What size is a standard Perler bead board?

The classic square board is 29×29 pegs, so a full single-board pattern uses up to 841 beads. There is also a 50×50 large square. If your pattern is bigger than one board, you clip multiple boards together — the generator plans this for you and tells you how many boards you need and how many rows or columns will hang off the edge.

How many beads do I need for my pattern?

Every cell in the grid is exactly one bead, so a 29×29 pattern is 841 beads in total, split across the colors used. The generator counts each color separately and shows a total, so you can check what you already have before buying. The CSV export gives you the same list to take to the store.

What is the difference between Perler, Hama and Artkal beads?

They are the same craft from different brands: Perler is the common brand in the US, Hama in Europe, and Artkal is popular for its wide color range and smaller 2.6 mm A-series beads. The pegboards and color codes are not interchangeable, which is why the generator lets you pick the palette that matches the brand you are actually buying.

How do I turn a photo into a Perler bead pattern?

Upload the photo, set the width to your board size, and choose a palette. Photos usually look best with 24 or more colors and dithering turned on, because real images have smooth gradients that flat beads cannot show otherwise. Faces work better as square crops close to the subject.

Why does my pattern look muddy or blurry?

Usually the grid is too small or the color cap too low for the detail in the image. Try a larger width, raise the color count, or nudge the contrast slider up. If you are making flat pixel art, turn dithering off — the speckled look that smooths photos makes crisp sprites look noisy.

What does dithering actually do?

Dithering (Floyd–Steinberg error diffusion) spreads the difference between the photo and the nearest available bead color into neighboring cells, which reads as a smoother gradient at arm's length. The cost is a speckled texture, so it suits photos and ruins hard-edged pixel art.

Can I sell patterns I make with this tool?

The patterns you generate are yours to use. What matters is the source image: only upload photos and artwork you own or have permission to use, because tracing someone else's artwork into a pattern for sale is still copying it.

Is this bead pattern maker free and private?

The generator is free to use with no account: patterns up to 50 beads wide, the Perler palette, 24 colors and PNG/CSV downloads (with a small footer credit on the chart). Pro unlocks the bigger boards, the Hama and Artkal palettes, 64 colors, dithering and clean downloads. Privacy is the same either way — the image is read into your browser's memory, mapped to bead colors on your own device, and never uploaded to any server.

Perler Bead Pattern Generator

The Perler Bead Pattern Generator turns any photo, drawing or pixel sprite into a buildable fuse bead pattern with everything you need at the craft store: the exact color codes, how many beads of each color to buy, and how many 29×29 boards the finished piece will take. Choose the palette that matches the beads in your cart — Perler, Hama or Artkal — set the width in beads from 8 up to 200 with Pro (50 on the free tier), and the tool maps every cell to the closest real color, adds a print-friendly symbol to each one, and totals your shopping list. Photos get optional dithering for smooth gradients; pixel art stays crisp with it off. Everything runs locally in your browser, so family photos and copyrighted artwork never leave your device.

The short answer

Any photo becomes a fuse bead pattern in three steps: pick a grid width (29 matches one standard Perler board), choose your brand's palette, and read the chart. A 29×29 pattern uses up to 841 beads — this tool counts every color, plans how many boards you need, and exports a printable chart without uploading your image.

Drop an image here or click to browse

JPG, PNG or WebP — turned into a bead pattern locally, nothing is uploaded

Worked example: a 13×11 heart on one 29×29 board

This chart was generated by the same pipeline on the server — palette matching, symbol assignment and bead counting all happen exactly as they will for your photo. 143 beads total across 4 colors, and it leaves 16 columns and 18 rows spare on the board. Printed in black and white, the symbols keep every color identifiable.

Color	Symbol	Code	Name	Beads
	1	80-15203	Flamingo	1
	2	80-15211	Tomato	62
	3	80-19001	White	52
	4	80-19018	Black	28
Total				143

How to use Perler Bead Pattern Generator

1
Upload your image
Drag a JPG, PNG or WebP onto the dropzone. Sprite art works at small sizes; photos work best when you crop close to the subject first.
2
Set palette, boards and colors
Pick the brand palette you are buying from, choose a board layout (or a free width from 8 beads upward), cap the number of colors, and turn dithering on for photos or off for flat pixel art.
3
Build from the chart and list
Follow the symbols cell by cell, buy using the bead counts in the table, then download the PNG chart or the CSV list to take with you.

Why use this tool

Perler, Hama and Artkal palettes with real manufacturer color codes
Bead count per color plus a total, exportable as CSV
Board planning — how many 29×29 (or 50×50) boards you need, with trim
Printable chart with color-blind-friendly symbols and grid coordinates
Private by design: your photo is processed in your browser, never uploaded

Frequently asked questions

What size is a standard Perler bead board?: The classic square board is 29×29 pegs, so a full single-board pattern uses up to 841 beads. There is also a 50×50 large square. If your pattern is bigger than one board, you clip multiple boards together — the generator plans this for you and tells you how many boards you need and how many rows or columns will hang off the edge.
How many beads do I need for my pattern?: Every cell in the grid is exactly one bead, so a 29×29 pattern is 841 beads in total, split across the colors used. The generator counts each color separately and shows a total, so you can check what you already have before buying. The CSV export gives you the same list to take to the store.
What is the difference between Perler, Hama and Artkal beads?: They are the same craft from different brands: Perler is the common brand in the US, Hama in Europe, and Artkal is popular for its wide color range and smaller 2.6 mm A-series beads. The pegboards and color codes are not interchangeable, which is why the generator lets you pick the palette that matches the brand you are actually buying.
How do I turn a photo into a Perler bead pattern?: Upload the photo, set the width to your board size, and choose a palette. Photos usually look best with 24 or more colors and dithering turned on, because real images have smooth gradients that flat beads cannot show otherwise. Faces work better as square crops close to the subject.
Why does my pattern look muddy or blurry?: Usually the grid is too small or the color cap too low for the detail in the image. Try a larger width, raise the color count, or nudge the contrast slider up. If you are making flat pixel art, turn dithering off — the speckled look that smooths photos makes crisp sprites look noisy.
What does dithering actually do?: Dithering (Floyd–Steinberg error diffusion) spreads the difference between the photo and the nearest available bead color into neighboring cells, which reads as a smoother gradient at arm's length. The cost is a speckled texture, so it suits photos and ruins hard-edged pixel art.
Can I sell patterns I make with this tool?: The patterns you generate are yours to use. What matters is the source image: only upload photos and artwork you own or have permission to use, because tracing someone else's artwork into a pattern for sale is still copying it.
Is this bead pattern maker free and private?: The generator is free to use with no account: patterns up to 50 beads wide, the Perler palette, 24 colors and PNG/CSV downloads (with a small footer credit on the chart). Pro unlocks the bigger boards, the Hama and Artkal palettes, 64 colors, dithering and clean downloads. Privacy is the same either way — the image is read into your browser's memory, mapped to bead colors on your own device, and never uploaded to any server.