Quilt Binding Calculator: Strips, Yardage and Length

Your details

Straight-grain is the most common method: strips are cut selvage to selvage. Bias binding stretches slightly and handles curves better but uses more fabric.
The finished width of your quilt top, measured edge to edge.
in
The finished length of your quilt top, measured edge to edge.
in
Width of each strip before folding. Common choices: 2.25 in for a narrow finish, 2.5 in (most popular) for a slightly fuller look.
in
Width of your binding fabric from selvage to selvage. Quilting cotton is typically 40-44 in (102-112 cm). Deduct 2-4 in for the selvage you discard.
in
Extra binding length added for overlapping strip joins, mitered corners, and the starting-tail connection. 10-12 in is typical for most quilts.
in
Total binding length needed
292

Quilt perimeter plus joining allowance

Number of strips to cut7
Fabric length needed17.5
Yards to buy0.5
Quilt perimeter280
Quilt perimeter280
Total binding (incl. allowance)292

You need 0.500 yards of binding fabric for this quilt.

  • Cut 7 strips at 2.5 in wide across the full fabric width, then sew them end-to-end at a 45-degree angle.
  • Buy at least 0.5 yards of binding fabric to cover your 280 in quilt perimeter plus joining allowance.
  • With 7 strips you will have several seams to press open. Press seam allowances to one side and trim dog-ear points flush for a neat stack.
  • A 2.5 in strip folded in half creates a double-fold binding about 3/8 in wide on the front when sewn with a 1/4 in seam allowance. For a narrower finish, reduce strip width to 2.25 in.

Next stepCut a test strip first to verify your seam allowance and finished binding width before cutting all strips.

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