- Beads needed
- 2,860
- 1,000-bead packs
- 3
- 29 × 29 pegboards
- 4 (2 across × 2 down)
- Finished size
- 29 cm (11.42 in) × 29 cm (11.42 in)
How the numbers are worked out
Fuse bead maths is refreshingly simple: one peg holds one bead.
- Beads needed is the width times the height, multiplied by the fill percentage, rounded up to whole beads.
- Packs divides the beads by 1,000 and rounds up, since beads are often sold in packs of around that size.
- Pegboards counts how many 29-peg widths fit across, rounded up, and how many fit down, rounded up. Multiply the two for the total number of boards.
- Finished size multiplies the width and height by the bead pitch: 2.6 mm for mini, 5 mm for midi, 10 mm for maxi.
Worked example
Imagine a design 70 beads wide and 50 beads high, in midi beads, where the subject fills about 85 percent of the rectangle.
- The rectangle holds 70 × 50 = 3,500 pegs. At 85 percent fill, that is 3,500 × 0.85 = 2,975 beads.
- 2,975 beads divided by 1,000 is 2.975, so you need 3 packs of 1,000.
- Across: 70 ÷ 29 is about 2.4, rounded up to 3 boards. Down: 50 ÷ 29 is about 1.7, rounded up to 2 boards. That is 3 × 2 = 6 square pegboards.
- Finished size: 70 × 5 mm = 35 cm wide, and 50 × 5 mm = 25 cm high, or about 13.8 × 9.8 inches.
The same grid in mini beads would be 18.2 × 13 cm, and in maxi beads 70 × 50 cm.
Common design sizes at full fill
| Design (beads) | Beads | Square pegboards | Midi size (cm) | Mini size (cm) | Maxi size (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 × 29 | 841 | 1 | 14.5 × 14.5 | 7.5 × 7.5 | 29 × 29 |
| 58 × 58 | 3,364 | 4 | 29 × 29 | 15.1 × 15.1 | 58 × 58 |
| 87 × 58 | 5,046 | 6 | 43.5 × 29 | 22.6 × 15.1 | 87 × 58 |
| 100 × 100 | 10,000 | 16 | 50 × 50 | 26 × 26 | 100 × 100 |
Look at the jump from 87 to 100 beads across: those extra 13 beads need a fourth column of boards. Trimming a design to 87 × 87 would need only 9 boards instead of 16.
Planning tips
- Size to the boards. Choose widths and heights at or just under multiples of 29 (29, 58, 87, 116) so you are not buying a whole row of boards for a thin strip.
- Check board sizes for mini beads. Mini pegboards are sized differently from midi ones, so if you work in minis, compare the peg count of your board with the 29-peg default before relying on the board total.
- Use the chart’s board lines. Patterns made here have bold lines every 29 beads, matching the board edges, so each block of the chart is one board.
- Mixing brands is fine. If you are short of one colour, the Perler to Hama colour converter suggests a close match from the other range.
- Plan the layout. The pegboard planning guide covers joining boards and fusing large pieces in sections. For sketching by hand, printable square pegboard paper is useful.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fill percentage for?
Many designs do not cover the whole rectangle. A round coaster or a character on an empty background leaves pegs unused. Fill percentage lets you estimate beads for just the filled part; 100 percent means every peg in the rectangle gets a bead.
How do I know the fill percentage of my design?
If you made the pattern here, you do not need to guess: the colour key lists the exact count for every colour. For a sketch, estimate by eye. A circle filling its square covers a little under 80 percent, and a typical character with a removed background might be half to two-thirds.
Why does the calculator use 29 × 29 pegboards?
The large square board sold for midi beads is commonly 29 pegs on each side, so it is a sensible unit for planning. If your boards have a different number of pegs, divide your width and height by that number and round up instead.
Do the beads shrink when ironed?
Lightly ironed beads keep almost their original spacing. Ironing harder fuses them flatter and can pull the piece in a touch. The finished size here is based on the bead pitch, so treat it as a close guide rather than an exact measurement.
Should I buy exactly the number of beads calculated?
It is worth having spares. Beads roll off the table, the odd one is misshapen, and you may change your mind about a colour. A small surplus of each colour saves a trip to the shop mid-project.
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