Quick answer: how to calculate quilt size
Use the Quilt Size Calculator with your own bed size, side drop, foot drop and head tuck, to check recommended quilt width and length before you plan blocks, backing or batting.
Recommended quilt width equals bed width plus 2 times side drop. Recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop plus head tuck. Side drop hangs over both sides of the bed, foot drop hangs over the foot only, and head tuck is at the head only, for quilts that go over the pillow.
For example, a King bed 76 by 80 inches, with side drop 18 inches, foot drop 18 inches and head tuck 0 inches, gives a recommended quilt 112 by 98 inches. Width is 76 plus 36, which is 112. Length is 80 plus 18 plus 0, which is 98.
This gives a finished quilt size, not a cut size. No seam allowance, borders or shrinkage are added. Drop is the user's own choice, so a larger drop gives a larger quilt.
How to calculate quilt size
What you need to measure
You need five inputs: bed width, bed length, side drop, foot drop and head tuck. Bed width and bed length are the mattress size, in inches. US mattress sizes are Twin 38 by 75, Twin XL 38 by 80, Full 54 by 75, Queen 60 by 80, King 76 by 80 and California King 72 by 84. Side drop is how far the quilt should hang over one side of the bed. Foot drop is how far the quilt should hang over the foot of the bed. Head tuck is how far the quilt should go over the pillow at the head of the bed, and it is 0 if the quilt does not go over the pillow.
Formula and calculation rule
Recommended quilt width equals bed width plus 2 times side drop, because side drop hangs over both sides of the bed, left and right. Recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop plus head tuck, because foot drop hangs over the foot only and head tuck is at the head only. This gives a finished quilt size, not a cut size. No seam allowance, borders or shrinkage are added. Actual mattresses vary, so measure your own bed if it is not standard. Drop is the user's own choice, so choose the drop you want before you calculate, and use the same drop values through the whole calculation.
Step by step example
Take a Full bed 54 by 75 inches, with side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches and head tuck 10 inches.
Recommended quilt width: 54 plus 2 times 15, which is 54 plus 30, which is 84 inches.
Recommended quilt length: 75 plus 15 plus 10, which is 100 inches.
Recommended quilt size: 84 by 100 inches.
Quilt size chart
This chart uses the same formulas as the calculator, with side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches and head tuck 0 inches for every row. Change the drop values and the recommended quilt size changes too.
| Bed | Mattress size | Recommended quilt size |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38 by 75 inches | 68 by 90 inches |
| Twin XL | 38 by 80 inches | 68 by 95 inches |
| Full | 54 by 75 inches | 84 by 90 inches |
| Queen | 60 by 80 inches | 90 by 95 inches |
| King | 76 by 80 inches | 106 by 95 inches |
| California King | 72 by 84 inches | 102 by 99 inches |
Use this chart for standard US bed sizes with the drop values shown. For other drop values, or for a bed that is not standard, use the calculator above, with your own bed size and drop values.
Important variations and exceptions
- Larger drop covers more of the bed sides and foot. A larger side drop hangs further over both sides of the bed, and a larger foot drop hangs further over the foot of the bed, so the recommended quilt width and length both grow. A smaller drop gives a smaller quilt that covers less of the bed sides and foot.
- Head tuck only if the quilt goes over the pillow. Head tuck is at the head only, for quilts that go over the pillow. If the quilt does not go over the pillow, head tuck is 0, and recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop only.
- Non-standard beds need measured width and length, not a preset. Actual mattresses vary, so if your bed is not a standard US size, measure your own bed width and length and use those values, not a preset row from the chart. A preset row for a different bed size gives the wrong recommended quilt size.
- A quilt size for a bed is not the same as a quilt top layout from blocks. This guide gives the finished quilt size that fits the bed. It does not give how many blocks fit that size. Use the Block Size Calculator for block layouts, and use the Backing Calculator, the Batting Calculator and the Border Calculator for backing, batting and an outer frame, after the quilt size is worked out.
Head tuck means pillow tuck, and foot drop needs a label
Other pages call head tuck by a clearer name, pillow tuck, and this guide uses both names for the same thing: extra length at the head end, for a quilt that goes over the pillow. If the quilt ends at the headboard, head tuck is 0. Do not add a tuck on top of a table figure that already contains it. That is the main trap in this topic. Many published tables label one column as foot drop, but the number in that column is really the total extra length, foot drop plus pillow tuck together. A Queen table figure of 28 inches in that column is not a foot drop of 28 inches waiting for a tuck to be added. It is 28 inches of total extra length, which is how a 60 by 80 inch mattress reaches a 90 by 108 inch finished quilt.
Work it in split form every time, so the three parts can be checked separately: side drop, foot drop only, and head tuck only. For a Queen bed 60 by 80 inches, with side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches and head tuck 10 inches, the result is 90 by 105 inches. Width is 60 plus 30, which is 90. Length is 80 plus 15 plus 10, which is 105. That 90 by 105 inch quilt is 3 inches shorter than the widely repeated 90 by 108 inch finished Queen, and the difference is exactly the total extra length: 25 inches in the split example, 28 inches in the 90 by 108 inch standard. Both can be right, but only when the drop and tuck behind each one are stated.
