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Unless you are copying a piece exactly and using the same materials, cord lengths are really a guess.

A rule of thumb for an unknown design plan using a mixture of open and closed spaces:
Your cord should be approximately 4 times the length of the finished piece.
If you are doubling your cord and folding it in half as two cords it should be approximately 8 times the length of the finished piece.

If you are making a piece with a lot of open space, you may be able to use shorter cords.
If you are making a piece with a closed look you will be making more knots and you will need longer cords.

The amount of cord used up in making a knot will be greater for heavier cords than for thin cords.

Some knots will use up different cords at different rates. For example, if you are making a long sennit of square knots, your knotting cords will get used up much faster than your core cords. You may need to allow, for your knotting cords, 5 or 6 times the finished length, while your core cords might only need to be twice the finished length.

Always remember to leave a little extra length for working space. You cannot make the knots at the end of a piece if you are almost out of cord. And allow a little extra for fringes or other decorative endings.

If you are working with very long cords you can wind each cord around your hand and then slip it off and secure it with a rubberband, releasing some of the cord as you work and rewrapping as needed. It's somewhat more difficult to pull your cords through this way but they are less likely to tangle.
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If you are planning a large project, I would recommend that you make a sampler using the materials from the project to determine the cord lengths needed.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THESE INSTRUCTIONS
INSTRUCTIONS-INTRODUCTION
MACRAME CORD LENGTH TIPS
HALF KNOT & SQUARE KNOT
DOUBLE HALF HITCH
OVERHAND KNOT
LARK'S HEAD (TO MOUNT CORDS)
MOUNTING CORDS USING A DOUBLE HALF HITCH
VARIATIONS 1 - HALF AND SQUARE KNOT
VARIATIONS 2 - ALTERNATING SQUARE KNOTS
VARIATIONS 3 - SQUARE KNOT USING PICOTS
VARIATIONS 4 - SQUARE KNOTS VARYING YOUR CORE AND KNOTTING CORDS
VARIATIONS 5 - DOUBLE HALF HITCH DIAMOND
VARIATIONS 6 - DIAMOND FILLERS 1
VARIATIONS 7 - DIAMOND FILLERS 2
VARIATIONS 8 - USING COLOR WITH SQUARE KNOTS
VARIATIONS 9 - SQUARE KNOTS WITH BEADS
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FAQ
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FAQ