fabric length to cut them from.
Binding strips
7
17.50" of fabric · 0.49 yd
Round up: a binding that runs eight inches short needs a whole extra strip anyway. Straight-grain binding is fine for square corners; use bias for curved edges, where it also wears better because the fold does not sit on one set of threads.
How the Quilt Binding Calculator works
Binding is a perimeter problem with a margin for the corners. Add up the four sides, add about a foot for the mitres and the closing join, then divide by how long a strip you get across the fabric — and round up, because a binding that runs out eight inches short is a whole extra strip either way.
Also known as: binding yardage calculator · quilt edge binding calculator
How the number is derived
Binding is a perimeter problem. Add the four sides — twice the width plus twice the length — then add ten to twelve inches for the mitred corners and the join where the two ends meet. Divide by the usable strip length, which is the fabric width, and round up.
Multiply the strip count by the strip width to get the length of fabric to cut from. Seven strips at 2.5 inches is 17.5 inches, so half a yard covers it.
Rounding up is not optional. A binding that finishes eight inches short needs another full strip cut, joined and pressed, so there is no benefit to cutting it fine.
A worked example
A 60 by 80 quilt has a perimeter of 280 inches. Adding 12 for corners and the join gives 292. At 42 inches per strip that is 6.95 strips, so seven. Seven strips of 2.5 inches is 17.5 inches of fabric — comfortably within half a yard.
The same quilt bound at 2.25 inches uses 15.75 inches, and at 2.5 inches cut on the bias would need a 28 inch square instead. All three are half-yard purchases, which is why binding is rarely where a quilt's fabric budget goes.
Where the answer misleads
Strips joined on the diagonal lose about half an inch each to the seam, which the corner allowance absorbs on a normal quilt but not on a small one. For a mug rug or a placemat, add proportionally more rather than the flat twelve inches.
The strip width sets the finished binding width, and the relationship depends on the batting loft. A 2.5 inch strip finishes at roughly three eighths of an inch over standard cotton batting, and noticeably wider over a high-loft polyester, because the binding has more depth to wrap.
Bias binding for a curved edge uses more fabric than the strip count suggests, since it is cut from a square rather than across the width. Use the bias binding calculator for that case rather than this one.
Frequently asked questions
How much binding does a quilt need?
The perimeter plus about 10 to 12 inches. A 60 by 80 quilt has a 280 inch perimeter, so around 292 inches of binding, which is seven strips cut across a 42 inch width.
What width should binding strips be?
Two and a half inches is the most common for double-fold binding on a standard quilt, giving a finished binding of around three eighths of an inch. Two and a quarter gives a tighter finish and suits thinner batting.
Straight grain or bias?
Straight grain is fine and more economical for a quilt with square corners, which is most of them. Bias is needed for curved edges and wears slightly better, since the fold does not fall on a single set of threads.
How much fabric do seven strips take?
Seven strips at 2.5 inches is 17.5 inches of fabric, so half a yard covers it with a little to spare. Buying a full yard is common practice because it leaves enough for a second small quilt's binding.