Knitting · crochet · yarn
Yarn yardage calculator.
Work out how many skeins to buy, how many yards are left in a partial ball, or how much yarn a different weight needs. Look up needle and hook sizes too. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
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Worked examples
Skeins. A pattern needs 1,200 yd. With a 10% margin that is 1,320 yd. At 220 yd per skein, 1,320 / 220 = 6.0, so buy 6 skeins (1,320 yd, 120 yd spare). If the pattern needs 1,260 yd, the margin makes it 1,386 yd = 6.3 skeins, so buy 7.
Partial ball. A 100 g skein holds 220 yd, so 2.2 yd per gram. A 37 g remnant holds 37 x 2.2 = 81.4 yd (74.4 m).
Weight swap. A pattern wants 800 yd of Medium (4) worsted yarn at 18 sts per 4 in. You use Light (3) DK at 22.5 sts per 4 in. Ratio 22.5 / 18 = 1.25, so plan for about 1,000 yd (about 900 to 1,100 yd allowing 10% either way).
How it is calculated
Skeins: skeins = ceil( pattern yards x (1 + margin) / yards per skein ). Rounding up always, because you cannot buy part of a skein. The 10% margin is a rule of thumb used by this calculator, not a published standard; set it to 0 for the bare pattern figure.
Partial ball: yards left = full-skein yards x partial weight / full weight. Yarn is sold by weight and length together, so length is proportional to weight if the yarn is the same. Conversions use the exact definitions 1 yd = 0.9144 m and 1 oz = 28.349523125 g.
Weight swap: substitute yards = pattern yards x (substitute gauge / pattern gauge), with gauge in stitches per 4 inches. A stitch uses yarn length roughly proportional to its width (1 / gauge), and the number of stitches in a given area grows with gauge squared, so the yarn length for the same fabric area scales about linearly with gauge. This holds only for the same fabric structure; a different stitch pattern, drape or tension changes it, so the result is shown with a 10% range and is not a Craft Yarn Council figure. When you pick a yarn weight category the gauge boxes are filled with the middle of the CYC range for that category (Jumbo has only an upper bound, 6 sts, so that value is used).
Needle and hook sizes: read directly from the Craft Yarn Council Hooks & Needles chart. If you enter a millimetre size that is not on the chart, the nearest listed size is shown and flagged as approximate. The CYC advises relying on the millimetre size printed on the packaging because letters and numbers vary from company to company.
Craft Yarn Council Standard Yarn Weight System
| No. | Category | Yarns in category | Knit gauge, sts per 4 in | Needle, mm | Needle, US | Crochet gauge, sc sts per 4 in | Hook, mm | Hook, US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Lace | Fingering, 10-count crochet thread | 33-40 | 1.5-2.25 | 000 to 1 | 32-42 dc | 1.4-2.25 | Steel 6, 7, 8; regular hook B-1 |
| 1 | Super Fine | Sock, Fingering, Baby | 27-32 | 2.25-3.25 | 1 to 3 | 21-32 | 2.25-3.5 | B-1 to E-4 |
| 2 | Fine | Sport, Baby | 23-26 | 3.25-3.75 | 3 to 5 | 16-20 | 3.5-4.5 | E-4 to 7 |
| 3 | Light | DK, Light Worsted | 21-24 | 3.75-4.5 | 5 to 7 | 12-17 | 4.5-5.5 | 7 to I-9 |
| 4 | Medium | Worsted, Afghan, Aran | 16-20 | 4.5-5.5 | 7 to 9 | 11-14 | 5.5-6.5 | I-9 to K-10 1/2 |
| 5 | Bulky | Chunky, Craft, Rug | 12-15 | 5.5-8 | 9 to 11 | 8-11 | 6.5-9 | K-10 1/2 to M-13 |
| 6 | Super Bulky | Super Bulky, Roving | 7-11 | 8-12.75 | 11 to 17 | 7-9 | 9-15 | M-13 to Q |
| 7 | Jumbo | Jumbo, Roving | 6 or fewer | 12.75 and larger | 17 and larger | 6 or fewer | 15 and larger | Q and larger |
Guidelines only, per the CYC. Lace weight yarns are usually worked on larger needles and hooks for openwork, so a lace gauge range is difficult to determine; follow the pattern gauge. Crochet gauge for Lace is given by the CYC in double crochets (dc). Steel hooks run the opposite way from regular hooks: the higher the number, the smaller the hook. Source: Craft Yarn Council, Standard Yarn Weight System, read 2026-10-02.
