Cross Stitch Floss Calculator
Estimate how many skeins of six-strand floss each color needs from its full-cross stitch count, your fabric, and the strands you use.
Free · No account · Calculates in your browser
Estimate your thread
Enter occupied full crosses for each color, not the chart width × height.
Aida: over 1. For 28-count linen over 2, enter 28 and choose over 2; this equals 14 stitches per inch.
15% is Crosspic’s starting allowance. Long carries, frequent starts, tension, and unpicking can use more thread. This model excludes backstitch and specialty stitches.
1
1,000 full crosses · 14 stitches/inch · 15% extra included
Each color is rounded up separately. Results assume you are starting with no thread; check what you already own.
Estimate for each color
- 3101 skein
1,000 crosses · 0.42 skein before rounding
10.07 m with 2 strands held together
20.15 m of individual strands combined
For six-strand floss only. An 8 m skein contains 48 m of individual strands. Very small positive amounts can display as 0.00 before rounding but still require one skein.
Start with the stitches for each thread
Use the number of occupied full crosses in each color from your chart key. A 100 × 100 chart has room for 10,000 cells, but some may be empty or belong to other colors. Entering 10,000 for every thread would overcount the project.
For your own picture, generate a cross-stitch pattern and review the per-color stitch counts in Colors & preview. Crosspic’s project information and exported PDF already include floss estimates using the same default model. This standalone calculator also lets you enter counts from another chart and change the allowance.
How the estimate works
Crosspic models each full cross as two front diagonals plus two stitch-widths of travel on the back. Multiply by the number of stitches and strands, then add your chosen percentage. This is a geometric planning model for closely grouped full crosses, not a measured guarantee for your stitching style.
Effective count = fabric count ÷ threads covered by each stitch. Individual-strand meters = stitches × (2 × √2 + 2) × 0.0254 ÷ effective count × floss strands × (1 + extra percentage ÷ 100).
Fractional skeins = individual-strand meters ÷ (skein length × 6). Round up each color separately, then add those whole-skein quantities. Two half-used skeins in different colors still require two skeins.
Worked example: 1,000 crosses
With 14-count Aida over one square, two strands, 15% extra, and an 8 m six-strand skein, 1,000 full crosses in one color use about 20.15 m of individual strands in this model.
That is about 10.07 m when two strands are held together. An 8 m six-strand skein contains 48 m of individual strands: 20.15 ÷ 48 ≈ 0.42 skein. Starting with no thread, round up to one skein for that color.
The 8 m default matches DMC six-strand cotton floss. Check your own thread’s packaging; this calculator assumes six separable strands and is not for pearl cotton, wool, or other thread constructions.
When you may need more
Long carries between isolated stitches, frequent starts and finishes, fabric thickness, tension, and unpicking can increase use. A percentage allowance cannot predict those effects for every pattern. Increase it when appropriate, or stitch a sample and compare actual usage before buying for a large project.
Backstitch, fractional crosses, knots, beads, and blended colors are outside this calculator’s model. For blends, estimate each constituent thread separately with the strands actually used. Review your chart’s instructions and supplies list.
Reduce unnecessary color changes with the palette cleanup guide, while retaining the highlights that make your picture recognizable.
Fabric threads and floss strands
“Over two” describes the fabric threads covered by a stitch. It is separate from how many floss strands you hold together. Choose over two on 28-count linen to calculate at 14 stitches per inch; still enter your actual floss strand count.
A higher effective fabric count uses smaller crosses in this model. It does not remove chart cells or change how many colors your pattern contains. Use the fabric calculator for finished dimensions and fabric allowance, or compare 14, 16, and 18-count Aida.
See Crosspic’s project floss estimates for the editor and PDF conventions, or browse all free tools.
Plan a pattern from your own picture.
Choose a crop, compare colors, and inspect the actual chart before planning supplies.
Create my photo pattern