How Much Embroidery Floss Do I Need for Cross Stitch?

Few things interrupt a happy stitching evening like reaching for your main color and finding an empty floss card. On the other hand, nobody wants a drawer full of skeins bought "just in case."

The good news: estimating floss is straightforward once you know how long a skein is and roughly how much thread one stitch uses. This guide shows the method, states the one assumption everything rests on, and gives you tables you can use for any pattern.

What's in a skein of DMC floss

DMC's six-strand embroidery floss (Mouliné Spécial) is, in DMC's own words, sold in 8.7 yard/8 meter skeins with six strands that separate easily. That's the only number here that comes from DMC.

Two related facts matter for the math:

• You rarely stitch with all six strands. Cross stitch usually uses 1 to 3 strands, depending on the fabric. When you use 2 strands, one skein gives you three 8-meter lengths of 2-strand thread.
• You work in short lengths. DMC suggests pulling a maximum of 50 cm (18 inches) at a time. Every length has a little waste at the needle and where you secure the ends.

The floss formula, step by step

Here is the method, with the assumption stated. You can swap in your own number if your habits differ.

Step 1: Length of a skein

8.7 yards is 313.2 inches of six-strand floss, which is 1,879 inches of a single strand (313.2 × 6).

Step 2: Thread per stitch

Assumption: on 14-count, one full cross uses 0.55 inch of a single strand, and the figure scales with the size of the stitch, so it is 0.55 × 14 ÷ fabric count on other counts. This is a budget, not a measurement, and it is the number our generator uses for its skein counts. Where it comes from:

• The two diagonals of a cross on 14-count are each about 0.10 inch long, so about 0.20 inch shows on the front.
• The thread on the back travels about as far again, which takes the total to roughly 0.40 inch.
• Starting, ending, parking and the tail you cannot use account for the rest, and take it to 0.55.

DMC publishes none of these figures, and the exact value depends on how you stitch. Treat it as a deliberately cautious planning number.

Step 3: Stitches per skein

Stitches per skein = 1,879 ÷ strands ÷ (0.55 × 14 ÷ fabric count)

On 14-count with 2 strands: 1,879 ÷ 2 ÷ 0.55 ≈ 1,708 stitches per skein.

Stitches per skein by fabric count and strands

Applying the same formula to other common setups:

28-count evenweave stitched over two threads makes stitches the same size as 14-count Aida, as the Cross Stitch Guild explains, so it shares the 14-count figures. Not sure which count or strand number to use? See our Aida cloth count guide and how many strands to use.

How to work out skeins for a pattern

For each color in the key:

Skeins = stitches in that color ÷ stitches per skein, rounded up

Then apply two common-sense rules:

1. Every color needs at least one skein, even if it only has 12 stitches.
2. Round up generously for background and main colors. Running out of a color that fills large areas is the most disruptive shortage.

Worked example 1: one large color

A sky area has 2,600 stitches on 14-count Aida with 2 strands.

2,600 ÷ 1,708 = 1.52 → 2 skeins

Worked example 2: a photo portrait

A photo pattern is 140 × 100 stitches (14,000 stitches if fully stitched) on 14-count with 2 strands, using 30 colors. The stitch counts below are invented for the arithmetic:

Notice two things. First, Color B is a close call: it needs just over one skein, so it takes two, and the same thing happens to any color that lands a few stitches above a multiple of the figure. Second, the number of colors drives the total far more than the size does. The 26 smaller colors account for most of the skeins.

That's why simplifying a photo to fewer colors can save money as well as stitching time. We explore that trade-off in how to choose the best photos for custom cross stitch patterns.

Worked example 3: same pattern, different fabric

Move Color A (2,450 stitches) to 11-count with 3 strands:

2,450 ÷ 895 = 2.74 → 3 skeins, compared with 2 on 14-count with 2 strands.

Bigger stitches and an extra strand add up quickly. If you switch fabric from what a pattern was planned for, recalculate your floss.

What about backstitch, French knots and fractional stitches?

