Garment quantities
How much yarn for a crochet jumper? XS to 3XL
A size M crochet jumper takes about 1,650 metres of DK, 1,360 metres of aran or 970 metres of chunky. That’s 6 balls of Stylecraft Special DK, 7 of Special Aran or 7 of Special Chunky. These are medians from 24 published jumper patterns that give a quantity for every size. Half of them, and nine of the ten aran ones, are from one US publisher, Yarnspirations, and the spread around the medians is wide. Below are the figures for XS to 3XL, what the patterns say about sleeves, ease and length, and how they compare with our cardigan guides.
The quick answer, by size
Find your bust measurement, then read across. The bust ranges are the Craft Yarn Council’s women’s chart. We matched each pattern to it by size letter. Yarnspirations groups some sizes, such as XS/S and 2/3XL, so its figure counts for both letters, as in our granny square cardigan guide.
Ball counts are the median rounded up to whole 100g balls: Special DK at 295m, Special Aran at 196m and Special Chunky at 144m, the lengths Stylecraft gives. The brackets run from the leanest pattern to the hungriest. If your pattern gives a quantity for your size, buy that instead.
Each column is a different set of designs, so don’t read the gap between DK and aran as the effect of yarn weight alone. The section on yarn weight below uses one design made in five weights for that.
| Size | To fit bust (cm), CYC chart | DK metres, median (range), n | Special DK balls (295m) | Aran metres, median (range), n | Special Aran balls (196m) | Chunky metres, median (range), n | Special Chunky balls (144m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 71–76 | 1,250, one pattern only | 5 | 1,165 (1,015–1,880), 8 | 6 (6–10) | 770 (605–1,150), 7 | 6 (5–8) |
| S | 81–86 | 1,500 (1,180–1,805), 7 | 6 (4–7) | 1,180 (1,015–1,880), 10 | 7 (6–10) | 840 (605–1,150), 7 | 6 (5–8) |
| M | 91.5–96.5 | 1,650 (1,365–1,965), 7 | 6 (5–7) | 1,360 (1,170–2,055), 10 | 7 (6–11) | 970 (725–1,380), 7 | 7 (6–10) |
| L | 101.5–106.5 | 1,840 (1,475–2,150), 7 | 7 (5–8) | 1,645 (1,290–2,260), 10 | 9 (7–12) | 1,040 (725–1,610), 7 | 8 (6–12) |
| XL | 111.5–117 | 2,010 (1,475–2,425), 7 | 7 (5–9) | 1,925 (1,405–2,470), 10 | 10 (8–13) | 1,180 (845–1,840), 7 | 9 (6–13) |
| 2XL | 122–127 | 2,140 (1,755–3,020), 7 | 8 (6–11) | 2,040 (1,520–2,675), 10 | 11 (8–14) | 1,345 (970–2,070), 7 | 10 (7–15) |
| 3XL | 132–137 | 2,445 (1,880–3,475), 6 | 9 (7–12) | 2,050 (1,520–2,675), 9 | 11 (8–14) | 1,425 (970–2,070), 6 | 10 (7–15) |
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Where the numbers come from
The size table uses 24 crochet jumper patterns that list a quantity for every size. Eight are from Jera’s Jamboree, two from Dora Does, one from Blue Star Crochet and one from Stylecraft. The other twelve are free Yarnspirations patterns for Bernat, Caron, Patons and Red Heart yarns. That means half the sample, and nine of the ten aran patterns, come from one US publisher’s house style. The DK column is all Jera’s Jamboree, Blue Star Crochet and Stylecraft.
Where a designer gives metres, we used them. Yards were converted at 0.9144. Where only balls are listed, we multiplied them by the length on the label the pattern quotes. US worsted (medium, 4) yarns go in the aran column, as in our cardigan guide, and US bulky (5) yarns in the chunky column. Jera’s Moon Shimmer uses Cygnet Pato Baby DK, which the designer says is closer to aran in practice. We kept it in the DK column, where its label puts it.
Jera’s Fruitdrop is listed in the pattern table but left out of the size table, because the page only gives quantities for its tunic length. We left out jumpers in 4ply or sport weight, mohair and other very light airy yarns, super chunky, and designs in several colours where each colour is rounded up to whole balls. Drops’ website blocked our requests this time, and Hobbii and King Cole don’t show per-size quantities on their pattern pages, so none of those are here.
