How much chunky yarn for a blanket?
How much chunky yarn for a blanket: yards, skeins and kilograms for bulky, super bulky and jumbo chenille blankets from baby to king, hand knit, arm knit or crochet.
Make a swatch of at least 6 × 6 in in your stitch, wash and block it, then measure and weigh it.
Pattern yarn — from the materials list.
Your new yarn — from its label.
You need about
—
Chunky blanket yardage
"Chunky" covers three yarn categories: bulky (5), super bulky (6) and jumbo (7). Chunky blanket yarns — the thick polyester chenilles sold for hand knitting and arm knitting — are usually jumbo (7), sometimes super bulky. Check the number in the yarn symbol on the label.
Chunky blankets need few yards but many grams. A 50 × 60 inch throw in jumbo chenille needs only about 600 yards, but those 600 yards weigh around 2 kg. That is why the calculator shows grams alongside yards: jumbo yarns are often sold by weight in 250 g to 1 kg bags.
Arm knitting and hand knitting in jumbo yarn produce a very open fabric; the jumbo figures assume the typical loose tension used for these blankets. For a tighter hand-knit with 25 mm needles, use "tight" tension.
| Size | Bulky (5) Chunky | Super Bulky (6) Super chunky | Jumbo (7) Jumbo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovey / security 12 × 12 in | 8075 m · 1 sk | 5550 m · 1 sk | 2525 m · 1 sk |
| Baby / receiving 30 × 36 in | 610550 m · 5 sk | 400370 m · 6 sk | 200185 m · 7 sk |
| Crib 36 × 52 in | 1,050960 m · 9 sk | 700640 m · 10 sk | 350320 m · 12 sk |
| Lap 36 × 48 in | 970890 m · 8 sk | 650590 m · 10 sk | 320300 m · 11 sk |
| Throw 50 × 60 in | 1,6801,540 m · 13 sk | 1,1201,030 m · 17 sk | 560510 m · 19 sk |
| Twin 66 × 90 in | 3,3503,050 m · 26 sk | 2,2002,050 m · 32 sk | 1,1101,020 m · 38 sk |
| Full / double 80 × 90 in | 4,0503,700 m · 32 sk | 2,7002,450 m · 39 sk | 1,3501,230 m · 45 sk |
| Queen 90 × 100 in | 5,0504,600 m · 39 sk | 3,3503,100 m · 49 sk | 1,6801,540 m · 57 sk |
| King 108 × 100 in | 6,0505,550 m · 47 sk | 4,0503,700 m · 58 sk | 2,0001,850 m · 68 sk |
Values are yards with 10% extra; small figures are meters and skeins of a typical ball: bulky 130 yd / 100 g, super bulky 70 yd / 100 g, jumbo 30 yd / 100 g. Use the calculator with your own label for exact skein counts.
| Size | Bulky (5) Chunky | Super Bulky (6) Super chunky | Jumbo (7) Jumbo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovey / security 12 × 12 in | 10595 m · 1 sk | 7065 m · 1 sk | 3530 m · 2 sk |
| Baby / receiving 30 × 36 in | 770700 m · 6 sk | 510470 m · 8 sk | 260230 m · 9 sk |
| Crib 36 × 52 in | 1,3301,220 m · 11 sk | 890810 m · 13 sk | 440410 m · 15 sk |
| Lap 36 × 48 in | 1,2301,130 m · 10 sk | 820750 m · 12 sk | 410380 m · 14 sk |
| Throw 50 × 60 in | 2,1501,950 m · 17 sk | 1,4201,300 m · 21 sk | 710650 m · 24 sk |
| Twin 66 × 90 in | 4,2503,850 m · 33 sk | 2,8002,600 m · 41 sk | 1,4101,290 m · 48 sk |
| Full / double 80 × 90 in | 5,1504,700 m · 40 sk | 3,4003,150 m · 49 sk | 1,7101,560 m · 57 sk |
| Queen 90 × 100 in | 6,4005,850 m · 50 sk | 4,2503,900 m · 62 sk | 2,1501,950 m · 72 sk |
| King 108 × 100 in | 7,7007,050 m · 60 sk | 5,1504,700 m · 74 sk | 2,5502,350 m · 86 sk |
Values are yards with 10% extra; small figures are meters and skeins of a typical ball: bulky 130 yd / 100 g, super bulky 70 yd / 100 g, jumbo 30 yd / 100 g. Use the calculator with your own label for exact skein counts.
About these numbers: estimates assume typical gauge for each yarn weight. Your tension, hook or needle size and stitch pattern can move them by ±15% or more — weigh a swatch in the swatch calculator for a figure based on your own work.
How to work out how much yarn you need
- Choose the project. Pick knit or crochet, the project and its size — or a custom width and length.
- Set the yarn. Choose the yarn weight (CYC 0–7) and stitch, then type the length and grams from your skein label.
- Add a safety margin. Keep 10% extra, or more for tight tension, borders and fringe.
- Check with a swatch. For the most accurate number, weigh a blocked swatch in the From a swatch tab and scale it to your project.
FAQ
How much yarn do I need for a blanket?
Multiply the blanket area by the yarn your stitch uses per square inch. For worsted weight that is roughly 0.66 yd per sq in in stockinette and 0.84 yd in double crochet, so a 50 × 60 in throw needs about 2,200–2,600 yards, plus 10% for safety.
How many skeins of yarn do I need for a blanket?
Divide the total yardage by the length on your yarn label and round up. A worsted throw of 2,600 yd needs 13 skeins of 200 yd, or 8 skeins of a 364 yd super saver skein. Always buy them from one dye lot.
Does crochet use more yarn than knitting?
Yes. Measured comparisons show single crochet uses about 60% more yarn than stockinette for the same area, and double crochet about 27% more. Taller crochet stitches are more economical than short ones.
How much extra yarn should I buy?
Add about 10%. Add more (15–20%) for tight tension, textured stitches, borders and fringe, or when you cannot buy more of the same dye lot later.