Explainer
How Much Cord Do You Need for a Macrame Plant Hanger?
Published
Short answer
For a 36 in plant hanger in 4 mm cord, cut 8 cords of 13 ft 3 in to 16 ft 6 in each and fold them over the ring. That is 110 to 136 ft (37 to 46 yd) in total, including two short wrapping cords. The rule behind it: each folded cord is 4 to 5 times the finished hanger length, plus a 10 percent margin.
These figures are for the common hanger: cords folded in half over a ring, a gathering knot under it, arms that hang mostly unknotted, a basket of a few knots and a tail. That open design uses far less cord than the general 8 times rule for folded cords. Hanger length here means the top of the ring to the end of the tail. Three things move the number: how much of each arm is knotted, how thick the cord is and how long the tail is. All lengths are estimates built from published rules of thumb and patterns, so they are given as ranges.
How long to cut macrame cord for a plant hanger
Find your hanger length in the first column. Cut every cord at the long end of the range unless a pattern you trust gives its own figure. The totals include two wrapping cords of 24 in for the gathering knots at the top and bottom. Cord of 3 mm gets the same figures as 4 mm. The cord calculator returns these numbers from its plant hanger preset and prints a cut list for any other length.
| Hanger length | Cut each cord | Total with 6 cords | Total with 8 cords |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 in (61 cm) | 8 ft 10 in to 11 ft (2.69 to 3.35 m) | 57 to 70 ft (19 to 24 yd) | 75 to 92 ft (25 to 31 yd) |
| 30 in (76 cm) | 11 ft to 13 ft 9 in (3.35 to 4.19 m) | 70 to 87 ft (24 to 29 yd) | 92 to 114 ft (31 to 38 yd) |
| 36 in (91 cm) | 13 ft 3 in to 16 ft 6 in (4.04 to 5.03 m) | 84 to 103 ft (28 to 35 yd) | 110 to 136 ft (37 to 46 yd) |
| 48 in (122 cm) | 17 ft 8 in to 22 ft (5.38 to 6.71 m) | 110 to 136 ft (37 to 46 yd) | 146 to 180 ft (49 to 60 yd) |
Where the 4 to 5 times figure comes from
The usual macrame rule is about 4 times the finished length per strand, which makes about 8 times for a folded cord. A plant hanger with open arms needs roughly half of that, because long stretches of each arm carry no knots at all. Published 4 mm patterns cut folded cords at 4 to 4.5 times the hanger length, and general advice for hangers runs from 4 to 6 times. The table uses 4 to 5 times and then adds 10 percent.
Three published figures show the scale. Sarah Maker cuts six cords of 13 ft for a 36 in hanger in 4 mm cord, which sits just under the short end of the 36 in row. Marching North cuts eight cords of 150 in (12 ft 6 in) of 4 mm cord, plus two 30 in pieces for the wrapping knots. Bochiknot estimates about 104 ft in total for a basic hanger of about 40 in.
How many strands for a macrame plant hanger?
Most hangers use 6 or 8 cords. Folded over the ring, 6 cords become 12 strands and 8 cords become 16 strands. The strands are split into arms of 4, because a square knot needs 4 strands: 6 cords give 3 arms and 8 cords give 4 arms. Eight cords of 4 mm is the most common published setup.
Cord use follows the count. An 8 cord hanger takes a third more cord than a 6 cord hanger of the same length. The plant hanger size guide covers how to match the hanger length and the basket to the pot before you settle on a row of the table.
What makes a plant hanger need more cord
The first table assumes open arms and a ring. Each change below pushes the cut length up. The right column is for a 36 in hanger with the 10 percent margin, against 13 ft 3 in to 16 ft 6 in for the plain version.
| What changes | Why it uses more | Cut each cord |
|---|---|---|
| Arms knotted all the way down | Square knots along the whole arm use 8 to 9 times the length per folded cord | 26 ft 5 in to 29 ft 9 in |
| Long spiral sections | A spiral is a half knot repeated, and its two working cords are used up fast | Between the plain and the fully knotted figure |
| Tail 6 in longer | The tail counts as hanger length, so the hanger is now 42 in | 15 ft 5 in to 19 ft 3 in |
| 5 mm cord | Thick cord uses more length in every knot | 14 ft 7 in to 20 ft 8 in |
| 6 mm cord | Same reason, and sources disagree on how much | 15 ft 3 in to 20 ft 8 in |
| No ring, wrapped loop instead | About 7 in of the bundle is wrapped and folded into a loop | Sarah Maker: one cord at 19 ft, five at 13 ft |
Note.In a knotted arm the two outer working cords use roughly 4 to 6 times the knotted length and the two fillers only 1.5 to 2 times. If one cut length has to serve all cords, lean to the long figure.
How many yards of cord to buy
An 8 cord, 36 in hanger in 4 mm cord needs 37 to 46 yd in total. The 6 cord version needs 28 to 35 yd. One 109 yd (100 m) spool is enough for two hangers of either kind.
Each gathering knot takes its own wrapping cord. Sources give 20 to 24 in for cord up to 4 mm and as much as 40 in for thicker cord, and the totals above count two cords of 24 in. See the gathering knot page for the wrap itself. The 10 percent margin is the low end of the usual 10 to 15 percent, and one cord brand suggests 15 to 20. Starting without a ring needs extra length for the loop.
Work out your own cut length step by step
For a length that is not in the table, the same arithmetic takes a minute. The example uses a 36 in hanger and the long end of the range.
- 1
Measure the planned hanger from the top of the ring to the end of the tail. Example: 36 in.
- 2
Multiply by 5 for a folded cord in an open-arm design: 36 in x 5 = 180 in. Use 4 instead of 5 only when a pattern you trust does.
- 3
Add 10 percent: 180 in + 18 in = 198 in, which is 16 ft 6 in. Cut one cord and use it as the template for the other 5 or 7.
- 4
Cut 2 wrapping cords of 24 in each, or 40 in each for cord of 5 mm and thicker.
- 5
If the design has a long knotted or spiral section, tie 4 in of it with spare cord, mark where it starts and ends, untie it and measure how much cord those 4 in used.
What to do when the cords come up short
Cords run short when the fold was not counted, no margin was added, or the arms carry more knots than planned. There are three ways out. Swap the working and filler cords in a knotted section early, so the longer fillers do the knotting. Join a new length inside a knot and hide the ends at the back, as shown in how to add more cord. Or tie the basket higher and accept a shorter hanger.
Check that all arms still measure the same before closing the basket. Arms of unequal length make the pot tilt, and how to fix a macrame plant hanger covers leveling one that is already tied.
Quick answers
Short answers for a hanger with open arms in 3 or 4 mm cord, 10 percent margin included. Use the tables above for other lengths and thicker cord.
- How long to cut macrame cord for a plant hanger? 4 to 5 times the hanger length per folded cord, plus 10 percent: 13 ft 3 in to 16 ft 6 in for a 36 in hanger.
- How many strands for a macrame plant hanger? 12 or 16. That is 6 or 8 cords folded in half and split into 3 or 4 arms of 4 strands.
- How many yards for a macrame plant hanger? 28 to 35 yd with 6 cords and 37 to 46 yd with 8 cords for a 36 in hanger.
- What rope length does a 48 in macrame plant hanger need? 17 ft 8 in to 22 ft per cord, 146 to 180 ft in total with 8 cords.
