Yarn Yardage & Skein Calculator

Balls to buy

1. Enter the pattern’s total required length and the length printed on each new ball. Choose meters or yards separately for either field.
2. For a replacement yarn, enter the number of original balls and their label length, then enter the replacement ball length. A fractional original-ball count is allowed.
3. For leftover yarn, weigh only the remaining net yarn and enter the same yarn’s label length and net mass. Use the transfer button only if the yarn and color suit the project.

What the calculator shows

• Rounds the length still needed up to whole new balls; no ball is required when usable stock already covers the target.
• Applies your chosen allowance to the original requirement before subtracting stock.
• Keeps meters and yards independent for pattern, original and replacement labels.
• Estimates leftover length from a label’s length-to-mass ratio and reports both meters and yards.

Worked examples

• A pattern calls for 1,200 m of yarn. With 175 m per ball, buy 7 balls for a total of 1,225 m, before counting any yarn you already have.
• A pattern calls for 8 balls of 220 yd each (1,760 yd total). If the replacement yarn has 175 yd per ball, you need 11 balls.
• A leftover piece weighs 35 g, and its label says 220 m per 100 g. That is about 77 m of yarn. Count it as yarn on hand if the yarn and color suit your project.

How the estimate works

Allowance is optional and starts at 0%. With a 1,200 m requirement, 10% allowance and 300 m of usable stock, the target is 1,320 m and the remaining need is 1,020 m. Six 175 m balls provide 1,050 m, leaving a 30 m margin above the target.

For substitution, length is the only quantity used here. Yarn weight category means thickness, not a mass-to-length formula. A 100 g label does not determine length without that yarn’s own length label.

Leftover length is proportional to net mass: 220 m × 35 g ÷ 100 g = 77 m. Weigh multiple portions of the same yarn together if useful, but remove packaging, paper bands and cores. Label and scale variation make the result an estimate.

Privacy and limits

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Confirm the estimated yarn suits the project and color before using it as stock.