We haven’t made these jumpers. The quantities are the designers’ own, checked on 2 October 2026, and every pattern is linked at the bottom of this page.
| Pattern | Weight and yarn | Stated quantity, smallest to largest size | Finished chest at M | Metres at M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora (Jera’s Jamboree) | Aran: Paintbox Simply Aran and Yarnsmiths Freespirit Aran | 1,652 to 2,680yd in total, S to 3X | 42in (107cm) | 1,655 |
| Emberley (Jera’s Jamboree) | DK: Yarnsmiths Lagoon DK, 340m per 100g | 1,460 to 2,310m, S to 3XL | 42in (107cm) | 1,630 |
| Rowan Ridge (Jera’s Jamboree) | DK: Papatya Batik | 1,360 to 2,056yd, S to 3XL | 42in (107cm) | 1,365 |
| Selene (Jera’s Jamboree) | Light DK: Hobbii Colorina, 200m per 50g | 1,654 to 2,633yd, S to 3XL | 40in (101.5cm) | 1,650 |
| Moon Shimmer hexagon sweater (Jera’s Jamboree) | DK: Cygnet Pato Baby DK, 270m per 100g | 1,746 to 2,718yd (6 to 10 balls), S to 3X | 103cm | 1,800 |
| Patchwork sweater (Jera’s Jamboree) | DK: King Cole Cherished DK, 5 colours | 1,975 to 3,800yd in total, S to 3X | 44in (112cm) | 1,965 |
| Mystic Garden (Jera’s Jamboree) | Chunky: two yarns | 606 to 1,158m in total, XS to 2X | 93.5cm body, plus ease | 795 |
| Le Jardin (Jera’s Jamboree) | Chunky: King Cole Big Value Tonal Chunky and Cygnet Chunky | 558 to 1,138m main colour plus 1 or 2 contrast balls of 156m, XS/S to 4/5XL | 40in (101.5cm) | 800 |
| Fruitdrop (Jera’s Jamboree), not in size table | DK: Cicibebe Batik, 360m per 100g | Tunic length: 1,161 to 2,625yd, XS to 5X | 119cm | 1,305 (tunic) |
| Crochet Sweater, pattern 9645 (Stylecraft) | DK: Special DK, 295m per 100g | 4, 5, 5, 5, 6 balls, to fit 81–86cm to 122–127cm bust (S to 2XL) | Not on the page | 1,475 |
| Spicy Sweater (Blue Star Crochet) | DK: Deramores Studio DK, 250m per 100g (discontinued) | 5 to 12 balls, XS to 5XL | Not on the page | 1,750 |
| Cosy Up Sweater (Dora Does) | Chunky: We Are Knitters The Petite Wool, 140m per 100g | 770 to 1,400m, XS to 3X | 98cm | 970 |
| So What? Sweater (Dora Does) | Chunky: Paintbox Simply Chunky, 136m per 100g | 950 to 1,450m, XS to 3X | 126cm | 1,100 |
| Beginner Down Around Pullover (Bernat) | Worsted: Bernat Super Value, 402m per 197g | 1,173 to 2,456yd, XS/S to 4/5XL (two PDFs) | 109cm | 1,285 |
| Adult Crew Neck Pullover (Caron) | Worsted: Caron Simply Soft Heathers, 228m per 141.7g | 5 to 10 balls, XS/S to 4/5XL | 103cm | 1,370 |
| Big Easy Pullover (Caron) | Worsted: Caron Simply Soft, 288m per 170.1g | 5 to 10 balls, XS/S to 4/5XL | 114.5cm | 1,730 |
| Forever Favorite Pullover (Caron) | Worsted: Caron Simply Soft Sunkissed, 227m per 141.7g | 1,165 to 1,790yd, XS/S to 4/5XL | 114.5cm | 1,170 |
| Cerulean Cabled Sweater (Patons) | Worsted: Patons Canadiana, 187m per 100g | 1,870 to 2,870yd, XS/S to 4/5XL | 117cm | 1,875 |
| Cable Up Sweater (Caron) | Worsted: Caron All Day Cotton, 158m per 100g | 2,054 to 3,114yd, XS/S to 4/5XL | 117cm | 2,055 |
| Gotta Have It Cable Sweater (Red Heart) | Worsted: Red Heart With Love, 338m per 198g | 3 to 7 balls, XS/S to 4/5XL | 112cm | 1,350 |
| Getting Cozy Pullover (Red Heart) | Worsted: Red Heart Super Saver Jazzy, 388m per 250g, plus Super Saver trim | 1,272 to 1,822yd plus 25 to 36yd trim, XS/S to 4/5XL | 117cm | 1,320 |
| Crochet Crew (Red Heart) | Worsted: Red Heart Soft, Seafoam (a solid shade), 234m per 141g | 5, 5, 6, 7, 8 balls, S to 2XL | 40in (101.5cm) | 1,170 |
| Comfy Crochet Sweater (Caron) | Bulky: Caron Swirl Cakes, 230m per 227g | 5 to 10 balls, XS/S to 4/5XL | 104cm | 1,380 |
