Quick answer: how to read a quilt sizes chart
Use the Quilt Size Calculator for a bed fit size, and the Printable Quilt Size Chart to print the tables below and keep them at the cutting table.
A quilt sizes chart has two different kinds of sizes, and they must not be mixed. Quilt top sizes are finished top sizes, used for block layout, backing, batting, and binding. Bed fit sizes are recommended quilt sizes for a bed, worked out from bed size and drop.
Top sizes answer the question, how big is this quilt top. Bed fit sizes answer the question, how big should a quilt be to fit this bed, with drop over the sides and the foot. A top size and a bed fit size can share a width, like 68 inches, and still mean different things, because they come from different starting points.
How to read a quilt sizes chart
What a quilt size means
A quilt size is a finished size, given as width by length, in inches or centimetres. Finished size means the size after sewing, not the size of the fabric pieces before sewing. Cut sizes are larger than finished sizes, because seam allowance is lost where pieces join, so never use a cut size where a finished size is needed, or the quilt will come out smaller than planned.
Top sizes and bed fit sizes
Top sizes are the common finished top sizes used across quilting, from Baby to King. They are a starting point for block layout, backing, batting, and binding, because those calculators use the finished top size as an input. Bed fit sizes are worked out from a bed, not from a quilt pattern. Recommended quilt width equals bed width plus 2 times side drop, because side drop hangs over both sides of the bed. Recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop plus head tuck, because foot drop hangs over the foot only, and head tuck is extra length at the head only, for quilts that go over the pillow.
Step by step example
Take a Twin XL bed, 38 by 80 inches, side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, head tuck 0 inches.
Recommended quilt width: 38 plus 2 times 15 equals 38 plus 30, which is 68 inches.
Recommended quilt length: 80 plus 15 plus 0 equals 95 inches.
The bed fit quilt is therefore 68 by 95 inches.
Note that Twin XL bed fit 68 by 95 is not the same as Twin top size 68 by 88, because top sizes and bed fit sizes are different kinds of sizes. They share the width 68 inches by chance, not by rule, and their lengths come from different starting points, a standard top size on one side, and a bed plus drop on the other.
Quilt sizes reference tables
The first table gives common quilt top sizes. The second table gives bed fit quilt sizes, from the Quilt Size Calculator, with side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, and head tuck 0 inches, so every row can be worked out again from its bed size and drop values.
Common quilt top sizes
| Quilt | Top size |
|---|---|
| Baby | 36 by 48 inches |
| Lap | 50 by 60 inches |
| Twin | 68 by 88 inches |
| Full | 80 by 92 inches |
| Queen | 90 by 108 inches |
| King | 108 by 108 inches |
Bed fit quilt sizes, side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, head tuck 0 inches
| Bed | Bed 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 the top size table when you are following a pattern or laying out blocks. Use the bed fit table when you are sizing a quilt for a bed. Do not swap the two tables, because a top size is not a bed fit size, even when the numbers look close.
Important variations and exceptions
- Actual mattresses vary, so measure your own bed if it is not standard. The bed sizes in the bed fit table are US standard mattress sizes. If a bed is thicker, longer, or shorter than the standard size, use the measured bed width and length in the Quilt Size Calculator, rather than a preset row.
- Drop is the user's own choice. The bed fit table uses side drop 15 inches and foot drop 15 inches. A larger drop covers more of the bed sides and foot, and gives a larger recommended quilt size. A smaller drop covers less, and gives a smaller recommended quilt size. Change the drop values on the calculator when the table values do not match the look you want.
- Head tuck only if the quilt goes over the pillow. Head tuck is extra length at the head only, and the bed fit table uses head tuck 0 inches. Add head tuck only when the quilt is meant to go over the pillow, otherwise the quilt will be longer than needed at the head end.
- Top sizes are not yardages. A top size tells you how big the finished top is, not how much fabric to buy. Yardage depends on piece sizes, fabric width, and which part of the quilt the fabric is for, so use the Fabric, Backing, Batting, and Binding calculators after choosing a size.
- Top size and bed fit size can share a number and still mean different things. Twin XL bed fit 68 by 95 and Twin top size 68 by 88 share the width 68 inches, but their lengths differ, because one length comes from a bed plus drop, and the other comes from a standard top size. Always check which table a size came from before using it as an input.
