🧵 Quilt Batting Size Calculator

Enter your finished quilt top's dimensions and how much overhang you want on each side (typically 3-4 inches for quilting frame or hoop clearance) to calculate the batting size to buy.

Quilt top width (in)

Quilt top length (in)

Overhang per side (in)

Overhang counts twice

The only arithmetic is that overhang is added to both edges of a dimension, not one:

batting width  = top width  + (2 × overhang)
batting length = top length + (2 × overhang)

default overhang: 4 in per side, so 8 in on each dimension

A 60 × 80 in top wants 68 × 88 in of batting. Raise the overhang to 6 in and it becomes 72 × 92: two inches a side costs four across, often the step from one package to the next.

Turning inches into a package

Batting is sold in fixed sizes, so the answer is a minimum to shop against. At 4 in of overhang:

Quilt top	Batting needed	Smallest package
36 × 52	44 × 60	crib, 45 × 60
50 × 60	58 × 68	twin, 72 × 90
60 × 80	68 × 88	twin, 72 × 90
90 × 108	98 × 116	king, 120 × 120

That last row catches people out: a queen package is 90 × 108, the size of the top itself, with nothing spare. Package dimensions vary between brands, so read the packet, not the label.

Overhang is not only for clearance: dense quilting draws the layers in as you work, and many battings shrink on a first wash by whatever figure the maker prints on the wrapper. Batting cut by the yard off a roll adds a question - the roll width is fixed, so check it covers one of your two dimensions before ordering length.

Frequently asked questions

What size batting do I need for a 60 x 80 inch quilt?

68 × 88 in at the page's default 4 in overhang. A twin package of 72 × 90 is the usual buy, leaving about 2 in spare all round.

Why does my queen quilt need king size batting?

Because queen batting is sold at the same 90 × 108 as a queen top, and you need 98 × 116 once overhang is added. Going up a size is the answer whenever the top matches its own package.

How much batting overhang should I allow?

The page starts at 4 in a side and its intro suggests 3 to 4. Frame clearance, quilting take-up and squaring up all come out of it, and a longarm quilter may want more.