MotifSmithHow Many Beads and Pegboards Do I Need?
Width times height gives the bead count. A standard board has 29 pegs a side, about 14.5 cm with 5 mm beads. Here are sizes worked out for common projects.
Multiply the width by the height. A design 58 beads wide and 58 tall takes 58 × 58 = 3,364 beads, before any spare. Buy a few extra of each color, since beads roll away and a few always melt badly.
Sizes at a glance
These use standard 5 mm beads on square 29-peg boards.
| Boards | Beads | Total beads | Finished size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × 1 | 29 × 29 | 841 | 14.5 × 14.5 cm (5.7 in) |
| 2 × 2 | 58 × 58 | 3,364 | 29 × 29 cm (11.4 in) |
| 3 × 3 | 87 × 87 | 7,569 | 43.5 × 43.5 cm (17.1 in) |
| 4 × 4 | 116 × 116 | 13,456 | 58 × 58 cm (22.8 in) |
How many bags?
Bags vary by brand and size, and a design rarely uses colors evenly. The useful number is the count per color, not the total. Background colors can take thousands of beads while an eye takes twenty.
The bead pattern maker counts each color by its code. If you record what you own in My beads, it shows how many you're short and can copy a shopping list.
How many boards do you really need?
You don't need a full set if you work in sections: fill one board, iron it, then move on. Interlocking boards are easier for large pieces, since the design stays lined up. A 2 × 2 design is a comfortable first big project.
On our making board you can zoom in, highlight one color and mark what you have placed, and it remembers your place, so a big piece can take as many evenings as you like.