Our generator makes full cross stitches only, so its skein counts cover crosses and nothing else. If you add backstitch, French knots or partial stitches by hand, buy for them separately.

Backstitch is usually worked with one strand, and each stitch travels only one square on the front. With six strands of 8 meters in every skein, a single skein covers a lot of outlining, so one skein per backstitch color is usually plenty unless the outlines are long and dense. Measuring is more reliable than guessing: add up the backstitch length on the chart and compare it with the skein.

French knots use a small amount each, but they're wrapped, so allow a bit extra if a design has hundreds of them.

Half, quarter and three-quarter stitches cover less of the square than full crosses. For planning, simply count them as full stitches; the small overestimate becomes part of your margin.

Why your real usage may differ

Floss estimates vary between stitchers for good reasons:

• Stitching method. Working half crosses along a row and completing them on the way back, which the Cross Stitch Guild recommends for neater backs, tends to be thread-efficient. Completing each cross individually may use a little more.
• Travel on the back. DMC advises avoiding long stretches of thread across the back and starting a new thread instead. That's good practice, but each fresh start adds waste.
• Thread length. Longer lengths waste less per length but fray and tangle more. Shorter lengths waste more.
• Tension. Looser stitches use more thread.
• Confetti. Photo patterns often have isolated single stitches. Each start and stop costs thread, so heavily speckled areas use more than the formula suggests.

Skip the math with a ready-made thread key

If you turn a photo into a pattern with Cross Stitch Pattern Generator, the printable PDF includes a DMC thread color key with skein counts, so your shopping list is ready before you start. Those counts use exactly the method above: 0.55 inch per stitch on 14-count, scaled for your fabric count, always calculated for 2 strands, and rounded up to whole skeins for every color. If you stitch with 3 strands, buy more than the PDF says. It's still worth understanding the method, especially if you change fabric count or strand number from what you planned.

New to reading keys and symbols? Our guide on how to read a cross stitch pattern explains every part of the chart, and cross stitch for beginners covers the rest of your supply list.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a skein of DMC embroidery floss?

DMC six-strand embroidery floss (Mouliné Spécial) is sold in 8 meter (8.7 yard) skeins, and each skein has six strands that separate easily. That length is the one figure in this guide that comes from DMC; everything about stitches per skein is an estimate.

How many cross stitches can I make with one skein?

DMC does not publish a figure. Our generator budgets 0.55 inch of a single strand per cross on 14-count, which works out at about 1,708 stitches per skein with 2 strands, and rounds every color up to whole skeins. It is a planning assumption, not a measurement, and your own tension and habits will move it.

How do I calculate how many skeins of each color I need?

Count the stitches for each color, divide by the stitches-per-skein figure for your fabric and strand count, then round up. Every color needs at least one skein, even if it only has a handful of stitches.

Does fabric count change how much floss I use?

Yes. Stitches on lower counts are larger and use more thread each, and lower counts often call for more strands too. In this guide's model, 11-count with 3 strands uses about 1.9 times the floss per stitch of 14-count with 2 strands.

Should I buy extra floss?

For your main colors, a little extra is wise, especially for large background areas. DMC says its colors are faithfully reproduced so you can match a shade later, but an extra skein saves a trip mid-project.

Sources

• DMC — Cotton Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial): 8.7 yard / 8 meter skeins, six strands that separate easily, colors faithfully reproduced
• DMC — How to use stranded embroidery floss (maximum 50 cm / 18 in at a time)
• DMC — Beginning cross stitch (avoid long stretches of thread on the back, start a new thread)
• The Cross Stitch Guild — Zweigart fabric facts (28-count evenweave over two threads gives 14-count-sized stitches)
• The Cross Stitch Guild — Cross stitch FAQs (half stitches along the row, crosses on the return)
• The Cross Stitch Guild — Away waste knot start (one strand for backstitch outlining)
• Our generator's floss estimate: src/lib/pattern/estimate.ts (8.7 yd skein, 0.55 in of one strand per cross on 14-count, scaled by 14 ÷ fabric count, 2 strands)