How Much Yarn Do I Need for a Crochet Blanket? Yardage by Size and Stitch
A crochet blanket in worsted weight (medium, 4) yarn takes roughly 750 to 950 yards for a baby blanket, 2,100 to 2,650 yards for a 50 x 60 inch throw, and 4,000 to 7,000 yards or more for a twin or queen. Double crochet sits at the low end of each range and single crochet at the high end. Below is the full table, why your stitch and yarn weight move the number, and how to turn yards into the number of balls to buy.
How much yarn for a crochet blanket: a quick table
These figures are for worsted weight yarn and include about 10% extra for tails, joining and a test swatch. They come from the same area-based estimate our free crochet yarn calculator uses, so you can type in your own blanket size, yarn weight and stitch and get a matching number in yards or meters.
- Baby blanket, 30 x 36 in (76 x 91 cm): about 950 yd (870 m) in single crochet, 750 yd (690 m) in double crochet
- Throw, 50 x 60 in (127 x 152 cm): about 2,650 yd (2,420 m) in single crochet, 2,100 yd (1,920 m) in double crochet
- Twin, 66 x 90 in (168 x 229 cm): about 5,250 yd (4,800 m) in single crochet, 4,200 yd (3,840 m) in double crochet
- Queen, 90 x 90 in (229 x 229 cm): about 7,150 yd (6,540 m) in single crochet, 5,700 yd (5,210 m) in double crochet
Half double crochet lands in between. Treat every number as a starting point, not a promise: your own tension can move it by 10 to 20% in either direction.
Why your stitch changes how much yarn you need
Single crochet is short and dense, so it takes a lot of yarn to build up height. Double crochet is roughly twice as tall, which means each yard of yarn covers more of the blanket. In the calculator's model, half double crochet uses about 10% less yarn than single crochet for the same area, and double crochet about 20% less. If you are still choosing between the two, Single Crochet vs Double Crochet compares how each one looks and feels.
Textured stitches go the other way. Bobbles, puffs, clusters and bubble stitches pack several loops into one spot, so a blanket that is mostly texture can need noticeably more yarn than plain rows of the same size. If your pattern is heavy on texture, add an extra ball or two to the estimate.
How yarn weight changes the total
Thinner yarn needs more length to cover the same blanket, because you work more, smaller stitches. In the same model, DK (light, 3) takes about 12% more yardage than worsted for the same size, and bulky (5) about 20% less. Remember that a ball of bulky yarn also holds fewer yards per gram than worsted, so always count your balls from the length printed on the label, never from what a different yarn needed.
If a pattern calls for "aran" or "8 ply" and you are not sure what that is in US terms, our yarn weight chart lines up the US, UK and Australian names and converts yards to meters. Yarn Weight Numbers Explained walks through the 0 to 7 system in more detail.
Turning yards into balls to buy
- Find the length on the ball band. How to Read a Yarn Label shows where it is printed.
- Divide your total yardage by that length.
- Round up to a whole ball, then add one more.
For example, a double crochet throw at about 2,100 yards, in a yarn with 200 yards per ball: 2,100 divided by 200 is 10.5, which rounds up to 11, plus one spare makes 12 balls.
Buy the spare ball from the same dye lot
Yarn is dyed in batches, and each batch gets a dye lot number on the label. Two lots of the same color can look identical in the shop and still show a visible stripe across your blanket in daylight. Buy everything you need, spare included, at the same time, and check that every lot number matches. Many shops accept unopened returns (check their policy first), and a leftover ball can always become a matching pillow. Running short halfway through a big blanket is much harder to fix.
Weigh your first rows for a real number
An estimate from size makes a good shopping list, but the most accurate number comes from your own hands. Crochet about a tenth of the blanket (or one square, if you are joining squares), weigh it on a kitchen scale and multiply up. The calculator's "From a ball label" mode does the maths for you: type the ball's weight and length, the weight of your finished piece and how many more you need, and it tells you the whole balls to buy and how much will be left over.
While you are swatching, our free crochet gauge calculator turns that swatch into stitch counts, so you know how many chains to start with for the width you want.
Want a smaller first project?
A blanket is a big commitment of time and yarn. If you would rather finish something this weekend, a palm-sized amigurumi takes a tiny fraction of the yarn: How Much Yarn Do I Need for Amigurumi? shows how to estimate it. Our beginner crochet kits come with anti-splitting Yon Yarn, an ergonomic hook, safety eyes, stuffing, stitch markers and a pre-started magic ring, plus a step-by-step video lesson with a left-handed version, mirrored so the hook and yarn move the way they will in your left hand. Have a question first? Our FAQ has the answers most beginners look for.
