Knowing the standard blanket sizes before you cast on saves you from a throw that barely covers your lap or a bed blanket that stops short of the mattress edge. This chart covers all 13 common sizes for knit and crochet, from a tiny lovey to a king bed, in inches and centimetres.

Save this page (or pin it) and keep it open for your next blanket. The sizes work for any pattern, any stitch and any yarn weight.

In this guide: Full blanket size chart · Baby blanket sizes · Throw and lapghan sizes · Bed blanket sizes · Which size to make · How to calculate stitches · How much yarn you need · FAQ

Standard Blanket Sizes Chart

All sizes are width × length. Blanket sizes vary a little from source to source, so treat these as reliable starting points and adjust to suit the person you are making for.

Standard Baby Blanket Sizes

Baby blankets are the most common knit and crochet blanket sizes, and there are six to choose from depending on the age and the job the blanket needs to do.

• Lovey (12 × 12″): a small comfort blanket for tiny hands. A quick weekend make and a sweet add-on to a bigger gift.
• Preemie (18 × 24″): sized for NICU isolettes and premature babies. Many hospitals accept donations, so check their guidelines first.
• Stroller (30 × 36″): covers a baby in a stroller or car seat without dragging on the wheels.
• Receiving (40 × 40″): a square blanket for wrapping and holding a newborn.
• Baby (36 × 52″): the classic baby shower blanket, big enough to last past the newborn stage.
• Crib (45 × 60″): sized to cover a standard crib mattress for older babies and toddlers.

Toddler, Lapghan and Throw Blanket Sizes

• Toddler (42 × 52″): fits a toddler bed and is easy for little ones to drag around the house.
• Lapghan (36 × 48″): covers one person’s lap in a chair or wheelchair. A thoughtful gift for a grandparent.
• Throw (50 × 60″): the most popular size to knit or crochet. It covers an adult on the couch and doesn’t take months to finish.

Standard Blanket Sizes for Beds (with Overhang)

The bed sizes in the blanket size chart already include the drop over the sides and the foot of the mattress. Here is how much each of these standard blanket sizes hangs over a standard mattress:

Overhang is measured with the top of the blanket lined up with the head of the mattress. For a deep mattress or a pillow top, add 2 to 4 inches to the width and length.

Heads up: a bed blanket is a big project. If this is your first blanket, start with a throw. The method is exactly the same, just more rows.

Which Blanket Size Should You Make?

Not sure which of the standard blanket sizes to pick? Start with who it is for and where it will be used.

• Baby shower gift: a baby blanket (36 × 52″) or a stroller blanket (30 × 36″) if you are short on time.
• Hospital or charity donation: preemie (18 × 24″) or receiving (40 × 40″). Always check the group’s size and fibre guidelines first.
• Your first blanket: a lapghan (36 × 48″) or a throw (50 × 60″). Big enough to feel like a real blanket, small enough to finish.
• Couch blanket or holiday gift: a throw (50 × 60″). This is the most popular knit and crochet blanket size for good reason.
• Grandparent or someone who sits a lot: a lapghan, so there is no extra fabric to trip on.
• Heirloom bedspread: twin, full, queen or king, matched to the mattress.

Want your throw to drape over a person, not just a lap? Add 10 inches to the length. A 50 × 70 inch throw covers most adults from shoulders to toes.

5 Common Blanket Sizing Mistakes

1. Skipping the gauge swatch. Being off by half a stitch per inch can make a throw 7 inches too wide or too narrow.
2. Forgetting the border. A 2 inch border adds 4 inches to both the width and the length. Subtract it before you calculate your starting chain or cast on.
3. Measuring while the blanket is stretched. Lay it flat on the floor and let it relax before you measure.
4. Not planning for growth. Many stitches relax and lengthen after washing and blocking, especially heavy cotton and acrylic. Your swatch should be washed too.
5. Running short on yarn. Buy all your yarn at once, in the same dye lot, plus a little extra.

How to Calculate Stitches for Any Blanket Size

Once you have picked from the blanket size chart, your gauge turns those inches into a stitch count. This is the same for knit and crochet blankets.

Step by step

1. Make a gauge swatch in your blanket stitch, at least 6 × 6 inches, so you can measure 4 inches in the middle.
2. Count stitches per inch. If 14 stitches measure 4 inches, your gauge is 3.5 stitches per inch.
3. Multiply by the width. For a 50 inch throw: 3.5 × 50 = 175 stitches.
4. Round to your stitch repeat. If the pattern repeats every 4 stitches, use 176.
5. Add any edge stitches your pattern calls for.

How Much Yarn Do You Need for a Blanket?

Yarn amounts depend on your yarn weight, your stitch and your tension, so a general yardage table can be off by hundreds of yards. (If you are unsure what worsted or bulky actually means, the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight system is the industry standard.) Your swatch gives you the real number:

1. Make a 6 × 6 inch swatch (36 square inches) in your blanket stitch.
2. Unravel it and measure how many yards it used. Or weigh it and use the yards per gram on your ball band.
3. Find your blanket’s area. A 50 × 60 inch throw is 3,000 square inches.
4. Divide the blanket area by the swatch area, then multiply by the swatch yardage. If your swatch used 18 yards: 3,000 ÷ 36 × 18 = 1,500 yards.
5. Add 10% for the edging, the tails and peace of mind. That is 1,650 yards.

Buy all your yarn at once, from the same dye lot. Running out two rows from the end, with no matching ball in sight, is heartbreaking.

What You Need to Make a Blanket

• Lion Brand yarn: from soft baby yarns to super bulky blanket yarns that work up fast.
• Red Heart Super Saver: an affordable, washable worsted weight for big blankets.
• 5.5 mm crochet hook: a good match for worsted weight blankets. Always use the hook size in your pattern.
• Tapestry needle for weaving in all those ends.
• Soft tape measure for checking your width as you go.

Blanket Patterns to Try

• Free Candy-Striped Cable Knit Christmas Throw
• 5 Easy Chunky Throw Patterns to Knit and Crochet
• Whipped Cream Seed Stitch Knit Blanket
• Easy Star Stitch Crochet Blanket
• Bubble Stitch Knit Baby Blanket
• Textured Crochet Baby Blanket

Making a matching hat? See my hat size chart for knit and crochet beanies.

Standard Blanket Sizes FAQ

Save This Blanket Size Chart

Pin this chart or bookmark this page so it is ready for your next blanket. And send it to a friend who is planning one. 🧶