Finished top means after quilting, not before cutting
Every chart read for this guide calls its numbers finished sizes, meaning after quilting and binding, while the starting top must be larger to allow for quilting draw in and washing shrinkage. One page says the top needs to be 1 to 2 inches larger in each direction than the finished size, another puts the draw in at about 5 percent on a Queen, roughly 4 inches of width and 5 inches of length, and another advises adding 2 to 3 inches for cotton shrinkage of 3 to 5 percent after the first wash. Do not add a shrinkage allowance on top of a number that is already meant to be finished, and do not treat a bed fit number as a pattern size. In this guide, top means finished top size, the size after sewing, not the larger pre quilting cut size. Cut sizes, backing sizes, and batting sizes are worked out from the finished size, with their own calculators.
Queen and King show why the two tables must stay separate
Queen and King are the clearest proof that one name can hide two different sizes. A generous finished Queen is 90 by 108 inches and a generous finished King is 108 by 108 inches, while the no tuck bed fit Queen in this guide is 90 by 95 inches and the no tuck bed fit King is 106 by 95 inches. Those are not typos, they are different drop and tuck choices: the generous tops imply roughly a 15 inch side drop plus about a 28 inch foot plus tuck total on Queen and King, while the bed fit table in this guide uses a 15 inch side drop, a 15 inch foot drop, and no pillow tuck at all. Labelling by finished alone does not separate them, because both kinds are called finished on their pages. The bed fit table must therefore stay labelled with its drop values, and a foot drop column that already includes pillow tuck, as in some pages tables with foot figures up to about 28 inches, must never have a separate tuck added again. Adding a 10 inch tuck to the bed fit Queen 90 by 95 gives 90 by 105, which is still 3 inches shorter than the generous 90 by 108, whose total extra length is 28 inches.
The gaps between the two tables in this guide are worth seeing row by row. Twin bed fit is the same width as its top but 2 inches longer. Full bed fit is 4 inches wider but 2 inches shorter than its top. Queen bed fit is the same width but 13 inches shorter than its top. King bed fit is 2 inches narrower and 13 inches shorter than its top. Baby and Lap have no bed fit counterpart in the bed fit table, and California King has no top counterpart in the top table, which is another reason the two lists cannot be merged row by row.
Which top sizes are consensus, and which are QuiltPilot choices
Neither table in this guide is a single universal standard, and the guide should say so plainly. Twin top 68 by 88 is supported as a typical size, though other main Twin sizes are 60 by 80, 66 by 88, 68 by 86, and 70 by 90. Queen top 90 by 108 and King top 108 by 108 match the generous finished sizes on several pages. Three top sizes are QuiltPilot chosen sizes rather than consensus sizes, and they are footnoted as such, not presented as the only standard. Baby 36 by 48 matches no main Baby size read, where the common mains are 36 by 52, 36 by 54, and 40 by 52, and it is 4 inches shorter than the common 36 by 52. Lap 50 by 60 matches no main Lap size read, where separate Lap sizes are typically 50 by 65 and Throw sizes typically 60 by 72, and it matches only a Throw minimum. Full top 80 by 92 matches no main Full size read, where the mains are 80 by 90, 80 by 96, 84 by 90, and 85 by 90. Lap and Throw are also treated differently across pages: some pages keep them separate, while others merge them into one 50 by 65 size or one 54 by 72 size, so this guide Lap row means Lap alone, as chosen here, not a merged Lap and Throw size.
Bed fit rows need the same honesty. Queen bed fit 90 by 95 and Full bed fit 84 by 90 are the only bed fit rows in this guide that also appear exactly as finished sizes on another page read, while Twin 68 by 90, Twin XL 68 by 95, King 106 by 95, and California King 102 by 99 are calculated results from the bed plus drop formula, and no page read gives those exact rows as a named chart size. Other bed fit Kings are 108 by 95 and 110 by 95, and other California Kings run from 102 by 100 to 110 by 100 and up to 104 by 114, so California King has no consensus at all. Twin XL is likewise unsettled, with 66 by 92, 66 by 96, 68 by 93, and 70 by 95 all appearing. The mattress table used in this guide is 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. A 39 inch Twin mattress on some pages, and a 74 inch Full length on one page, explain 1 to 2 inch differences in calculated bed fit widths and lengths on their own, so state the mattress table before comparing rows.
