How Many Squares in a Yard of Fabric + Cheat Sheet
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Cutting fabric is expected when you start your quilting journey but math? The amount of math you will run into can be surprising. Seriously, who knew there’d be so much math involved in quilting? Fear not! I’m here to help.
As you’re planning your next quilt you may be wondering exactly how many squares you can cut from your fabric. Of course, precut fabric can speed up the cutting process, but sometimes it makes more sense to cut your own fabric squares.
Instead of breaking out your calculator every time you need to cut up yardage, use this table to help you figure out how many squares you can get from one yard of fabric.
These measurements are based on 42” wide quilting cotton.
| Quilt Square Size | Number of Squares in 1 Yard of Fabric |
| .5″ | 6048 |
| 1” | 1512 |
| 1.5” | 672 |
| 2” | 378 |
| 2.5” | 224 |
| 3” | 168 |
| 3.5” | 120 |
| 4” | 90 |
| 4.5” | 72 |
| 5” | 56 |
| 5.5” | 42 |
| 6” | 35 |
| 6.5” | 30 |
| 7” | 30 |
| 7.5” | 20 |
| 8” | 20 |
| 8.5” | 16 |
| 9” | 16 |
| 9.5” | 12 |
| 10” | 12 |
| 10.5” | 12 |
| 11” | 9 |
| 11.5” | 9 |
| 12” | 9 |
| 12.5” | 6 |
| 13” | 6 |
| 13.5” | 6 |
| 14” | 6 |
| 14.5” | 4 |
| 15” | 4 |
If you want to keep this information handy, I’ve created a free downloadable PDF that includes the quilt squares table and cutting diagrams for the most common quilt square sizes.
Keep scrolling for cutting diagrams of the most common quilt square sizes and how much fabric you need to make your own layer cakes, charm packs and mini charm packs.
How Many Quilt Squares Can I Get from 1 Yard of Fabric?
There are so many ways you can cut up one yard of fabric and turn it into smaller manageable pieces to use in your quilt. Use the table above to reference how many squares you can get from one yard.
I’ll go into more depth with each of the most popular quilting square sizes below.
How Many 10-Inch Squares Are in a Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 12 10″ squares from one yard of fabric.
Pre-cut 10” squares are called Layer Squares or Layer Cakes. They are typically sold in packs of 42 squares.
If you want to make your own Layer Cake, you’ll need to cut a total of 42 squares. In that case, you’ll need 3 ⅛ yards of fabric.
Looking for a quilt pattern for 10″ squares? Check out this list of 30 Free Layer Cake Quilt Patterns!
How Many 5-Inch Squares Are in a Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 56 5” squares from one yard of fabric.
Pre-cut 5” squares are called Charm Squares or Charm Packs. They are typically sold in packs of 42 squares.
If you want to make your own Charm Pack, you’ll need to cut a total of 42 squares. In that case, you’ll need ⅞ yards of fabric.
Looking for a quilt pattern for 5″ squares? Check out my free quilt pattern called Charming Sawtooth. It uses 1 charm pack and 1 yard of fabric!
How Many 2 1/2 Inch Squares Are in a Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 224 2.5” squares from one yard of fabric.
Pre-cut 2.5” squares are called Mini Charm Squares or Mini Charm Packs. They are typically sold in packs of 42 squares.
One yard of fabric is equal to more than 5 Mini Charm Packs. Wow!
Are you working with less than one yard of fabric? I’ve done the math for how many squares you can cut from ¾ yard, ½ yard, and ¼ yard, too!
How Many Quilt Squares Can I Get from 3/4 Yard of Fabric?
These measurements are based on 42” wide quilting cotton.
| Quilt Square Size | Number of Squares in 3/4 Yard of Fabric |
| .5″ | 4536 |
| 1” | 1134 |
| 1.5” | 504 |
| 2” | 273 |
| 2.5” | 160 |
| 3” | 126 |
| 3.5” | 84 |
| 4” | 60 |
| 4.5” | 54 |
| 5” | 40 |
| 5.5” | 28 |
| 6” | 28 |
| 6.5” | 24 |
| 7” | 18 |
| 7.5” | 15 |
| 8” | 15 |
| 8.5” | 12 |
| 9” | 12 |
| 9.5” | 8 |
| 10” | 8 |
| 10.5” | 8 |
| 11” | 6 |
| 11.5” | 6 |
| 12” | 6 |
| 12.5” | 6 |
| 13” | 6 |
| 13.5” | 6 |
| 14” | 3 |
| 14.5” | 3 |
| 15” | 3 |
How Many 10-Inch Squares Are in 3/4 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 8 10” squares from 3/4 yards of fabric.
