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Binding Calculator

Figure out how many strips to cut and how much fabric to buy — straight-grain or continuous bias.

Quilt length (inches):

Quilt width (inches):

Strip width (inches):

How wide you cut each binding strip — most quilters use 2½" for double-fold binding.

Width of fabric (WOF, inches):

As printed on the bolt — we subtract 2" for the selvages, so 42" counts as 40" usable.

Straight grain or bias — which do you need?

Straight grain

  • Straight edges (most quilts)
  • Uses less fabric
  • Easiest to cut — just WOF strips

Bias

  • Curves, scallops, or rounded corners
  • Stripes or plaids (that classic barber-pole look)
  • Stretches around curves; uses more fabric

New to binding?

Binding is the fabric strip that wraps the raw edges of a finished quilt — like a tidy frame. Most quilters use double-fold binding: cut strips about 2½" wide, fold them in half lengthwise, and sew them around the quilt's edge.

Straight-grain binding is cut selvage to selvage — width of fabric (WOF) strips, usually about 40" of usable length each after trimming. You sew the strips together end to end, then attach that one long strip around the quilt.

Bias binding is cut on the diagonal so the strip has stretch — you need that give for curves, scallops, and rounded corners. Cutting it from a square (the continuous-bias method) gives you one long strip without a pile of short pieces.

This calculator tells you three things: what to cut (how many strips, or how big a square), how long your binding will run (with extra built in for corners and joining), and how much to buy, rounded up to a shop-friendly cut (eighths of a yard).

Tip: measure your quilt after it's quilted — quilts draw up a bit. And when in doubt, round up. Running short on binding is nobody's idea of fun.