Why do two 100g skeins have different yardage?

Yardage per weight depends on the yarn's thickness and fiber density — a thinner yarn contains more length per gram than a thicker yarn of the same weight.

How do I know how much yarn a pattern actually needs?

Check the pattern's stated total yardage requirement, then compare it against the yardage per skein of your chosen yarn to calculate how many skeins to buy, rather than just matching the pattern's skein count.

Yarn Yardage Calculator

Estimate how much yarn you need for your knitting or crochet project.

Project Type

Unit

Width

Length

Yarn Weight

Gauge (stitches per inch)

How to Use the Yarn Yardage Calculator

Select a project type preset or choose "Custom" and enter your own dimensions.
Enter the width and length of your finished project in inches or cm.
Select your yarn weight — this determines how many yards of yarn are used per stitch.
Enter your gauge (stitches per inch). Check your yarn label or work a swatch.
Click Calculate Yardage to see how many yards and meters you need.

Tips

The "Yards + 20% Buffer" result is what we recommend buying to avoid running out mid-project.
Lace and textured stitch patterns often use more yarn than stockinette for the same area.
Yarn weight defaults (yards per stitch) are averages — heavier weights use more yarn per stitch.
If you already have yarn, divide total yards by yardage per skein to find how many skeins you need.

About this Yarn Yardage Calculator

Yarn is sold by weight (grams or ounces) but used up by length (yards or meters), and the relationship between the two depends on the yarn's thickness — a 100g skein of lace weight contains far more length than a 100g skein of bulky, since a thinner strand needs less material to reach the same weight.

Always compare total yardage, not skein count

When substituting a different yarn than a pattern specifies, compare total project yardage needed against the yardage per skein of your chosen yarn, since different brands package different lengths per skein even at the same weight category. See the yarn weight guide for a full breakdown of weight categories and how to substitute yarn correctly.