Bead Pattern Calculator
Work out how many beads of each colour a repeating pattern needs for a given number of repeats, plus the total bead count and the thread length.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Repeating pattern, How many repeats, Bead size, Custom bead diameter, Waste allowance, Thread per bead
- What you get
- Total beads needed, Colour A beads, Colour B beads, Colour C beads, Colour D beads, Finished strand length, Thread to cut
- Formula shown
- Yes, every step, right below your results.
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.
See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓
Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.
How to use the Bead Pattern Calculator
- 1 Enter Repeating pattern, Each sequence is listed in the order the beads are strung.
- 2 Enter How many repeats (repeats)
- 3 Enter Bead size, Leave at custom to enter your own bead diameter.
- 4 Enter Custom bead diameter (mm)
- 5 Enter Waste allowance (%), Adds to the thread length and to each colour count.
- 6 Enter Thread per bead (mm), Back and forth through the bead plus the tails. Weaving techniques need more.
- 7 Press Calculate. You get Total beads needed, Colour A beads, Colour B beads, Colour C beads, Colour D beads, Finished strand length, Thread to cut, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 8 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.
Worked examples
Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.
Twelve repeats of a six bead pattern in 8 mm beads
A pattern of two dark, one light, one dark and two accent beads repeated twelve times.
You enter
- Repeating pattern
- 4
- How many repeats
- 12
- Bead size
- 8
- Custom bead diameter
- 0 mm
- Waste allowance
- 5%
- Thread per bead
- 25 mm
You get
- Total beads needed
- 76
- Colour A beads
- 38
- Colour B beads
- 13
- Colour C beads
- 13
- Colour D beads
- 13
- Finished strand length
- 23.94 in
- Thread to cut
- 75
About 76 beads in total, which makes a strand near 24 inches.
Seed bead pattern in size 11/0
A class two colour stripe repeated forty times in 2.1 millimetre seed beads.
You enter
- Repeating pattern
- 1
- How many repeats
- 40
- Bead size
- 2.1
- Custom bead diameter
- 0 mm
- Waste allowance
- 5%
- Thread per bead
- 30 mm
You get
- Total beads needed
- 252
- Colour A beads
- 168
- Colour B beads
- 42
- Colour C beads
- 42
- Colour D beads
- 0
- Finished strand length
- 20.83 in
- Thread to cut
- 298
Seed bead patterns repeat quickly, so forty repeats is a serious quantity of thread.
Eight repeat bracelet in 6 mm beads
A four colour pattern of six beads repeated eight times for a bracelet.
You enter
- Repeating pattern
- 4
- How many repeats
- 8
- Bead size
- 6
- Custom bead diameter
- 0 mm
- Waste allowance
- 5%
- Thread per bead
- 25 mm
You get
- Total beads needed
- 51
- Colour A beads
- 26
- Colour B beads
- 9
- Colour C beads
- 9
- Colour D beads
- 9
- Finished strand length
- 12.05 in
- Thread to cut
- 50
A finished length near 11 inches, so this one is a necklace rather than a bracelet.
Guides that go with it
How Much Fabric Do I Need? The Layout Matters More Than the Size
Why two people making the same garment need different yardage, and how to work out yours from the pattern pieces rather than from a chart.
How to Calculate the Amount of Yarn You Need
You are about to start a project and the pattern says "6 skeins of worsted weight." Or worse, you are designing something yourself and there is no pattern at all. You want to buy once, not make three...
How to Convert Craft Measurements from Inches to Centimeters
If you have ever followed a pattern in inches and then bought fabric or yarn labelled in centimetres, you already know the small panic that sets in. This guide walks you through converting craft measu...