The short answer: about five standard beads fit in one inch, in both directions. A 29 by 29 pegboard is roughly 5.8 inches on each side, so a full-board pattern ends up about six inches square after ironing.
One standard midi bead is 5 mm wide and 2.5 mm tall. Five millimeters is 0.197 inches, which works out to 5.08 beads per inch. Vertical spacing is the same, so rows sit one bead apart.
Quick size math
- 10 beads = about 2 inches.
- 29 beads = about 5.8 inches, the size of one standard board.
- 50 beads = about 10 inches, roughly two boards wide.
- Mini beads (2.6 mm) = about 9.8 beads per inch, so mini patterns are nearly twice as dense.
Why this matters
Beads-per-inch tells you the finished size before you start, which decides board count and bead budget. Our bead count guide works through the numbers, and the pegboard size guide matches boards to patterns. Ready to build? The pattern library lists finished sizes for every design.