Quilt math · Calculator
Hexagon sizes for English paper piecing
Hexagon sizes three ways, side, across the flats and point to point, with the fabric piece, the strip and the papers a page for each.
The short answer
Hexagon papers are sized by the side. A 1″ hexagon is 1″ a side, about 1¾″ across the flats and 2″ point to point. With ⅜″ to fold over, cut its fabric from 2⅝″ strips: 14 from a 42″ strip.
Work out yours
Free · no accountSide 1″ · across the flats about 1¾″ · point to point 2″
18 to a Letter page, 18 to A4. 100 papers: 6 pages.
Cut from 2⅝″ strips, 14 from a 42″ strip, point to point. 100: 8 strips, ¾ yd.
Machine-cut hexagons are sized across the flats. Choose Width above to see the strip.
Quarter Inch prints the papers at true size and the fabric template, and counts the hexagons of each fabric.
Start a hexagon quiltSame sums as the app: @quarterinch/cutting epp and hexagonNumbers · “about” where a length isn’t on the ruler
Three ways to measure a hexagon
A regular hexagon has six equal sides and three ways to give its size. Papers for English paper piecing (EPP) are sold by the side: a “1 inch hexagon” is 1″ along each edge. Hexagon rulers and machine patterns measure across the flats, from one side to the opposite side. Point to point is always twice the side.
Across the flats is the side × √3, about 1.732, so it’s never a ruler length when the side is. That’s why this page says “about” for those: the paper is exact, and you never need to measure across it.
Hexagon size chart
Every size is the paper, finished. The fabric piece is the paper with ⅜″ all around; its strip is the piece across the flats plus ⅛″ to spare, up to the next ⅛″.
| Side | Across the flats | Point to point | Fabric piece, across | Strip | From a 42″ strip | Papers a Letter page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½″ | about ⅞″ | 1″ | about 1⅝″ | 1¾″ | 22 | 80 |
| ¾″ | about 1¼″ | 1½″ | about 2″ | 2¼″ | 17 | 30 |
| 1″ | about 1¾″ | 2″ | about 2½″ | 2⅝″ | 14 | 18 |
| 1¼″ | about 2⅛″ | 2½″ | about 2⅞″ | 3⅛″ | 12 | 10 |
| 1½″ | about 2⅝″ | 3″ | about 3⅜″ | 3½″ | 10 | 6 |
| 2″ | about 3½″ | 4″ | about 4¼″ | 4⅜″ | 8 | 3 |
How it’s worked out
| The side, finished | 1″ |
|---|---|
| Point to point: twice the side | 2″ |
| Across the flats: the side × √3 | about 1¾″ |
| The fabric piece across the flats: + ⅜″ each side | about 2½″ |
| Its strip: + ⅛″, up to the next ⅛″ | 2⅝″ |
| Pieces from a 42″ strip, laid point to point | 14 |
¼″ or ⅜″? ⅜″ folds over the paper easily and holds a basting stitch. A ¼″ allowance saves fabric: for a 1″ hexagon the strip drops from 2⅝″ to 2⅜″. Choose it in the calculator.
How many hexagons
A Grandmother’s Flower Garden flower is one hexagon with a ring around it: 7 hexagons. Add a second ring and it’s 19; a third, 37. The rings take 6, 12 and 18: each six more than the last.
For a whole quilt, type the count in the calculator: it gives the pages of papers to print and the strips and yardage of fabric. Hexagons are slow to sew by hand, so a 1″ hexagon quilt is often made a flower at a time.
Hexagons by machine
Pieced by machine, a hexagon is cut from strips its width across the flats plus ½″, with a 60° ruler turned each cut. Sizes are given across the flats, finished:
| Across the flats | Strip | Side, about | From a 42″ strip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2″ | 2½″ | 1⅛″ | 14 |
| 3″ | 3½″ | 1¾″ | 10 |
| 4″ | 4½″ | 2¼″ | 8 |
| 5″ | 5½″ | 2⅞″ | 6 |
| 6″ | 6½″ | 3½″ | 5 |
Machine hexagons meet at Y-seams, sewn with the needle stopping ¼″ from each corner. See how to sew Y-seams, or English paper piecing for beginners to sew them by hand.
Hexagons in Quarter Inch
On New quilt, choose Hexagons, then under How will you sew them? choose By hand, over papers (sized by the side) or By machine (sized across the flats). The cutting chart’s Paper pieces tab prints the papers at true size, counted for each fabric.
Questions
Short answers.
Something else? A real person replies.
hello@quarterinch.app
What does a 1 inch hexagon mean?
1″ along each side. It’s about 1¾″ across the flats and 2″ point to point.
How big do I cut fabric for a 1″ hexagon?
about 2½″ across the flats with a ⅜″ allowance: cut it from 2⅝″ strips.
How many hexagons are in a flower?
7: one in the middle and six around it. A second ring makes 19.
How many 1″ hexagon papers fit on a page?
18 on a Letter page and 18 on A4, packed in a honeycomb at true size.