Stash Value Calculator
The replacement value of a materials stash by category, with a total, a share for each and an honest use rate.
A stash is usually worth more than the maker thinks and less than an insurance policy assumes. This calculator values up to six categories of material from the quantity and the current unit cost, adds a price rise allowance to bring old purchases up to what they would cost to replace today, and reports the total and each category share. The second half of the answer is the use rate, which is the difference between an asset and a hoard.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Yarn, quantity, Yarn, cost each, Fabric, quantity, Fabric, cost each, Timber, quantity, Timber, cost each, Beads and findings, quantity, Beads and findings, cost each, Paint, dye and medium, quantity, Paint, dye and medium, cost each, Everything else, quantity, Everything else, cost each, How much replacement prices have risen, Share of the stash value you get through in a year, Projects you finish in a year, Round the suggested cover up to the nearest
- What you get
- Yarn, Fabric, Timber, Beads and findings, Paint, dye and medium, Everything else, Stash value at the prices you entered, Replacement value today, Added by the price rise allowance, Largest category share, Value of the stash used in a year, Years of work in the stash, Material value consumed per project, Cover to consider for insurance
- 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 Stash Value Calculator
- 1 Enter Yarn, quantity (units), Skeins, balls or cones. Whatever you count in, as long as the unit cost below is for the same thing.
- 2 Enter Yarn, cost each, The price to replace one of them today, not what you paid.
- 3 Enter Fabric, quantity (units), Metres or yards.
- 4 Enter Fabric, cost each
- 5 Enter Timber, quantity (units), Board feet, linear metres or boards.
- 6 Enter Timber, cost each
- 7 Enter Beads and findings, quantity (units), Grams, strands or packets.
- 8 Enter Beads and findings, cost each
- 9 Enter Paint, dye and medium, quantity (units), Tubes, pots or millilitres.
- 10 Enter Paint, dye and medium, cost each
- 11 Enter Everything else, quantity (units), Tools, notions, blanks, kits, packaging.
- 12 Enter Everything else, cost each
- 13 Enter How much replacement prices have risen (%), The rise since you bought, applied to the whole stash. Compare a few current prices with what you paid to get a figure.
- 14 Enter Share of the stash value you get through in a year (%), How much of it actually goes into projects in twelve months. This is the honest look in the mirror line.
- 15 Enter Projects you finish in a year
- 16 Enter Round the suggested cover up to the nearest, Insurance cover is usually written in round figures.
- 17 Press Calculate. You get Yarn, Fabric, Timber, Beads and findings, Paint, dye and medium, Everything else, Stash value at the prices you entered, Replacement value today, Added by the price rise allowance, Largest category share, Value of the stash used in a year, Years of work in the stash, Material value consumed per project, Cover to consider for insurance, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 18 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.
A working stash in a spare room
Forty skeins of yarn, twenty five metres of fabric, sixty units of timber, five hundred beads and some paint.
You enter
- Yarn, quantity
- 40 units
- Yarn, cost each
- $6.00
- Fabric, quantity
- 25 units
- Fabric, cost each
- $9.00
- Timber, quantity
- 60 units
- Timber, cost each
- $8.00
- Beads and findings, quantity
- 500 units
- Beads and findings, cost each
- $0.15
- Paint, dye and medium, quantity
- 30 units
- Paint, dye and medium, cost each
- $5.00
- Everything else, quantity
- 20 units
- Everything else, cost each
- $4.00
- How much replacement prices have risen
- 20%
- Share of the stash value you get through in a year
- 25%
- Projects you finish in a year
- 12
- Round the suggested cover up to the nearest
- $500.00
You get
- Yarn
- $240.00
- Fabric
- $225.00
- Timber
- $480.00
- Beads and findings
- $75.00
- Paint, dye and medium
- $150.00
- Everything else
- $80.00
- Stash value at the prices you entered
- $1,250.00
- Replacement value today
- $1,500.00
- Added by the price rise allowance
- $250.00
- Largest category share
- 38.4%
- Value of the stash used in a year
- $312.50
- Years of work in the stash
- 4.00 years
- Material value consumed per project
- $26.04
- Cover to consider for insurance
- $1,500.00
A stash value of 1,250 at the prices entered and 1,500 at replacement cost. At 25 percent a year that is four years of work and about 26 of material in an average project, and the cover to consider is 1,500.
A large inherited collection
Two hundred skeins, sixty metres of fabric and a big box of beads.
You enter
- Yarn, quantity
- 200 units
- Yarn, cost each
- $5.00
- Fabric, quantity
- 60 units
- Fabric, cost each
- $10.00
- Timber, quantity
- 20 units
- Timber, cost each
- $8.00
- Beads and findings, quantity
- 3,000 units
- Beads and findings, cost each
- $0.12
- Paint, dye and medium, quantity
- 15 units
- Paint, dye and medium, cost each
- $4.00
- Everything else, quantity
- 50 units
- Everything else, cost each
- $3.00
- How much replacement prices have risen
- 30%
- Share of the stash value you get through in a year
- 8%
- Projects you finish in a year
- 6
- Round the suggested cover up to the nearest
- $500.00
You get
- Yarn
- $1,000.00
- Fabric
- $600.00
- Timber
- $160.00
- Beads and findings
- $360.00
- Paint, dye and medium
- $60.00
- Everything else
- $150.00
- Stash value at the prices you entered
- $2,330.00
- Replacement value today
- $3,029.00
- Added by the price rise allowance
- $699.00
- Largest category share
- 42.9%
- Value of the stash used in a year
- $186.40
- Years of work in the stash
- 12.50 years
- Material value consumed per project
- $31.07
- Cover to consider for insurance
- $3,500.00
Yarn alone is 1,000 of a 2,280 total, and at replacement cost the stash is just under 3,000. At an 8 percent use rate that is more than twelve years of making, which is the figure that says collection rather than working stock.
Guides that go with it
The Complete Handcraft Measurement Guide for Beginners
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How to Fix Common Handmade Crafting Mistakes
You just finished a project and something went wrong. Maybe a seam puckered, a wood joint gaps, glue oozed where it shouldn't, or the paint dried with brush marks. This guide walks you through the fix...
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...
Frequently asked questions
How do I value my craft stash?
Walk the storage with a notebook, group the material into a handful of categories, and record the quantity and the cost of replacing one unit at todays prices. Multiply and add. Use replacement cost rather than what you paid, because a stash built over several years is worth more than the receipts suggest, and apply a single price rise allowance to bring the older purchases up to date. Photograph each storage box with the contents visible while you do it, because that is what an insurer will ask for.
Will my insurance cover a craft stash?
It depends on the policy, and the answer is often partly. Contents policies commonly have a single item limit, a limit for collections such as a stash of materials, and a requirement that items above a value are listed separately. A total from this tool is the figure to take to the insurer, not a substitute for reading the policy. Keep the written list, the photographs and any receipts with the policy documents, and ask specifically how a collection of craft materials is treated.
How do I know whether my stash is a hoard?
Compare the stash value with the value you get through in a year. At a quarter of the stash a year, the cupboard holds four years of work, which is a reasonable working stock. At 10 percent a year it holds ten years, and at that point the buying has outrun the making: the material is a collection, and it may also be deteriorating while it waits. Neither answer is a judgement, but the number makes it a decision rather than an accident.
Should I value materials at cost or at replacement cost?
Replacement cost for insurance, because that is what it would take to put the stash back. Cost is the right basis for business accounts, where material is usually written off as it is used and stock is valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. If the stash is used in a business, keep the two figures separately and let an accountant decide which one belongs in the accounts, because the treatment varies by country and by how the business is structured.