Introduction
Binding is the strip of fabric that wraps the raw edges of your quilt. This quilt binding calculator tells you how much you need before you cut. Type in your quilt width and length, pick your strip width, and read off the amounts below.
You get the quilt perimeter, the total binding length, the number of strips to cut, and how much fabric to buy in yards. It works for straight-cut binding and bias binding, and it shows the size of the square you need for the bias square method.
You can work in inches or centimeters. You can also choose diagonal seams or straight seams, since diagonal joins use up a bit more fabric. The tool adds extra binding for joining the ends and finishing the corners.
Each answer comes with a step-by-step solution, so you can see exactly how the numbers were found. Use it before your next fabric run so you buy the right amount the first time.
How to use our Quilt Binding Calculator
Enter your quilt size, strip width, and fabric width. The calculator tells you how many binding strips to cut, how much fabric to buy in yards, and the square size you need for bias binding.
Select unit of measurement: Pick inches or centimeters. Your numbers change over to the new unit right away.
Seam type used to join strips: Choose a diagonal seam if you join strips at an angle, which uses a bit more fabric. Choose a straight seam if you join them end to end.
Quilt width: Type the finished side-to-side size of your quilt top.
Quilt length: Type the finished top-to-bottom size of your quilt top.
Binding strip width: Pick the cut width of each strip before you fold it. Most quilters use 2½ inches for double-fold binding.
Usable fabric width: Type how wide your fabric is after you trim the selvage. Most quilting cotton is 40 to 44 inches wide.
Extra binding / overage: Type how much spare binding you want for joins and the final corner. About 10 to 12 inches works well.
Click Calculate to see your strip count, yardage, and step-by-step math. Click Reset to start over with the default quilt size.
What Is Quilt Binding?
Quilt binding is the strip of fabric that wraps around the raw edges of a finished quilt. It covers the quilt top, batting, and backing all at once. Binding keeps the edges from fraying, protects the quilt from wear, and gives it a clean, finished frame.
How Much Binding Do You Need?
Binding must go all the way around the quilt, so you start with the perimeter: add the width and the length, then double it. After that, add 10 to 12 extra inches. That extra fabric is used to join the strips and to close the loop where the binding starts and ends.
Fabric comes off the bolt about 40 to 44 inches wide, so one strip is never long enough on its own. You cut several strips and sew them end to end into one long piece. Divide the total binding length by your usable fabric width, then round up. That number tells you how many strips to cut.
Binding Strip Width
The strip width is the width you cut before folding. The most common choice is 2½ inches. Folded in half, it makes a double-fold binding with two layers of fabric on the quilt edge, which wears well and lasts a long time.
- 1½" to 2": thin, narrow binding for small quilts, table runners, and mini quilts.
- 2¼" to 2½": the standard for most quilts.
- 3" to 4": wider binding for thick batting, puffy quilts, or a bold edge.
Straight-Cut vs. Bias Binding
Straight-cut binding is cut across the grain of the fabric, selvage to selvage. It is quick, uses less fabric, and works great on any quilt with straight edges and square corners.
Bias binding is cut at a 45° angle to the grain. That angle lets the strip stretch and bend, so it hugs curved, rounded, or scalloped edges without puckering. Bias binding also wears more evenly over the years, because the threads cross the quilt edge instead of running along it. It does take more fabric. Many quilters cut bias strips from one big square, slicing it in a spiral to make one long strip with fewer seams.
Diagonal vs. Straight Seams
When you sew strips together, you can join them two ways. A diagonal seam (also called a mitered join) sews the strips at a 45° angle. This spreads the bulk of the seam out so it does not make a lump on the quilt edge. It does eat up a little extra fabric at every join, so plan for that. A straight seam joins the ends square across. It is faster and wastes no fabric, but it makes a thicker spot that can be hard to sew through.
Flange Binding
Flange binding uses two different strips of fabric sewn together instead of one. When the binding is folded, a thin line of the second color peeks out along the edge like a tiny piping accent. Each strip is cut about half the normal width, plus a bit more for the seam that joins them.
Buying Fabric
Fabric is sold by the yard, so binding yardage is figured in yards. Shops usually cut to the nearest quarter yard, so round up. Buying a little extra is smart. It covers cutting mistakes and shrinkage after prewashing, and it lets you redo a strip that comes out short.