Pegboard Sizes and Bead Counts: How Many Beads Do You Need?
Fuse bead pegboard sizes explained: midi, mini and maxi in cm, beads per board, and how to plan multi-board Hama and Perler projects with exact counts.
Every bead project starts with the same two questions: how big will it be, and how many beads do I need? Here is the complete answer — sizes in centimeters, counts per board, and how to plan a design that spans six pegboards without losing your mind.
The three bead sizes
Fuse beads come in three sizes, and every major brand follows the same scheme:
| Size | Bead width | 29-bead row | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midi | 5 mm | 14.5 cm | The standard — Hama midi, classic Perler |
| Mini | 2.6 mm | ~7.5 cm | Fine detail, small pieces, patient adults |
| Maxi | 10 mm | 29 cm | Small children, chunky decorations |
Midi is what nearly everyone means by “perler beads” or “hama beads”, and it is the size the numbers below assume.
Pegboard math
The standard square midi pegboard is 29 x 29 pegs:
- Beads per full board: 841. Most designs leave background pegs empty, so a realistic single-board motif lands between 400 and 700 beads.
- Physical size: 14.5 x 14.5 cm before ironing. Ironing fuses the beads but barely changes the footprint.
- Board grid for a design: divide each dimension by 29 and round up. A 58 x 87 bead portrait needs 2 x 3 = 6 boards.
The formula for any size: cm = beads x 0.5 (for midi). If mental math is not your idea of crafting, the bead size calculator does beads ↔ boards ↔ cm in both directions.
Worked examples
- Coaster (one board, 29 x 29): at most 841 beads, 14.5 cm square. One relaxed evening.
- Game character (2 x 2 boards, 58 x 58): up to 3,364 beads, 29 cm square. A weekend.
- Pet portrait (2 x 3 boards, 58 x 87): up to 5,046 beads, 29 x 43.5 cm. A proper project — plan your colors before you start.
Planning a multi-board project
Multi-board designs are where preparation pays off:
- Split the chart per board. Working from one giant chart across six boards is how rows get shifted by one peg. Each board should have its own chart page with a position label (R2-C1 = second row of boards, first column).
- Iron each board separately, then join. Boards go under the iron one at a time; the joined seams fuse when you iron the assembled piece from the back.
- Count beads per color before shopping. Total count tells you almost nothing — what empties mid-project is always one specific color. A pattern made from your photo comes with a per-color shopping list with real Hama and Perler bag codes, so the store trip happens once.
- Buy 10% extra of your main colors. Beads escape. Under sofas, into vacuum cleaners, occasionally into pets. This is a law of nature.
From size to actual pattern
Knowing your project is 2 x 3 boards and roughly 5,000 beads is planning. Turning the photo into those exact beads is the fun part: the fuse bead pattern maker converts any photo to real bead colors, splits the chart board by board, and counts every color for you. The first pattern is free — measure once, bead twice.
Frequently asked questions
How many beads fit on a 29x29 pegboard?
A completely full standard midi pegboard holds 841 beads (29 x 29). Real designs usually leave background pegs empty, so most single-board patterns use somewhere between 400 and 700 beads.
What size is a midi fuse bead?
Midi beads — the standard size for both Hama and Perler — are 5 mm wide. A row of 29 midi beads is 14.5 cm long, which is exactly the width of one standard square pegboard.
Can a pattern span multiple pegboards?
Yes. Large designs are laid out across several boards, ironed board by board, and joined afterwards. A good pattern splits the chart per board so you always know which section you are placing.
How do I know how many beads of each color to buy?
Total bead count is width x height minus empty pegs, but per-color counts need a pattern. A pattern maker counts every color for you and produces a shopping list with brand codes, so you buy exactly the bags you need.