Full size tables: knitting needle size conversion, crochet hook size conversion and the yarn weight conversion chart.
Sources. Craft Yarn Council, Standard Yarn Weight System; Craft Yarn Council, Hooks & Needles; Craft Yarn Council, Standards. Yard and ounce definitions: the international yard of 0.9144 m (1959) and the avoirdupois ounce of 28.349523125 g (NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C). Table data as of 2026-10-02.
Boundary: estimates only. Real yarn use varies with tension, stitch pattern, fibre, size and how you finish. Buy all skeins of one project from the same dye lot where you can, and swatch before committing to a substitute.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how many skeins of yarn I need?
Divide the yardage the pattern asks for by the yards in one skein, then round up to a whole skein. This calculator first adds a safety margin (10% by default) to cover swatching, gauge differences and a ball that runs short, because you cannot usually buy one more skein of the same dye lot later. Example: 1,200 yd pattern, 10% margin = 1,320 yd; at 220 yd per skein that is exactly 6 skeins. If the pattern gives metres, switch the length unit; 1 yd is exactly 0.9144 m.
How many yards are left in a partial ball of yarn?
Weigh the partial ball on a kitchen scale and compare it to the full skein weight printed on the label. Yards left = full-skein yards x (partial weight / full weight). So a 37 g remnant of a 100 g, 220 yd skein holds about 81 yd (74 m). It is an estimate: it ignores any cardboard core or label you left on the scale, so weigh the bare yarn (zero the scale with the empty core first) and treat the answer as within a few percent.
Can I substitute a different yarn weight for the one in the pattern?
Sometimes, but expect a different fabric and different yardage. A thinner yarn makes smaller stitches, so a project needs more yards of it; a thicker yarn needs fewer. The swap mode estimates this from the two gauges: yards needed = pattern yards x (substitute stitches per 4 in / original stitches per 4 in), because each stitch is shorter but there are more of them in a given area. It is a geometric estimate, not a Craft Yarn Council rule. Always knit or crochet a gauge swatch in the substitute yarn, and buy a skein or two extra if you cannot go back to the same dye lot.
What are the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight categories 0 to 7?
The CYC Standard Yarn Weight System numbers eight categories: 0 Lace, 1 Super Fine (sock, fingering, baby), 2 Fine (sport, baby), 3 Light (DK, light worsted), 4 Medium (worsted, afghan, aran), 5 Bulky (chunky, craft, rug), 6 Super Bulky (roving) and 7 Jumbo (roving). Each has a knit and crochet gauge range and a recommended needle and hook range, shown in the table on this page. The CYC lists these as guidelines only. UK and Australian "ply" names (such as 4 ply or 8 ply) are not part of the CYC system and vary between makers, so check the label for the gauge.
What US knitting needle size is 5 mm?
5 mm is a US size 8 needle, according to the Craft Yarn Council hooks and needles chart. Nearby sizes: 4.5 mm is US 7, 5.5 mm is US 9, 6 mm is US 10. The CYC advises relying on the millimetre size printed on the packaging, because letter and number sizes vary from company to company. See the knitting needle size conversion page for the full table.
Why do crochet hook letters differ between brands?
US hook letters and numbers were never fully standardised, so the same millimetre size can carry slightly different labels (the CYC chart lists 4 mm as G-6 and 4.25 mm as G, for example). The Craft Yarn Council says to rely on the millimetre size, which is an accurate measurement, and to check your gauge swatch. Steel crochet hooks, used for lace weight yarn and thread, run the other way: the higher the number, the smaller the hook.