Bead Pattern Calculator
Work out how many beads of each colour a repeating pattern needs for a given number of repeats, plus the total bead count and the thread length.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Repeating pattern, How many repeats, Bead size, Custom bead diameter, Waste allowance, Thread per bead
- What you get
- Total beads needed, Colour A beads, Colour B beads, Colour C beads, Colour D beads, Finished strand length, Thread to cut
- 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 Bead Pattern Calculator
- 1 Enter Repeating pattern, Each sequence is listed in the order the beads are strung.
- 2 Enter How many repeats (repeats)
- 3 Enter Bead size, Leave at custom to enter your own bead diameter.
- 4 Enter Custom bead diameter (mm)
- 5 Enter Waste allowance (%), Adds to the thread length and to each colour count.
- 6 Enter Thread per bead (mm), Back and forth through the bead plus the tails. Weaving techniques need more.
- 7 Press Calculate. You get Total beads needed, Colour A beads, Colour B beads, Colour C beads, Colour D beads, Finished strand length, Thread to cut, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 8 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.
Twelve repeats of a six bead pattern in 8 mm beads
A pattern of two dark, one light, one dark and two accent beads repeated twelve times.
You enter
- Repeating pattern
- 4
- How many repeats
- 12
- Bead size
- 8
- Custom bead diameter
- 0 mm
- Waste allowance
- 5%
- Thread per bead
- 25 mm
You get
- Total beads needed
- 76
- Colour A beads
- 38
- Colour B beads
- 13
- Colour C beads
- 13
- Colour D beads
- 13
- Finished strand length
- 23.94 in
- Thread to cut
- 75
About 76 beads in total, which makes a strand near 24 inches.
Seed bead pattern in size 11/0
A class two colour stripe repeated forty times in 2.1 millimetre seed beads.
You enter
- Repeating pattern
- 1
- How many repeats
- 40
- Bead size
- 2.1
- Custom bead diameter
- 0 mm
- Waste allowance
- 5%
- Thread per bead
- 30 mm
You get
- Total beads needed
- 252
- Colour A beads
- 168
- Colour B beads
- 42
- Colour C beads
- 42
- Colour D beads
- 0
- Finished strand length
- 20.83 in
- Thread to cut
- 298
Seed bead patterns repeat quickly, so forty repeats is a serious quantity of thread.
Eight repeat bracelet in 6 mm beads
A four colour pattern of six beads repeated eight times for a bracelet.
You enter
- Repeating pattern
- 4
- How many repeats
- 8
- Bead size
- 6
- Custom bead diameter
- 0 mm
- Waste allowance
- 5%
- Thread per bead
- 25 mm
You get
- Total beads needed
- 51
- Colour A beads
- 26
- Colour B beads
- 9
- Colour C beads
- 9
- Colour D beads
- 9
- Finished strand length
- 12.05 in
- Thread to cut
- 50
A finished length near 11 inches, so this one is a necklace rather than a bracelet.
Guides that go with it
How to Measure Beads and Jewelry Materials Correctly
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