A standard skein of DMC six-strand embroidery floss (Mouliné Spécial, article 117) holds 8 metres (8.7 yards) of thread made of six strands. How far that goes depends on three things: how many stitches you make, how big each stitch is (the fabric count) and how many strands you stitch with.
The rule of thumb
On 14-count Aida with 2 strands, one skein covers roughly 1,600–2,000 full cross stitches, including normal waste from starting and ending threads. FlossChart uses 1,800 as its baseline.
Why? Six strands split into three lengths of two strands gives 24 metres of stitching thread. A full cross on 14-count uses about 1 cm of thread for the two diagonal passes plus travel on the back — and you lose a bit at every start and finish.
Adjusting for fabric and strands
- Finer fabric = more stitches per skein. On 18-count each stitch is smaller, so a skein goes about 28% further than on 14-count.
- Coarser fabric = fewer. On 11-count stitches are bigger and you usually use 3 strands, so a skein covers only around 950 stitches.
- More strands = fewer stitches. Three strands use 50% more thread than two.
FlossChart's estimate is:
stitches per skein ≈ 1,800 × (count ÷ 14) × (2 ÷ strands)
Quick reference
| Fabric (strands) | Stitches per skein | Skeins for 5,000 stitches |
|---|---|---|
| 11-count (3) | ≈ 940 | 6 |
| 14-count (2) | ≈ 1,800 | 3 |
| 16-count (2) | ≈ 2,060 | 3 |
| 18-count (2) | ≈ 2,310 | 3 |
| 18-count (1) | ≈ 4,630 | 2 |
How to count stitches per color
Counting thousands of symbols by hand is not fun. When you create a pattern in FlossChart, the floss list shows the exact number of stitches for every DMC color, and the estimated skeins for the fabric you've chosen. If you toggle a color off (for example to leave the background unstitched), the totals update.
Things that use extra floss
- Confetti. Every isolated stitch needs its own start and finish, wasting a few centimetres each time. A confetti-heavy pattern can use 30–50% more floss. Use confetti removal to reduce it.
- Backstitch and French knots. These aren't in the cross stitch count; add one skein of your outline color for most projects.
- Carrying thread. Jumping more than a few stitches across the back uses thread and can show through light fabric.
- Loose tension or long tails. Everyone stitches a little differently.
Buying tips
- Round up, then add one for colors that cover large areas. Floss is inexpensive; running out is not.
- Buy large areas from one dye lot. DMC is very consistent, but slight differences can show across a big background.
- Check colors in daylight. Screens can't show floss colors exactly — DMC doesn't publish official RGB values, so every on-screen color, including ours, is an approximation. Our DMC color chart is a helpful reference, not a substitute for real skeins.
- Use bobbins. Wind each color onto a labelled card or bobbin with its DMC number and symbol so you never mix up similar shades.
Worked example
Suppose your pattern is 100 × 80 stitches on 14-count Aida with 2 strands, and the floss list shows DMC 310 (black) with 2,900 stitches, DMC 3865 (winter white) with 4,100 and DMC 321 (red) with 600. Using 1,800 stitches per skein: 310 needs 2,900 ÷ 1,800 = 1.6, so 2 skeins; 3865 needs 2.3, so 3 skeins; 321 needs 0.3, so 1 skein. Because black and white cover large areas, buying one extra of each — 3 and 4 skeins — is cheap insurance.
Now imagine stitching the same chart on 18-count with 2 strands: each skein covers about 2,300 stitches, so you'd need 2, 2 and 1 skeins, and the finished piece would shrink from 7.1 × 5.7 in to 5.6 × 4.4 in.
Storing leftover floss
Leftover floss builds up quickly. Store it on numbered bobbins in a divided box, sorted by DMC number, and keep it out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. Before buying for your next project, check your stash against the new floss list — many patterns share common colors such as 310, B5200, 3865 and the grays.
Diamond painting
For diamond painting, there's no thread length — one stitch is one drill. Order the exact count plus 10–15% extra per color, since drills get lost and some arrive damaged. See our diamond painting pattern maker.