Fabric Yardage Calculator
Work out how much fabric a project needs from piece size, quantity and bolt width — with the cutting layout drawn out.
Fill in the fabric width and your piece size — the yardage updates as you type.
- Fabric to buy
- 1.75 yd
- Rounded up to
- 1 3/4 yd
- Also equals
- 63 in · 1.60 m
- Pieces across
- 4
- Rows of pieces
- 5
- Cutting length
- 60 in
- Layout
- Upright — 10 in across the width
- Fabric left over
- 9.3%
- Estimated cost
- —
How it works
This calculator uses the cut-layout (row) method, the same arithmetic a
pattern envelope uses. First it works out the usable width:
usable = fabric width − selvage trim. Each piece is cut at
piece + 2 × seam allowance on both dimensions. Then it fits whole pieces across
the width — across = floor(usable ÷ cut width) — stacks them in rows —
rows = ceil(quantity ÷ across) — and the fabric you need to cut is
length = rows × cut length. Unless you tick the one-way print box it also tries
the pieces rotated 90° and keeps whichever orientation needs less fabric.
Worked example: twenty 10 × 12 in pieces from 44 in quilting cotton with 2 in of selvage trim. Usable width is 42 in, four pieces fit across (42 ÷ 10 = 4.2 → 4), twenty pieces need five rows, and five rows of 12 in is 60 in of fabric — 1.67 yards, so you buy 1 ¾ yards. Rotated the pieces only fit three across and would need 70 in, so upright wins. Imperial results are rounded up to the nearest ⅛ yard because that is how fabric is cut at the counter; metric results round up to the nearest 0.1 m.
Cutting is planned as full rows across the usable width — the simple, waste-tolerant layout most patterns assume. Pattern matching, bias cuts, one-way prints on both axes and cutting on the fold all need extra fabric, so buy a little more than the calculated number if in doubt.
Add 5–10% extra if you plan to pre-wash — natural fibres such as cotton and linen commonly shrink 2–5% in the first wash, and it is far cheaper to buy the extra now than to find the dye lot gone later. Everything is calculated in your browser with plain JavaScript: nothing is uploaded, there is no sign-up and there are no ads.
Frequently asked questions
How much fabric do I need?
Count rows, not square inches. Take the usable width (fabric width minus the selvage trim), divide it by your cut piece width and round down to get how many pieces fit across: 42 in usable ÷ 10 in = 4 across. Divide the number of pieces by that and round up for the number of rows: 20 ÷ 4 = 5. Multiply the rows by the cut piece length for the fabric you must cut: 5 × 12 in = 60 in, which is 1.67 yards, so you buy 1¾ yards. Dividing total area by the fabric width instead will always under-buy, because a piece cannot straddle the end of the cut.
Should I add extra fabric for shrinkage?
Yes if you pre-wash, which you should for anything that will be laundered. Cotton, linen and rayon commonly shrink 2–5% on the first wash, and some loosely woven cottons more, so 5–10% extra is the usual insurance. Add it in the 'extra for shrinkage and mistakes' box and the yardage recalculates. Buying the extra up front also protects you against the dye lot selling out — two cuts from different lots rarely match exactly.
Why does a one-way print need more fabric?
On a plain or tossed print the calculator may turn pieces 90° when that packs more of them across the width, which often saves a whole row. A nap, stripe or one-way design has to run the same direction on every piece, so rotation is off the table. Tick the one-way print box and the layout is recalculated upright only — for twenty 12 × 10 in pieces on 44 in cotton that is the difference between 1¾ yards and 2 yards.