18 Count Aida Cloth Calculator
18-count Aida fits 18 squares per inch (7.1 per cm). A design finishes about 22% smaller than on 14-count, which suits bookmarks, cards, ornaments and detailed pieces that need to stay compact. Enter your stitch count to see the size in inches or cm.
Last reviewed September 15, 2026 · How these figures are calculated
Fabric count
18-count Aida · small, detailed pieces
2 in for hoops, 3 in for framing
Units
Enter the stitch width and height to see the fabric size
Fabric = (stitches ÷ stitches per inch) + (border × 2)
18-count Aida at a glance
- Stitches per inch
- 18
- Stitches per cm
- 7.1
- Square size
- 1.4 mm
- Strands of floss
- 1–2
- Tapestry needle
- Size 26
- 100 stitches
- 5.6" / 14.1 cm
18-count Aida size chart
Finished design size for common stitch counts, with the fabric to cut when you leave a 2-inch border on each side. For a design 150 wide and 200 high, read each dimension from its own row.
| Stitches | Inches | cm | Fabric to cut (2" border) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1.4" | 3.5 cm | 5.4" |
| 50 | 2.8" | 7.1 cm | 6.8" |
| 75 | 4.2" | 10.6 cm | 8.2" |
| 100 | 5.6" | 14.1 cm | 9.6" |
| 125 | 6.9" | 17.6 cm | 10.9" |
| 150 | 8.3" | 21.2 cm | 12.3" |
| 200 | 11.1" | 28.2 cm | 15.1" |
| 250 | 13.9" | 35.3 cm | 17.9" |
| 300 | 16.7" | 42.3 cm | 20.7" |
| 400 | 22.2" | 56.4 cm | 26.2" |
A worked example on 18-count Aida
Take a bookmark-scale piece, 60 × 180 stitches. Long, narrow designs are where 18-count belongs: bookmarks, spines and bell pulls that need detail in a few inches of width. Every number below comes from the same formulas the calculators on this site use, so you can follow the arithmetic rather than trust it.
60 wide x 180 high, counted from the chart. This number never changes with the fabric.
60 and 180 divided by 18 stitches per inch. That is 8.5 x 25.4 cm.
The finished size plus a 2-inch border on all four sides, for hooping and for the frame to grip.
10,800 stitches at 2 strands is 10,800 inches of single strand, before the waste allowance. That total is spread across the colors in your key, not all one shade.
At six strands to a 315-inch skein, with 15% added for starts, ends and mistakes.
The largest standard hoop that still leaves grip on every side of the fabric.
At 150 stitches an hour, a steady average pace. Backstitch and colour changes add to this.
Setting up before you start on 18-count
At 1.4 mm a square, the limiting factor stops being skill and becomes light. A daylight lamp placed to the side rather than overhead throws a small shadow into each hole, which is what makes the grid readable; overhead light flattens it. Stitchers who work long sessions on 18-count usually add magnification not because they cannot see the holes but because holding focus at that scale for two hours is what causes the headache.
Decide the strand count on a test block, not on the pattern alone. Two strands fills the squares and gives solid color, but it packs the holes and makes the fabric stiff in dense areas. One strand pulls through easily and leaves a lighter, finer surface with a little fabric showing, which suits pale grounds and shaded areas. Stitch ten by ten in the actual color, take it out of the hoop, and look at it in daylight before committing to a whole piece.
The reason to accept all that is size. A 200-stitch design lands at 11.1 inches on 18-count against 14.3 inches on 14-count, and detail that would need fractional stitches on a coarser count comes out cleanly. If a chart has small faces, lettering or shading, this is the count where it reads as intended.
What goes wrong on 18-count Aida
Carrying over the size 24 needle
On 18-count a 24 is too thick: it forces the hole and splits the woven threads at the corners. Use a 26.
Trying to stitch over two
Over-two is an evenweave and linen technique. Aida is woven in blocks, so one stitch covers one block; there is no half square to work over.
Leaving the work in the hoop between sessions
Fine Aida takes a hoop ring mark quickly and it does not always wash out. Release the hoop when you stop, or use a scroll frame for long projects.
About 18-count Aida
Each square is about 1.4 mm. A daylight lamp helps, and some stitchers use magnification for long sessions. European suppliers sell it as 7.0 or 70 holes per 10 cm.
Patterns use 1 or 2 strands on 18-count. Two strands fills the squares for solid color; one strand gives a lighter look and pulls through the smaller holes more easily. A size 26 tapestry needle fits.
14 vs 18 count Aida
Multiply a 14-count size by 0.78 (14 ÷ 18) to get the 18-count size: a design 16 × 16 inches on 14-count is 12.4 × 12.4 inches on 18-count. To move a pattern from 18-count to 14-count, multiply by 1.29, so a 5 × 5 inch piece becomes 6.4 × 6.4 inches.
For every count side by side, see Aida counts explained. To estimate floss for this design, use the floss calculator.