| Vertical Ridges Sweater (Caron) | Bulky: Caron Simply Me, 225m per 200g | 1,165 to 1,750yd, XS/S to 4/5XL | 109cm | 1,170 |
| Sweater Weather Cabled Pullover (Red Heart) | Bulky: Red Heart Hygge, 121m per 141g | 5 to 9 balls, XS/S to 4/5XL | 101.5cm | 725 |
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DK, aran or chunky: one design, five weights
Dora Does’ Any Yarn Will Do sweater is written for five yarn weights, which makes it a fair test. For the same XS to 3XL range it needs 880 to 1,670m of DK, 730 to 1,410m of aran and 610 to 1,100m of chunky. Aran comes out at about 83% of the DK length, and chunky at about two thirds.
Thicker yarn needs fewer metres, but each ball holds fewer metres too, so the ball count doesn’t drop. At size M in our table, 1,650m of DK is 6 balls of Special DK, while 970m of chunky is 7 balls of Special Chunky. The weight in your bag goes up as well: about 560g of Special DK against 675g of Special Chunky.
Labels only go so far. Jera’s Selene uses Hobbii Colorina, sold as DK but with 200m per 50g, and she measured it at 14 wraps per inch, the lighter end of DK. The Papatya Batik in her Rowan Ridge is about 11 wraps per inch, the thicker end. Convert your pattern’s quantity to metres and compare metres per 100g before you swap yarn. The yarn substitution calculator does that sum.
| Yarn weight | Yarn the designer lists | Metres, XS to 3XL | Share of the DK figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4ply | Bergere de France Caline, 180m per 50g | 920 to 1,800 | 105 to 108% |
| DK | King Cole Sprite, Stylecraft Life DK | 880 to 1,670 | 100% |
| Aran | Rico Creative Soft Wool Aran | 730 to 1,410 | 83 to 84% |
| Chunky | Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky, 136m per 100g | 610 to 1,100 | 66 to 69% |
| Super chunky | King Cole Big Value Super Chunky, 81m per 100g | 360 to 710 | 41 to 43% |
Download this table (CSV) · free to reuse with a link to HazelLoop
Sleeves take a big share of the yarn
Only two designs in the sample split their quantities in a way that shows the sleeves, both by Jera’s Jamboree. In Aurora the contrast colour covers the sleeves (but not their cuffs) and the ribbed hem, and it is 31 to 35% of the total across the sizes. In Mystic Garden the single colour used for the sleeves, cuffs and bottom ribbing is 29 to 32% of the total. Both figures include ribbing, so the sleeves on their own take a little less than that, and other designs may differ.
So sleeve length matters. Stylecraft’s crochet sweater 9645 has three-quarter sleeves and lists 4 to 6 balls of Special DK for busts of 81–86cm to 122–127cm. Jera notes that Moon Shimmer’s quantities include full-length sleeves with a ribbed cuff, and that leaving them shorter changes the amount. Blue Star Crochet’s Spicy sweater has sleeves designed with extra length, and the designer says you can make them standard length with a smaller cuff.
Arm length grows with size. The Craft Yarn Council chart puts centre back neck to wrist at 71 to 72.5cm for M and 77.5 to 79cm for 3X. Rowan Ridge’s sleeves run from 17in (43cm) to the underarm in S and M to 18in (46cm) in 2XL and 3XL. If you add length to the sleeves, add yarn on top of the pattern figure.
Ease and fit: what a size up costs
Ease is the difference between your bust and the jumper’s finished chest, and it changes the yarn more than you might expect. Dora Does’ Cosy Up and So What? are both chunky jumpers by the same designer. Cosy Up is fairly close fitting, with a 98cm finished bust at M, and takes 970m. So What? is oversized, with 126cm at M, and takes 1,100m, about 13% more, even though it is cropped to the waist.