How Many 5-Inch Squares Are in 3/4 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 40 5” squares from 3/4 yards of fabric.
How Many 2 1/2 Inch Squares Are in 3/4 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 160 2.5” squares from 3/4 yards of fabric.
How Many Quilt Squares Can I Get from a 1/2 Yard of Fabric?
These measurements are based on 42” wide quilting cotton.
| Quilt Square Size | Number of Squares in 1/2 Yard of Fabric |
| .5″ | 3024 |
| 1” | 756 |
| 1.5” | 336 |
| 2” | 189 |
| 2.5” | 112 |
| 3” | 84 |
| 3.5” | 60 |
| 4” | 40 |
| 4.5” | 36 |
| 5” | 24 |
| 5.5” | 21 |
| 6” | 21 |
| 6.5” | 12 |
| 7” | 12 |
| 7.5” | 10 |
| 8” | 10 |
| 8.5” | 8 |
| 9” | 8 |
| 9.5” | 4 |
| 10” | 4 |
| 10.5” | 4 |
| 11” | 3 |
| 11.5” | 3 |
| 12” | 3 |
| 12.5” | 3 |
| 13” | 3 |
| 13.5” | 3 |
| 14” | 3 |
| 14.5” | 2 |
| 15” | 2 |
How Many 10-Inch Squares Are in 1/2 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 4 10” squares from 1/2 yard of fabric.
How Many 5-Inch Squares Are in 1/2 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 24 5” squares from 1/2 yard of fabric.
How Many 2 1/2 Inch Squares Are in 1/2 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 112 2.5” squares from 1/2 yard of fabric.
How Many Quilt Squares Can I Get from a 1/4 Yard of Fabric?
These measurements are based on 42” wide quilting cotton.
| Quilt Square Size | Number of Squares in 1/4 Yard of Fabric |
| .5″ | 1512 |
| 1” | 378 |
| 1.5” | 168 |
| 2” | 84 |
| 2.5” | 48 |
| 3” | 42 |
| 3.5” | 24 |
| 4” | 20 |
| 4.5” | 18 |
| 5” | 8 |
| 5.5” | 7 |
| 6” | 7 |
| 6.5” | 6 |
| 7” | 6 |
| 7.5” | 5 |
| 8” | 5 |
| 8.5” | 4 |
| 9” | 4 |
How Many 5-Inch Squares Are in 1/4 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 8 5” squares from 1/4 yard of fabric.
How Many 2 1/2 Inch Squares Are in 1/4 Yard of Fabric?
You can cut 48 2.5” squares from 1/4 yard of fabric.
I hope this math breakdown was helpful for you! Be sure to download the free squares in a yard cheat sheet so you can save this information for later.
xo, Hailey
Other Posts You May Like:
How Many Strips in a Yard + Cheat Sheet
Why is My Rotary Cutter Not Cutting?
Simple Quilt Size Guidelines and a Printable Chart
How Many 10-Inch Squares Do I Need to Make a Quilt?
How Many 5-Inch Squares Do I Need to Make a Quilt?
Hi Haily, Thank you for the math in figuring the number needed when starting different quilt sizes.
Hi, Hailey, I got a link to this blog post in your email and opened it straight away hoping that you included the measurements in centimetres as well. It would be great to have that cheat sheet, unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to do my maths anyway as – like most of the world – I use the metric system. A bit disappointing…
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll work on adding a centimeter column to the cheat sheet.
Thanks for the cheat sheets
I’ll look forward to the centimeter sheet. Most kind 0f you for sharing your knowledge
Pat
What a life saver, and useful tool for every quilter. I’m sure their are others like myself who have tried to figure this out at one time or another and like myself got a different answer after each attempt (lol),
Thank you. I have made a copy of both the strips/squares and placed them in vinyl sleeves for the notebook I keep by my machine with helpful hints I’ve collected, needle/thread guide, quilting how-to’s, etc.
Thank You
Thank you for these charts and the cutting diagrams!!!