King Size Quilt Dimensions and Fabric
King quilt backing, calculated live
This is the backing calculator preloaded with the standard king quilt (110" x 95"). Adjust any number to match your actual quilt; the answer updates instantly.
You will need
Everything a king quilt needs
Fabric requirements for a 110" x 95" quilt, computed with the longarm standard of 4" overhang and 2 1/2" binding strips. Each row links to its calculator preloaded with these dimensions, ready to adjust.
| Supply | You need | Fine-tune it |
|---|---|---|
| Backing, 42" fabric | 8 3/4 yards (3 panels) | Backing calculator |
| Backing, 108" wide | 3 1/2 yards (1 panel) | Backing at 108" |
| Binding, 2 1/2" strips | 11 strips, 1 yard (420" of binding) | Binding calculator |
| Batting | 118" x 103" needed; buy King (120" x 120") | Batting calculator |
| Precuts (top only) | about 4 jelly rolls or 13 charm packs | Precut calculator |
The short answer
A king size quilt is typically 110" x 95", the only common size that is wider than it is long, draping the 76" x 80" king mattress with a 17" drop. It takes 8 3/4 yards of 42" backing in three panels, 3 1/2 yards of 108" wide backing run sideways, a full yard of binding, and the king batting package, the only quilt that actually matches its package name.
The king is a logistics project that produces a quilt
Everything about the king is a handling question. The top weighs enough to pull itself off a table while you sew the last borders. Basting requires a floor, a church hall, or surrender to the longarmer's services. At 118" of needed backing width, the quilt is wider than every fabric ever milled, so even 108" wide backing must be pieced or run sideways. Quilters who finish a king describe it the way climbers describe mountains, and they are not entirely joking. Plan the logistics before the fabric.
The only landscape quilt
Every other size on this site is taller than it is wide; the king flips, at 110" x 95". The king mattress is nearly square (76" x 80"), and the width comes from giving two sleepers full drop on both sides. Design consequence: patterns drafted for portrait sizes need their grids turned or their borders rebalanced, and directional fabric must run across the bed, not down it. Check the layout twice; a king top assembled in portrait orientation is a discovery made very late and very loudly.
Backing the beast: sideways is the way
On standard cotton, three horizontal panels and 8 3/4 yards. On 108" wide backing, the trick is railroading: the 118" needed width exceeds the bolt's 106" usable, but run the fabric sideways and a single 3 1/2 yard cut covers the quilt with one seamless panel turned 90 degrees. Our calculator does this rotation automatically, which is why its 108" answer is smaller than instinct expects. Directional wide backing prints surrender this option; choose a non-directional back and keep the trick.
King quilt questions, answered
On most professional frames, yes: standard longarm frames run 10 to 14 feet, and a 118" backing loads on anything from the 12 foot class up. Hobby frames in the 10 foot range get tight; if your longarmer runs a smaller frame, ask before delivery. This is the one size where the question is worth a phone call.
Plan on 18 to 22 total yards: 9 to 11 for the top, 8 3/4 for standard backing (or 3 1/2 of wide), and a full yard of binding. At quilt shop prices the materials alone are a serious gift before a single stitch; this is the size where backing sales and wide-back economics genuinely change the budget.
Because the king mattress exists to sleep two adults without negotiation: it is 16" wider than a queen but the same 80" length. The quilt inherits the proportions. The width serves the marriage; the length serves the mattress; the quilt serves both, sideways.
The Scandinavian solution, and quilters who adopt it rarely return: two twin or twin XL quilts on a king bed give each sleeper their own cover, their own warmth level, and an end to the nightly tug of war. Two twins also baste, quilt, and wash like reasonable objects. The king quilt is grand; two twins are wise. We merely present the options.
The bottom line
One hundred ten by ninety five, wider than any fabric milled, heavier than your patience on a bad day, and the only quilt whose batting package tells the truth. Railroad the wide backing, confirm the longarm frame, and budget like it is furniture, because it is.