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Blanket Size Calculator
Every standard blanket size from lovey to king, and what it takes to make one: how many stitches to cast on or chain at your gauge, how many rows, and how much yarn to buy.
Blanket size chart
Finished sizes in inches and centimetres. Bed sizes are cut to cover the mattress with a modest overhang, the way afghans are usually made, rather than the full drop of a bedspread; add 10 inches to width and length if you want it to hang to the floor.
| Blanket | Inches | Centimetres | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovey | 12 × 12 | 30 × 30 | A small comfort square for a baby to hold. |
| Security blanket | 14 × 17 | 36 × 43 | Toddler comfort blanket, small enough to carry. |
| Preemie | 18 × 24 | 46 × 61 | NICU and premature-baby blankets. |
| Stroller | 30 × 36 | 76 × 91 | Stroller and car seat; the most common baby-shower size. |
| Receiving | 40 × 40 | 102 × 102 | Swaddling and everyday baby use. |
| Crib | 36 × 52 | 91 × 132 | Fits a standard crib mattress with a little overhang. |
| Lapghan | 36 × 48 | 91 × 122 | Lap blanket for a chair or wheelchair. |
| Throw | 50 × 60 | 127 × 152 | The standard sofa blanket, and the most common size made. |
| Afghan | 50 × 65 | 127 × 165 | A slightly longer throw; covers an adult lying on the sofa. |
| Twin | 66 × 90 | 168 × 229 | Twin bed with overhang on three sides. |
| Full / double | 80 × 90 | 203 × 229 | Full-size bed with overhang on three sides. |
| Queen | 90 × 100 | 229 × 254 | Queen bed with overhang on three sides. |
| King | 108 × 100 | 274 × 254 | King bed with overhang on three sides. |
How the plan is worked out
Stitches across come from your swatch: stitches per inch times the width, rounded to a whole number, or to the nearest count that fits a stitch repeat if you enter one. Rows come from your row gauge the same way. The yardage uses the same estimate as the yarn yardage calculator: area times a yards-per-square-inch figure for the yarn weight and stitch, plus a 10% margin.
For crochet, the foundation chain shown already includes the turning chain: one extra for single crochet, two for half double, three for double crochet. For knitting, the cast-on shown is the body of the blanket; add border stitches on each side if your pattern has a garter or seed-stitch edge, and work the same number of border rows top and bottom.
Picking a size
The throw (50 × 60 in) is the size most blankets end up, because it covers an adult on a sofa and takes a manageable amount of yarn. Baby blankets are the second most common: stroller size (30 × 36) for gifts, crib size (36 × 52) if it's going to be used on the mattress. Anything bed-sized is a long project; a queen blanket is six times the area of a stroller blanket, and its yardage scales with it.
Two honest warnings. Blankets grow with washing in cotton and superwash wool, and relax with use in any fibre, so a piece that measures right off the hook will measure larger a month later; aim slightly small. And the margin in the yardage covers tension, not a border: a 3-inch border on a throw is another 600 square inches of fabric, so add it to the width and length before you buy.