Practical tools for measured work
Quilt Binding Calculator & Strip Layout
Calculate perimeter, WOF strip count and fabric to buy from your quilt size, cut-strip width and joining allowance.
Calculate the layout, check the diagram, then print the result for the shop or jobsite.
Enter the width you will cut, not the finished binding width.
12 in is a common practical allowance.
Cut 8 straight-grain strips across the usable fabric width. The fabric requirement is strip count × entered cut width, rounded up for purchasing.
How it works
What to cut: the result gives the number of straight-grain width-of-fabric strips and the fabric length needed to cut them.
Formula: perimeter = 2 × (width + length), plus the entered extra. Each diagonal strip join is conservatively treated as consuming one cut-strip width. Fabric cut length = strip count × cut-strip width.
Example: a 60 × 80 in quilt has a 280 in perimeter. Adding 12 in, using 40 in WOF and 2 1/2 in strips requires eight strips.
Current-input example
The result above uses these exact values. This snapshot is included when the page is printed so the output can be checked against the original measurements.
- Measurement unit
- Inches
- Quilt width
- 60
- Quilt length
- 80
- Cut-strip width
- 2.5
- Usable width of fabric (WOF)
- 40
- Overlap and joining extra
- 12
Primary result: WOF strips to cut: 8.
Before using the result
- Measure from the datum or reference edge described by this tool, and do not mix inside, outside and centerline dimensions.
- Keep inputs in the displayed units and preserve more precision than the final cutting or purchasing tolerance requires.
- When the result is close to a limit, verify it with a test piece, field measurement, manufacturer drawing or qualified project professional.
Limitations
This is a straight-grain WOF calculation. Continuous bias binding needs a separate square-layout calculation and is not estimated here. Diagonal joining, turn of cloth, fabric thickness and your binding method affect the best cut-strip width; enter the width your pattern or tested method requires.
Frequently asked questions
Is binding width the finished width?
No. Enter the width of each strip before folding. A common double-fold quilt binding starts with a 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 inch cut strip, but the correct width depends on batting and seam method.
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