At size M most jumpers here that state one have a finished chest of about 101cm to 117cm, so they are cut with plenty of room. The extremes are Cosy Up at 98cm and So What? at 126cm. Rowan Ridge is designed for about 4 to 6in (10 to 15cm) of ease. Selene in size M gives 2in (5cm) on a 38in chest, and Jera suggests working the front and back of the next size up for a baggier fit, which gives 6in.
If you size up for ease, budget for the next size. Going from M to L adds a median of 170m in DK, 220m in aran and 100m in chunky in this sample. For Selene it is 208 yards, about 190m. Some designers suggest mixing sizes instead: for a closer fit, Jera’s Emberley notes say you can work the front and back a size down but keep the sleeves for your own size.
Cropped, standard or tunic length
Length is the other big lever. Jera’s Fruitdrop comes in three lengths. At size M the cropped version is 26cm long, the standard 43cm and the tunic 62cm. The page gives yarn only for the tunic, 1,428 yards (1,306m) at M, and says the cropped and standard versions use less. The full quantities for each length are in the paid pattern.
Small changes add up too. Aurora’s ribbed hem is 2in (5cm), and leaving it off makes the jumper shorter and saves some contrast yarn. Our cardigan guide found that 10cm more body on Drops’ Jewels Tide took 100g of Muskat, about 200m.
Cropped doesn’t always mean less. So What? is cropped but oversized, and it still needs more than the longer, closer fitting Cosy Up. Dora Does made one Any Yarn Will Do sample with the body and sleeves cropped, and she used about 400g of Paintbox Simply Chunky for size S. At 136m a ball that is about 545m, below the pattern’s lowest chunky figure of 610m.
How these figures compare with our cardigan guides
Our crochet cardigan guide gives 1,420m of DK and 1,275m of aran at size M. The jumper medians here are 1,650m and 1,360m, about 16% and 7% higher. That gap most likely comes from the samples rather than from jumpers needing more yarn: in that guide, 11 of 12 Drops designs published as both a cardigan and a jumper listed exactly the same grams in every size, and its sample already includes some jumpers.
The two samples are cut differently. The cardigan guide is mostly Drops, whose diagrams give finished chests at M from 92cm to 120cm, and none of its patterns are from Yarnspirations. Most jumpers here are roomy. Our granny square cardigan guide sits higher again in aran, at 1,585m for M.
Read all three as ranges, not rules. If your design is close fitting and hip length, expect the lower end. If it is oversized or long, expect the top. Stitch pattern is less predictable: two cabled Yarnspirations designs sit at the top of the aran column, but a cabled chunky one is the leanest at size M.
Before you order
Use your pattern’s own figure for your size wherever it gives one. If you’re changing yarn, turn it into metres first, then into balls of the yarn you’re buying.
Add yarn for any extra length in the body or sleeves, and for a roll neck or deep ribbing if the pattern makes them optional. Buy the main colour in one order so the dye lot matches, then put each colour into the yarn budget calculator to round up and total the cost.
Check before you move on
- Bust measured and compared with the pattern’s finished chest, not just the size letter
- Ease decided, and the next size’s yarn budgeted if you’re sizing up
- Extra body or sleeve length added on top of the pattern figure
- Pattern quantity turned into metres if you’re changing yarn
- Metres rounded up to whole balls of the yarn you’ll buy
- Main colour bought in one order for a matching dye lot
Ready to buy?
For sizing and buying your jumper yarn
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Our pick
Four of the nine blankets in our blanket guide use Stylecraft Special DK, so our tables convert straight to its 295m balls.
Stylecraft Special DK, Charcoal (1128)
One 100g / 295m ball, 100% acrylic, sold by The Great British Yarn Company.
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Flexible dual-sided sewing tape measure
150cm on one side, 60 inches on the other; soft tape for measuring squares and fabric.
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Our pick
Weighs whole balls and finished squares (5kg capacity) and shows 0.1g, enough for our grams-to-metres converter.
Etekcity EK9000 digital kitchen scale
Tare function, 5kg capacity, 0.1g resolution as stated by the listing (minimum 0.3g).
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Try it with your own numbers.
Calculate whole balls or packs for every colour. Subtract your stash and add UK delivery.
