How much yarn for socks?

Socks yarn requirements

One 100 g skein of fingering-weight sock yarn — usually 400–465 yards — is enough for a pair of women's socks with a standard leg. Men's socks, long legs and patterns with heel flaps, cables or colorwork can exceed it, which is why sock yarn is also sold in 150 g skeins.

Socks are knitted with about 10% negative ease: an 8.5 inch foot gets a 7.5 inch sock. The estimate adds 35% to the simple tube for the ribbed cuff, the reinforced heel flap and gusset, and the toe. Knee socks need roughly 30–50% more yarn than standard mid-calf socks.

If you are unsure, knit toe-up: weigh the skein, divide it into two equal balls, and knit both socks until the balls run out. A kitchen scale accurate to 1 g makes this reliable.

Socks yardage chart

Knit socks (pair), stockinette with ribbed cuff

Size	Super Fine (1) Fingering	Fine (2) Sport	Light (3) DK
Baby 4.5 in around, 2.5 in leg, 4 in foot	9585 m · 1 sk	8070 m · 1 sk	7065 m · 1 sk
Child 6.5 in around, 5 in leg, 7 in foot	250230 m · 1 sk	210190 m · 1 sk	190175 m · 1 sk
Women’s 7.5 in around, 7 in leg, 9.5 in foot	400360 m · 1 sk	330300 m · 2 sk	300280 m · 2 sk
Men’s 8.5 in around, 8 in leg, 10.5 in foot	510460 m · 2 sk	420380 m · 2 sk	390350 m · 2 sk
Knee socks 8 in around, 14 in leg, 9.5 in foot	600550 m · 2 sk	500460 m · 2 sk	460420 m · 2 sk

Values are yards with 10% extra; small figures are meters and skeins of a typical ball: super fine 420 yd / 100 g, fine 330 yd / 100 g, light 250 yd / 100 g. Use the calculator with your own label for exact skein counts.

Crochet socks (pair), single crochet

Size	Super Fine (1) Fingering	Fine (2) Sport	Light (3) DK
Baby 4.5 in around, 2.5 in leg, 4 in foot	150135 m · 1 sk	125115 m · 1 sk	115105 m · 1 sk
Child 6.5 in around, 5 in leg, 7 in foot	400370 m · 1 sk	330300 m · 2 sk	310280 m · 2 sk
Women’s 7.5 in around, 7 in leg, 9.5 in foot	640580 m · 2 sk	530480 m · 2 sk	490440 m · 2 sk
Men’s 8.5 in around, 8 in leg, 10.5 in foot	810740 m · 2 sk	670610 m · 3 sk	620560 m · 3 sk
Knee socks 8 in around, 14 in leg, 9.5 in foot	970880 m · 3 sk	800730 m · 3 sk	740670 m · 3 sk

Values are yards with 10% extra; small figures are meters and skeins of a typical ball: super fine 420 yd / 100 g, fine 330 yd / 100 g, light 250 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.

Tips

• Women's pair: one 100 g / 400+ yd skein
• Men's or long legs: 150 g
• Sock = foot circumference minus ~10%
• Toe-up + kitchen scale = no leftovers

How to work out how much yarn you need

1. Choose the project. Pick knit or crochet, the project and its size — or a custom width and length.
2. Set the yarn. Choose the yarn weight (CYC 0–7) and stitch, then type the length and grams from your skein label.
3. Add a safety margin. Keep 10% extra, or more for tight tension, borders and fringe.
4. 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 for a pair of socks?

A typical women’s (7.5 in around, 7 in leg, 9.5 in foot) in super fine weight needs about 400 yards (360 m) including 10% extra, knitted in stockinette.

Quick rule of thumb for socks yarn?

Women's pair: one 100 g / 400+ yd skein.

How accurate is a yarn calculator?

Estimates from typical gauge are usually within ±15%, because tension, hook or needle size and stitch pattern vary. The swatch mode — weighing or measuring a real swatch — is accurate to a few percent.

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.