Stocking a Studio: How Many Blocks, Straps, and Bolsters Per Class

Running short on blocks five minutes into a class is a small problem with an outsized impact on how the session feels. Overstocking, on the other hand, wastes storage space and budget on props that sit unused. Getting the count right starts with recognizing that different class styles genuinely need different quantities of gear — a stocking plan built for a vinyasa class will leave a restorative class short.

Why class style changes the numbers so much

Restorative and yin classes hold shapes for extended periods and lean on props for support throughout — a block under the hips, a bolster under the knees, a blanket for warmth during long holds. Gentle and hatha classes use props more selectively, often just for a handful of poses in a session. Vinyasa and power-flow classes move continuously and typically reach for floor props only occasionally, if at all. Stocking every class style identically means either shortchanging the slower classes or drowning the storage room in gear a fast-moving class never touches.

A working ratio table

These per-student ratios reflect common studio-stocking conventions, rounded up since props come in whole units:

Class style	Blocks	Straps	Bolsters	Blankets
Restorative	2 per student	1 per student	1 per 2 students	1 per student
Yin	2 per student	1 per student	1 per 2 students	1 per student
Gentle / hatha	1 per student	1 per 2 students	1 per 4 students	1 per 2 students
Vinyasa / power	1 per 2 students	1 per 4 students	Rarely stocked	Rarely stocked

An 8-student restorative class, for example, works out to roughly 16 blocks, 8 straps, 4 bolsters, and 8 blankets — a substantial prop cart, but one that matches how heavily that class style actually uses the gear.

Mats need a different kind of buffer

Unlike blocks and straps, mat quantity isn't a fraction of the headcount — it's the headcount plus spares. A studio mat gets used, cleaned, and occasionally sits out to dry or gets damaged, so stocking exactly one mat per registered student leaves zero room for a walk-in, a mat mid-cleaning, or a torn one waiting to be replaced. A spares buffer of about 10% of headcount, with a floor of at least two spares even for small classes, is a reasonable cushion without over-buying.

Rounding up, always

Ratios like "1 bolster per 4 students" or "0.5 blocks per student" don't divide evenly against every class size, and a studio can't stock half a bolster. Every prop count should round up to the next whole unit rather than down — a class of 5 students at a 1-per-4 bolster ratio needs 2 bolsters, not 1, since rounding down would leave the room short exactly when it's needed.

Building a stocking plan across multiple class types

Most studios run several class styles through the same room over a week, which means the practical stocking number for shared storage is the highest of what any regularly scheduled class style needs, not an average across all of them. If a room hosts both a 12-person restorative class and a 12-person vinyasa class on different days, the storage plan needs to cover the restorative class's higher prop count even though the vinyasa class barely touches most of it.

To skip the table lookup for a specific class, the prop quantity calculator takes your student count and class style and returns the full prop breakdown, spares included.