Paper Quilling Strip Calculator
Calculate how many paper quilling strips you need and total paper length for your project.
Works for coils, teardrops, marquises, and more.
Quilling Strip Estimate
Paper quilling (also called filigree) is the art of rolling, shaping, and gluing narrow strips of paper to create decorative designs.
Standard strip dimensions:
- Width: 3 mm (fine), 5 mm (standard), 10 mm (wide)
- Length: 45 cm (18 in) or 54 cm (21 in) — standard pre-cut lengths
Common shapes and strip counts:
- Tight coil: 1–2 strips (fully rolled, glued at end)
- Loose coil: 1 strip, allowed to relax before gluing
- Teardrop / Marquise: 1 strip pinched into shape
- Scroll: 1 strip, both ends curled
- Petal / Eye: 1 strip pinched at both ends
- Bunny ear / Triangle: 1–2 strips folded and shaped
- Flower (5 petals): 5 strips — one per petal
- Leaf cluster: 3–5 strips
Coil diameter formula: When a strip of length L and width W is tightly rolled, the resulting coil diameter is approximately: Diameter ≈ √(4LW / π)
For a 45 cm × 5 mm strip: diameter ≈ √(4 × 450 × 5 / π) ≈ 53 mm (tight coil)
Paper requirements: If you are cutting your own strips from sheets:
- A4 sheet (21 × 29.7 cm) cut into 5 mm strips = 42 strips of 21 cm each
- Letter sheet (21.6 × 27.9 cm) at 5 mm = 43 strips of 21.6 cm each
- Join strips end-to-end with a small overlap for longer pieces
Tips:
- Use a quilling tool or toothpick to start your coil
- Paper grain direction affects how easily strips curl — experiment with your paper
- Cardstock is too stiff; copy paper is too thin; quilling paper is ideal at 120–160 gsm
- Add 10–15% extra strips for mistakes and practice