Cross Stitch Floss Calculator

List each colour with its stitch count, then pick your fabric and strands. The calculator estimates the floss length and the number of skeins to buy for every colour. Free, no sign-up.

3 colours (4,250 stitches) on 14-count Aida with 2 strands need about 53.6 m (58.6 yd) of working thread: buy 4 skeins in all.

Skeins to buy: 4whole skeins, per colour rounded up
Working thread: 53.6 m58.6 yd
Full crosses per skein: 1,826at these settings

Colour	Stitches	Floss	Skeins
Black (DMC 310)	1,200 full cross	15.8 m (17.2 yd)	1 (0.66)
Red (DMC 321)	2,600 full cross	34.2 m (37.4 yd)	2 (1.42)
Outline (DMC 3799)	450 backstitch	3.7 m (4.0 yd)	1 (0.15)

One skein is 8 m (8.7 yd) of six-strand floss, per DMC. Floss length is the working length with your strands held together.

How many stitches does one skein of floss make?

The table shows full cross stitches per 8 m skein from this site’s floss model at the default 50% allowance, rounded to the nearest 10. Use it to check a chart quickly; the calculator above gives the exact figure for your settings.

Estimates from the geometric model on the methodology page. Tension, your stitching method and how you start and end threads move the real number.
Fabric	1 strand	2 strands	3 strands
11-count Aida	2,870	1,440	960
14-count Aida	3,650	1,830	1,220
16-count Aida	4,170	2,090	1,390
18-count Aida	4,700	2,350	1,570
20-count Aida	5,220	2,610	1,740
28-count linen or evenweave, over two	3,650	1,830	1,220
32-count linen, over two	4,170	2,090	1,390

What is a cross stitch floss calculator?

A cross stitch floss calculator is a planning tool that estimates how much embroidery floss each colour of a chart needs and how many skeins to buy. It works from the stitch count per colour, the fabric count, the number of strands and the stitch type.

How the floss calculator works

It works out the stitch size from the fabric: 2.54 cm ÷ (count ÷ over). On 14-count Aida one stitch is 0.18 cm wide.
It multiplies the stitch size by the thread path of the stitch type. A full cross runs two diagonals on the front and two short verticals on the back.
It adds the allowance for tails, travel and the thread passing through the fabric.
It multiplies by your strands and divides by one skein of six strands × 8 m, then rounds each colour up to whole skeins.

Floss formula and worked example

thread per full cross (cm) = (2√2 + 2) × 2.54 × over ÷ count × (1 + allowance)
skeins = stitches × thread per cross × strands ÷ (6 × 800 cm)

Worked example: on 14-count Aida a full cross needs (2√2 + 2) × 0.181 = 0.876 cm of thread before the allowance, or 1.314 cm with 50%. With 2 strands that is 2.63 cm of single strand per stitch. A skein holds 6 × 800 = 4,800 cm of single strand, so one skein makes about 1,826 full crosses. The red colour above, with 2,600 stitches, needs 2 skeins.

How many strands of floss should you use?

Two strands is the usual choice on 14- and 16-count Aida. Colonial Needle’s guide gives the full list below; finer fabrics take fewer strands, and stitching over two takes about the same as the Aida with the same stitch size.

Strands: Colonial Needle, how many strands of embroidery floss to use. Needles: Lindy Stitches, what size needle do I need. Both call these starting points, not rules.
Fabric	Strands	Tapestry needle
11-count Aida	3–4	Not stated by our sources
14-count Aida	2	24 (26 also used)
16-count Aida	2	26
18-count Aida	1–2	28
20-count Aida	1	Not stated by our sources
28-count linen or evenweave, over two	1–2	24
32-count linen, over two	1–2	26

What changes how much floss you use?

Strands. Three strands use 50% more floss than two.
Fabric count. Smaller stitches use less thread each: 18-count uses about 22% less per stitch than 14-count.
Stitch type. A half stitch uses half the thread of a full cross; backstitch is counted per stitch length.
Method and tension. Stitching in rows, parking threads and long jumps on the back all change the real figure. Raise the allowance if you often run short.

Why do floss estimates differ so much?

Published figures for one skein on 14-count Aida with two strands range from a few hundred to almost 2,000 full crosses, because each source assumes a different stitching method and waste. This calculator shows its model and lets you change the allowance, so you can match it to how you stitch.

Should you buy an extra skein?

Yes, for any colour that covers a large area. Running out halfway through a background is harder to fix than having floss left over, and leftover skeins are easy to use in the next project.

Does a skein of DMC floss have six strands?

Yes. DMC six-strand floss is sold in 8 m (8.7 yd) skeins of six strands that you separate before stitching. The calculator counts the whole skein as 6 × 8 m of single strand.

How do I count the stitches of each colour?

Many digital patterns list the stitch count per colour in the key. If yours does not, pattern software or the PDF’s colour key usually shows it; otherwise estimate by counting a 10 × 10 block and scaling up.

Sources: DMC, Mouliné Spécial six-strand floss (sold in 8 m / 8.7 yd skeins); Fat Quarter Shop, beginner's guide to cross stitch floss and needles; Colonial Needle, how many strands of embroidery floss to use; Lindy Stitches, what size needle do I need. Every formula and default is explained on the methodology page.

Published by Cross Stitch Calculator; maintained by Fahad Shoaib. Method version 1.1. Last updated November 14, 2026. Found a wrong number? Tell us.