Quantities

How many balls of wool do I need? Metres to balls

Divide the yarn quantity in your pattern by the metres in one ball, then round up to the next whole ball. Do it separately for every colour. If your pattern gives yards or grams instead, convert first, as shown below.

HazelLoop planning guide · Updated 12 October 2026 · Figures from cited sources

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A worked example in metres

Your pattern needs 1,200 m of one colour, and each ball of Stylecraft Special Aran holds 196 m. 1,200 ÷ 196 = 6.12, so buy 7 balls. Those hold 1,372 m between them.

The extra 172 m comes from buying whole balls. It isn’t a separate allowance, so don’t add another one on top without checking. Our guide to extra yarn explains when a spare ball is worth it.

If your pattern is in yards

One yard is exactly 0.9144 m. Multiply the yards by 0.9144 to get metres, then divide by the metres in one ball.

Say a pattern asks for 900 yards of aran. 900 × 0.9144 = 823 m. Stylecraft Special Aran has 196 m a ball, so 823 ÷ 196 = 4.2, which means 5 balls. You can also use the yards on the label: Stylecraft lists the same ball as 214 yards, and 900 ÷ 214 = 4.2. Either way it’s 5 balls.

If your pattern is in grams

If you’re using the exact yarn the pattern names, divide the grams by the ball weight. 450 g of Stylecraft Special DK is 450 ÷ 100 = 4.5 balls, so buy 5.

If you’re using a different yarn, grams won’t transfer. Turn them into metres with the original yarn’s label first. 450 g of Special DK is 4.5 × 295 m = 1,328 m. Paintbox Simply DK has 276 m a ball, so 1,328 ÷ 276 = 4.8, which is still 5 balls. It doesn’t always come out the same: a pattern needing 6 balls of Special DK needs 7 of Simply DK, which is why our substitution guide works in metres.

If your pattern lists balls

With the same yarn and ball size, the designer’s ball count is your answer. To use it in the planner, multiply the count by the metres per ball. That converts a buying figure, so leftovers are already built in.

Quantities by project

If you don’t have a pattern figure yet, start from published ones. Our crochet hat guide found that one 100 g ball of DK covered every adult medium or large DK beanie we checked. The scarf guide puts an adult scarf at 2 or 3 balls of Special DK. The cardigan and jumper guide gives about 5 balls of Special DK for a size M, and the blanket guide gives 13 to 19 for a single bed. Each one ends in a figure you can bring back here.

One colour of Stylecraft Special Aran, 196 m per ball
Pattern needs	Same in metres	Whole balls	Length bought
196 m	196 m	1	196 m
197 m	197 m	2	392 m
900 yd	823 m	5	980 m
1,200 m	1,200 m	7	1,372 m

Download this table (CSV) · free to reuse with a link to HazelLoop

Check before you move on

Quantity taken for your size, not the smallest size
Yards multiplied by 0.9144, or grams turned into metres with the original label
Metres per single ball copied from your yarn’s label
Each colour rounded up on its own
Pack size kept separate from ball length

Try it with your own numbers.

Calculate whole balls or packs for every colour. Subtract your stash and add UK delivery.

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Common questions

Should I round to the nearest ball?

Round up. Rounding down leaves you short of the pattern’s figure. If the quantity is exactly a whole number of balls, the calculator doesn’t add one.

How many metres in a 100 g ball of DK?

It depends on the yarn. Stylecraft Special DK has 295 m and Paintbox Simply DK has 276 m. Our UK yarn weights guide lists 40 yarns, so check your own label.

How do I convert yards to metres?

Multiply by 0.9144. 900 yards is 823 metres.

Can this calculate yarn from a jumper size?

Not on its own. Use the pattern’s quantity for your size, or the size-by-size figures in our cardigan and jumper guide.

Sources and scope

Sources checked 1 October 2026. Label facts come from the linked references; worked purchase examples and arithmetic are our own illustrations. Original pattern and product names retain their source spelling.

How much yarn do I need? All UK wool quantity guides

Keep planning

These are planning estimates, not claims of projects we have made. Read our method and editorial approach.