Raglan Calculator
Increase rounds for a top-down raglan yoke.
Calculate raglan increase rounds from the cast-on and target stitch counts, at eight increases per round.
Increase rounds
13
26 rounds in total · 200 sts
This divides by eight exactly and lands on the target. Separate for the sleeves when the raglan line reaches the underarm, which is roughly a third of the chest circumference measured down the centre back.
How the Raglan Calculator works
A raglan gains eight stitches every increase round — two at each of the four seam lines — which makes the round count a simple division rather than a row-gauge problem. What it also means is that a raglan can only land on stitch counts eight apart, so a target that does not divide by eight is reached by overshooting rather than falling short.
Also known as: raglan yoke calculator · top-down sweater calculator
Why eight, and why it constrains the answer
A raglan has four seam lines — two at the front, two at the back — and each one gains a stitch on either side of it per increase round. Four seams times two stitches is eight stitches per round, regardless of size, yarn or gauge.
That makes the round count a division rather than a row-gauge calculation: stitches to gain, divided by eight, rounded up. It also means a raglan can only ever land on stitch counts that are eight apart from the cast-on, so an arbitrary target is reached by overshooting.
Overshooting is the right direction. A few spare stitches in the body are absorbed by a single decrease round after the sleeves separate; finishing short leaves an armhole too tight, and there is no way to add depth after the fact.
A worked example
Ninety-six stitches after the neckband, needing 200 at the underarm. That is 104 stitches to gain, which is exactly thirteen rounds of eight. Working increases every other round makes the yoke 26 rounds deep.
Change the target to 199 and the arithmetic gives thirteen rounds again, landing on 200 — one stitch over. Decrease one stitch on the first round after separating and nothing about the garment records that it happened.
Where the answer misleads
The round count says nothing about whether the yoke is deep enough. Increase frequency sets that: every other round gives a roughly 45 degree raglan line, every third round a shallower and longer one. A yoke with the right stitch count but the wrong depth binds at the underarm or sags at the neck.
Depth is best judged by trying it on rather than by calculation. The yoke is finished when the raglan line reaches the underarm, which for an adult is roughly a third of the chest circumference measured down the centre back — but body shape moves that figure more than any formula accounts for.
Finally, this assumes a plain raglan. A yoke with a contiguous set-in sleeve, a shaped shoulder or short-row neck shaping changes the increase count per round, and the eight no longer holds.
Frequently asked questions
How many stitches does a raglan increase per round?
Eight — one either side of each of the four raglan lines. So the number of increase rounds is the stitches you need to gain divided by eight, rounded up.
How often should I work an increase round?
Every other round is the standard for a top-down yoke, which gives a 45 degree raglan line. Every third round produces a shallower, longer yoke; every round a very steep one that suits a deep neckline.
What if my target does not divide by eight?
Round up and take the overshoot. A few extra stitches in the body are easily absorbed by a decrease round after the yoke separates, whereas finishing short leaves the armhole too tight to fix.
How deep should the yoke be before separating?
Roughly a third of the chest circumference for an adult, measured from the neck down the centre back. Try it on if you can: the yoke is finished when the raglan line reaches the underarm, and that is easier to see than to calculate.