CraftPatterns

Diamond painting drill calculator

Enter the canvas size and drill shape to see the drill grid, how many drills a full-coverage design needs, a 10% spare allowance and roughly how many bags each colour takes.

Unit
Drill shape
Drills to place
19,200
Grid
120 × 160 drills
With 10% spare
21,120
Average per colour
≈ 704
about 4 bags each

Real designs use colours unevenly: backgrounds can need many bags while small details need a few drills. Our diamond painting generator gives the exact count for every colour.

Counting drills

A full-coverage diamond painting places one drill in every cell of a grid that covers the canvas. The number of cells across is the canvas width divided by the drill size, and the same for the height. A 30 × 40 cm canvas with 2.5 mm square drills is 300 ÷ 2.5 = 120 drills across and 400 ÷ 2.5 = 160 down, which is 19,200 drills in all.

Worked example

You are planning a 40 × 50 cm canvas with round drills.

  1. Across: 400 ÷ 2.8 = 142 drills (rounded down).
  2. Down: 500 ÷ 2.8 = 178 drills.
  3. Total: 142 × 178 = 25,276 drills.
  4. With 10% spare: 27,804 drills.
  5. With 30 colours, that is an average of about 927 per colour, but real designs vary a lot.

Per-colour counts

The average per colour is only a guide. A design with a large plain background might use half of all its drills in one colour, while accent colours need a few dozen. The diamond painting pattern maker counts the drills for every colour exactly and adds the same 10% spare.

Tips

  • Choose the shape first: switching between square and round changes the grid, so make the pattern for the drills you will use.
  • Leave a border of bare canvas for framing; measure the visible area, not the whole sheet.
  • See diamond painting tools and tips for trays, pens and wax.

Frequently asked questions

How big are diamond painting drills?

Square drills are usually 2.5 mm and round drills 2.8 mm. The calculator uses those sizes, the same ones our diamond painting pattern maker uses.

Why add 10 percent?

Drills are tiny, some come out chipped or misshapen, and some always go missing. Kits normally include spares for the same reason.

How many drills come in a bag?

It varies by supplier and kit, so the calculator lets you enter it. Check the listing or packaging before ordering replacements.

Square or round drills, which needs more?

Square drills are smaller and sit edge to edge, so the same canvas holds more of them: a 30 × 40 cm canvas takes 19,200 square drills but about 15,200 round ones.

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