How to Calculate the Number of Beads on a Strand or Project

It's pretty easy to calculate the number of beads needed for a certain length when making a necklace or bracelet. Since most beads are measured in millimeters, you will first need to convert the length of your necklace or bracelet into millimeters first. One inch is approximately 25.4mm.

    1. Multiply 25.4 by the length in inches of the finished strand/necklace (excluding clasp). For example, for a 16-inch necklace, calculate 16 x 25.4mm = 406.4 mm.

  1. Divide this total length in millimeters (in this case, 406.4mm), by the diameter of the beads to be used (let's use 4mm), and the result will be your number of beads. In our example, 406.4mm divided by 4mm = 101.6 beads.
Below is a quick guide to the number of beads of a given size needed for common strand lengths. The numbers have been rounded up for the 16" through 32" lengths, so that instead of 101.64 beads for the finished 16" strand, the figure is shown as 102 beads. Consider using {{widget type="catalog/category_widget_link" anchor_text="beading boards" template="catalog/category/widget/link/link_inline.phtml" id_path="category/156"}} to help lay out and plan your designs. These boards make it easy to see how many beads you'll need, especially if you'll be mixing together different sizes or using spacers.
Bead Size 1" 4" 16" 18" 20" 24" 28" 32"
2mm 12.7 50.8 204 229 254 305 356 407 3mm 8.47 33.87 136 153 170 204 238 271 4mm 6.35 25.4 102 115 127 153 178 204 5mm 5.08 20.32 82 92 102 122 143 163 6mm 4.23 16.93 68 77 85 102 119 136 7mm 3.63 14.51 59 66 73 88 102 117 8mm 3.175 12.7 51 58 64 77 89 102 10mm 2.54 10.16 41 46 51 61 72 82 12mm 2.12 8.47 34 39 43 51 60 68 14mm 1.81 7.26 30 33 37 44 51 59 16mm 1.59 6.35 26 29 32 39 45 51 18mm 1.41 5.64 23 26 29 34 40 46
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