Why one bed has many standard sizes
There is no single standard Queen quilt size, because the pages do not share one drop assumption. The mattress is the same, the drop is what changes. The table below keeps the drop assumption beside every size, so no size looks like a fixed rule on its own. All four rows use the same Queen mattress, 60 by 80 inches, and the same side drop, 15 inches, so only the length assumption changes.
| Finished Queen quilt | Foot drop only | Head tuck | Total extra length | What the row assumes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 by 92 inches | 12 inches | 0 inches | 12 inches | Side drop 12 inches, no tuck |
| 90 by 95 inches | 15 inches | 0 inches | 15 inches | Our chart row, side drop 15 inches, no tuck |
| 90 by 105 inches | 15 inches | 10 inches | 25 inches | Split form, side drop 15 inches, tuck over the pillow |
| 90 by 108 inches | Not split | Not split | 28 inches | Widely repeated finished Queen, total extra length only |
Notice the first row changes width as well, because it uses a 12 inch side drop, not 15 inches: 60 plus 24 is 84, while 60 plus 30 is 90. Never copy a finished size without its drop values, and never add a tuck to a size whose extra length is already a total. If a table does not split foot drop and tuck, treat its extra length as a total and do not split it by guessing.
Choosing a drop, by mattress depth
Drop is driven more by mattress and box spring height than by bed width. A quilt that only just passes the mattress edge needs a small drop, and a quilt that should hang to the floor needs a drop close to the full height of the mattress plus box spring. As a starting range from the pages read for this guide, allow 16 to 18 inches per side and 15 to 16 inches at the foot, plus a separate 8 to 10 inch pillow tuck at the head if the quilt should fold over the pillows. Adjust down for a low platform bed, where 8 to 12 inches per side can be enough, and adjust up for a thick pillow top mattress, where 14 to 18 inches per side is the range given, or for an old style box spring plus mattress, where the total height can reach 18 to 24 inches. Measure from the top of the mattress to the point where you want the quilt to end, on your own bed, rather than trusting a preset drop for a different bed height. The calculator defaults are side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches and head tuck 0 inches, which is a middle choice, not a floor length choice and not a just past the edge choice.
One preset warning: most pages list Twin and Twin XL mattresses as 38 inches wide, which is what this calculator uses, but two pages list them as 39 inches wide. If your Twin mattress really measures 39 inches, the quilt width grows by 1 inch at the same drop, for example from 68 inches to 69 inches at a 15 inch side drop. Measure the mattress, do not assume the preset width is exact.
Finished size, not a cutting size
The calculator result is a finished quilt size, after quilting and binding, and it adds nothing for shrinkage, draw up during quilting, seam allowances, borders, backing or batting. Pages differ on how much to allow for those, with ranges from 1 to 2 inches larger in each direction for the top, to a few percent for quilting and washing shrinkage, so this guide does not pick one hidden allowance for you. Treat the finished size as the target, then work backing, batting and borders separately from that target, with their own allowances, using the Backing, Batting and Border calculators. If you cut a top exactly to the finished size with no allowance at all, quilting and washing can leave it smaller than the bed fit you planned.
How to make sure your result is correct
- Check bed width and bed length first. Measure your own bed if it is not standard, and check that bed width and bed length are not swapped. Swapped bed width and length give a quilt that is the wrong way round for the bed.
- Check side drop is counted twice, foot drop once, head tuck once. Side drop hangs over both sides, so it is added twice to bed width. Foot drop hangs over the foot only, so it is added once to bed length. Head tuck is at the head only, so it is added once to bed length, and only if the quilt goes over the pillow.
- Check finished size, not cut size. The result is a finished quilt size, not a cut size. No seam allowance, borders or shrinkage are added, so do not treat the result as a cutting measurement for blocks, backing or batting without working those out separately.
- Check units. Bed width, bed length, side drop, foot drop, head tuck and recommended quilt size must be in the same unit, inches or centimetres. In centimetre mode, 1 inch equals 2.54 centimetres, so a drop of 15 inches equals 38.10 centimetres.
- Check the result against the chart row for your bed. With side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches and head tuck 0 inches, your result should match the chart row for your bed size. If it does not match, check bed width, bed length and drop values again.
Try it with the calculator: Use the Quilt Size Calculator with your own bed size, side drop, foot drop and head tuck. It uses the same steps as this guide, and it shows recommended quilt width and length, together.
Worked example: King bed, side drop 18 inches, foot drop 18 inches, head tuck 0 inches
This worked example is different from the tool page example, which uses a Queen bed 60 by 80 inches, side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches and head tuck 0 inches, giving 90 by 95 inches.
Recommended quilt width: 76 plus 2 times 18, which is 76 plus 36, which is 112 inches.
Recommended quilt length: 80 plus 18 plus 0, which is 98 inches.
Recommended quilt size: 112 by 98 inches.
Calculate your own quilt size now
Use your bed size, side drop, foot drop and head tuck in the calculator, and check the result against the steps in this guide.
Open the Quilt Size CalculatorFrequently asked questions
Recommended quilt width equals bed width plus 2 times side drop. Recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop plus head tuck. For example, a King bed 76 by 80 inches, with side drop 18 inches, foot drop 18 inches and head tuck 0 inches, gives a recommended quilt 112 by 98 inches.
Side drop is how far the quilt hangs over one side of the bed, and it is added twice, because it hangs over both sides. Foot drop is how far the quilt hangs over the foot of the bed, and it is added once. Head tuck is how far the quilt goes over the pillow at the head of the bed, and it is added once, only if the quilt goes over the pillow.
No, head tuck is only needed if the quilt goes over the pillow. If the quilt does not go over the pillow, head tuck is 0, and recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop only.
Measure your own bed width and length and use those values, not a preset row from the chart. Actual mattresses vary, so a preset row for a different bed size gives the wrong recommended quilt size.
No, it is a finished quilt size, not a cut size. No seam allowance, borders or shrinkage are added. Work out blocks, backing and batting separately, after the quilt size is worked out.
Related guides and calculators
Use the Quilt Size Calculator for your own bed size and drop values. For backing, use the Backing Calculator, for batting, use the Batting Calculator, and for an outer frame, use the Border Calculator. For block layouts, see the Block Size Calculator, and for sashing between blocks, read How to Calculate Sashing.