Cross-Stitch Hoop Size Calculator
A round display hoop must clear the diagonal of a rectangular design, not only its width. Enter your chart and the measured inner opening to check the corners before you cut fabric.
No account needed. Calculations stay in your browser.
Enter values from 0 to 1,000,000,000. Positive measurements must be at least 0.001; stitch counts and repeats must be whole numbers.
- Finished rectangle
- 5 × 4 in (12.7 × 10.16 cm)
- Rectangle diagonal (approximate)
- 6.403 in
- Required inner diameter (rounded up)
- 7.404 in
- Display fit
- Does not fit the rectangle and requested clearance
- Actual radial corner clearance
- -0.202 in
- Square fabric for entered hoop (rounded up)
- 10 × 10 in
How the calculation works
Divide chart width and height by effective stitches per inch. Diagonal = square root of (width squared + height squared). Minimum inner diameter = diagonal + twice the corner clearance. Available corner clearance = (measured opening minus diagonal) / 2. A negative result means the corners lie outside the circle. For a square fabric cut centered on the hoop, add twice the fabric allowance to the measured opening. This cut is for the entered hoop, even if that hoop fails the design fit check.
Worked example
A 70 × 56 stitch chart on 14-count Aida is 5 × 4 inches (12.7 × 10.16 cm). Its diagonal is about 6.403 inches: a 6-inch opening clips the corners even though both sides are shorter than 6 inches. With 0.5 inch of radial clearance beyond each corner, the required opening is at least 7.404 inches, rounded up to three decimals. An actual 8-inch opening passes. With 2 inches of fabric beyond that opening per side, a centered square cut is 12 × 12 inches before shrinkage and trimming.
Check before you start
This is a conservative bounding-rectangle check for a centered display, not a universal hoop shopping size. A sparse or circular motif may fit a smaller opening; test its actual outline at full size. Measure the visible inner opening, not the outside ring or package label. The 0.5-inch corner clearance and 2-inch fabric allowance are editable planning choices, not standards. Fabric must also wrap around the ring and allow gripping and your chosen finish. Verify those needs on your own hoop. Use the effective stitch count: 28-count evenweave over two is 14 stitches per inch. For working rather than display, move a smaller hoop across the design as needed.
These calculations use the dimensions you enter and the stated layout rules. They do not measure fabric shrinkage, yarn tension or your working pace.
Next steps
Measure the opening across its center with the rings assembled. Use a paper rectangle at the calculated finished size to check the visible corners. Keep the fabric untrimmed until you have tested the wrap and gathering allowance on the actual ring.
For material choices, see the embroidery hoop buying guide. The fit calculation is ordinary rectangle-and-circle geometry; its editable allowances are not product specifications.
Sources for working-hoop selection and the gathered finish: Stitcher: choose an embroidery hoop and Crewel Ghoul: felt hoop backing.
- Aida Cloth Count Explained: 11, 14, 16 and 18
- How to Finish a Cross-Stitch in a Hoop
- How to Turn a Photo into a Cross-Stitch Pattern
- Open the cross-stitch pattern generator
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