Drop styles, so 15 by 15 by 0 can be judged
The bed fit table in this guide uses a moderate, middle choice: side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, head tuck 0 inches, which is closer to a coverlet or comforter fit than to the generous tops. Pages read give side drop ranges of 10 to 16 inches, with drop styles of 8 to 12 inches for a coverlet, 12 to 16 inches for a comforter, and 18 to 25 inches for a bedspread, foot drop of 15 to 28 inches, and pillow tuck usually 10 to 12 inches, with 8 to 10 inches on one page and 10 to 20 inches as a possible length addition on another. Measure the actual mattress length, width, and depth as well, because pillow tops and toppers can add 2 to 6 inches, and a thick mattress needs a larger side drop than a low platform bed for the same look.
How to make sure your result is correct
- Check which table the size came from. Top sizes come from the top size table, and bed fit sizes come from the bed fit table. Using a top size where a bed fit size is needed, or the other way round, gives a quilt that does not fit the bed as planned.
- Check the drop values. Bed fit sizes in the table use side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, and head tuck 0 inches. If you want a different drop, work the size out again with your own drop values on the Quilt Size Calculator, rather than adjusting the table row by guesswork.
- Check the formula. Recommended quilt width equals bed width plus 2 times side drop, because side drop hangs over both sides. Recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop plus head tuck, because foot drop is at the foot only, and head tuck is at the head only.
- Check units. Bed size, drop values, and recommended quilt size must be used in the same unit system, inches or centimetres. In centimetre mode, 1 inch equals 2.54 centimetres, so a side drop of 15 inches equals 38.10 centimetres.
- Check that the chosen size is a finished size. Both tables give finished sizes, after sewing. Cut sizes, backing sizes, and batting sizes are worked out from the finished size, with their own calculators, and must not be used in place of the finished size.
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 formulas as the bed fit table, and it shows the recommended quilt size for your bed, not just the standard rows.
Worked example: California King bed, side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, head tuck 0 inches
This worked example is different from the step by step example, which uses a Twin XL bed. It uses a California King bed, so the bed size, and therefore the recommended quilt size, are different.
Bed size: California King, 72 by 84 inches.
Recommended quilt width: 72 plus 2 times 15 equals 72 plus 30, which is 102 inches.
Recommended quilt length: 84 plus 15 plus 0 equals 99 inches.
The bed fit quilt is therefore 102 by 99 inches.
Compare this with the bed fit table row for California King, which also gives 102 by 99 inches, because the table uses the same bed size and the same drop values. If the drop values change, the recommended quilt size changes too, so work it out again on the calculator rather than reusing the table row.
Frequently asked questions
A quilt top size is a common finished top size, from Baby to King, used for block layout, backing, batting, and binding. A bed fit size is a recommended quilt size for a bed, worked out from bed size and drop. They are different kinds of sizes, and they must not be mixed, even when the numbers look close.
Recommended quilt width equals bed width plus 2 times side drop, and recommended quilt length equals bed length plus foot drop plus head tuck. For example, a California King bed, 72 by 84 inches, with side drop 15 inches, foot drop 15 inches, and head tuck 0 inches, gives a bed fit quilt 102 by 99 inches.
They share the width 68 inches by chance, not by rule. Twin XL bed fit 68 by 95 comes from a Twin XL bed, 38 by 80 inches, plus side drop 15 inches and foot drop 15 inches. Twin top size 68 by 88 is a standard top size, not a bed plus drop result, so the two sizes come from different starting points.
Measure your own bed width and length, and enter those values in the Quilt Size Calculator, with your own side drop, foot drop, and head tuck. Do not use a standard bed fit row for a non standard bed, because the recommended quilt size will not match the bed as planned.
No. A quilt sizes chart gives finished sizes only, not yardages. Yardage depends on piece sizes, fabric width, and which part of the quilt the fabric is for, so use the Fabric, Backing, Batting, and Binding calculators after choosing a size.
Related guides and calculators
Use the Quilt Size Calculator for your own bed size and drop values, and print the Printable Quilt Size Chart for the cutting table. For block layout, use the Block Size Calculator, for the back, use the Backing Calculator, for batting, use the Batting Calculator, and for the edge, use the Binding Calculator. For how much fabric a whole quilt needs, see the How Much Fabric Do I Need guide.