Build my list ↗Common questions
How many balls of yarn do I need for a crochet jumper?
At size M, the patterns we checked work out at a median of 6 balls of Stylecraft Special DK (295m), 7 of Special Aran (196m) or 7 of Special Chunky (144m). The spread is wide: 5 to 7 in DK, 6 to 11 in aran and 6 to 10 in chunky. Nine of the ten aran patterns are from Yarnspirations, so that column mostly reflects one US publisher.
How many metres of DK for a crochet sweater?
About 1,650m at size M, the median of seven DK patterns, with a range of 1,365m to 1,965m. At 3XL the median is 2,445m from six patterns. At XS we found only one DK pattern with a figure, so there’s no median for that size.
Does a chunky crochet jumper use less yarn?
Fewer metres, not fewer balls. Dora Does’ Any Yarn Will Do sweater needs about two thirds of the DK length in chunky. But chunky balls hold fewer metres, so at size M our chunky median of 970m is still 7 balls of Special Chunky.
How much yarn do crochet sleeves take?
Roughly a third, including some ribbing. In the only two designs we found that split it out, both by Jera’s Jamboree, the colour used for the sleeves and ribbed hem is 31 to 35% of the total in Aurora, and the sleeve and ribbing colour is 29 to 32% in Mystic Garden.
Does a cropped crochet jumper need less yarn?
Usually, if the fit stays the same. Fruitdrop’s cropped version at size M is 26cm long against 62cm for the tunic, and the designer says it needs less yarn. But an oversized cropped jumper can still need more than a closer fitting long one: Dora Does’ So What? takes 1,100m at M, against 970m for her Cosy Up.
Sources and scope
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/crochet-sweater-pattern-aurora/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/free-crochet-pullover-pattern-emberley/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/easy-crochet-pullover-sweater-pattern-rowan-ridge/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/easy-crochet-sweater-pattern-selene/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/moon-shimmer-crochet-hexagon-sweater-pattern/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/patchwork-crochet-sweater/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/crochet-sweater-pattern-mystic-garden/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/crochet-jumper-pattern-le-jardin/
- www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/fruitdrop-crochet-sweater-pattern/
- www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/patterns/9645/crochet-sweater-and-waistcoat
- bluestarcrochet.com/womens-crochet-pullover/
- doradoes.co.uk/portfolio/the-cosy-up-sweater/
- doradoes.co.uk/portfolio/so-what-free-oversized-chunky-crochet-sweater-pattern/
- doradoes.co.uk/portfolio/any-yarn-will-do-top-down-crochet-sweater-pattern/
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/bernat-beginner-down-around-crochet-pullover
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/BRC0129-034980M-S.pdf
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/BRC0129-034980M-L.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/caron-adult-crochet-crew-neck-pullover
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/CAC0429-007991M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/caron-big-easy-crochet-pullover
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/CAC0129-002449M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/caron-forever-favorite-crochet-pullover
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/CAC0129-39597M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/patons-cerulean-cabled-crochet-sweater
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/PAC0829-39461M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/caron-cable-up-crochet-sweater
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/CAC0829-39729M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/red-heart-gotta-have-it-cable-crochet-sweater
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/RHC0129-015344M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/red-heart-getting-cozy-crochet-pullover
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/RHC0829-39282M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/red-heart-crochet-crew-sweater
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/RHC0129-019583M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/caron-comfy-crochet-sweater
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/CAC0129-029277M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/caron-vertical-ridges-crochet-sweater
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/CAC0829-37665M.pdf
- www.yarnspirations.com/products/red-heart-sweater-weather-cabled-crochet-pullover
- cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0711/5132/1403/files/RHC0129-027668M.pdf
- www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/woman-size
- www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/yarns/special-dk/
- www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/yarns/special-aran/
- www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/yarns/special-chunky/
Sources checked 2 October 2026. Label facts come from the linked references; worked purchase examples and arithmetic are our own illustrations.
Keep planning
- How much yarn for a crochet hat? Baby to adult, from 12 patterns
- Crochet baby hat sizes: head, hat and yarn by age
- Crochet dishcloth yarn: how much, and which cotton?
- Does crochet use more yarn than knitting? Pattern pairs
- How much yarn for amigurumi? Grams by finished size
- How much yarn for a crochet tote or market bag?
- Stylecraft Special DK: metres, quantities and planner
These are planning methods, not physically tested crochet patterns. Read our method and editorial approach.