About the Fabric Yardage Calculator
This fabric yardage calculator answers the question every sewist asks at the cutting counter: how much fabric do I need? Enter the finished size of the pieces you are cutting, how many you need, the width of the bolt and your seam allowance, and it lays the pieces out in rows across the fabric to find the length to buy in yards and meters.
Use it for cushion covers, curtain panels, napkins, tote bags, quilt blocks and any project made of rectangles. It accounts for the selvage you trim off, a pattern repeat (so prints line up from piece to piece), shrinkage when you pre-wash cotton or linen, and a safety margin for straightening the cut end and small mistakes.
The layout assumes every piece is cut with its length running along the fabric (the straight grain), which is how most patterns and directional prints must be cut. Shaped garment pieces need the yardage chart on the pattern envelope; for those, use this tool to compare widths or add a margin.
With the default inputs, the fabric needed is 1.98 yd. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the fabric yardage calculator
- 1Enter the finished length and width of one piece, with the length running along the grain.
- 2Enter how many identical pieces you need.
- 3Pick the width of the fabric you plan to buy and how much selvage you trim.
- 4Set your seam allowance and, for prints, the vertical pattern repeat.
- 5Add shrinkage if you pre-wash and a safety margin, then read the yards to buy.
Formula and method
Each piece is enlarged by the seam allowance on all four sides. The calculator then sees how many cut pieces fit side by side across the usable width (fabric width after pre-wash shrinkage, minus the selvages) and how many rows that takes. Each row is as long as one cut piece, rounded up to a whole multiple of the pattern repeat when you enter one, so the motif lines up on every piece.
The total cut length is divided by (1 − shrinkage) because fabric that shrinks 3% when washed must start 3% longer, and then increased by your extra margin for straightening the cut end, flaws and cutting errors. The result is converted to yards (36 in) and meters (0.9144 m per yard) and rounded up to the 1/8 yard that most shops cut to.
- Seam
- Seam allowance added to each edge
- Selvage
- Total width trimmed from both selvage edges
- Row length
- Cut piece length, rounded up to the pattern repeat
- Shrink%
- Expected shrinkage when pre-washed
- Extra%
- Safety margin for squaring up and mistakes
Worked examples
Six 20 × 15 in cushion panels from quilting cotton
With 1/2 in seams each piece is cut 21 × 16 in. After 3% shrinkage the 44 in fabric is about 42.7 in wide, or 41.7 in usable without selvages, so 2 pieces fit across and 6 pieces take 3 rows of 21 in = 63 in. Allowing 3% shrinkage (63 ÷ 0.97 = 64.95 in) and 10% extra gives 71.44 in, or 1.98 yards — buy 2 yards.
Curtain panels with a 27 in pattern repeat
Each panel is cut 86 × 52 in, so only one fits across 53 in of usable width. Rounding 86 in up to whole 27 in repeats gives 108 in per panel; 4 panels need 432 in. Adding 5% gives 453.6 in = 12.6 yards, so buy 12 5/8 yards.
Twelve 18 in napkins from wide linen
Each napkin is cut 19 × 19 in. Linen that shrinks 4% narrows from 60 in to 57.6 in, leaving 56.6 in after the selvages, so only 2 napkins fit across (3 would need 57 in). Twelve napkins need 6 rows × 19 in = 114 in; allowing 4% shrinkage (114 ÷ 0.96 = 118.75 in) and 10% extra gives 130.6 in, about 3.63 yards. With 1/4 in hems, 3 would fit across and the yardage drops sharply.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much fabric I need?+
Add seam allowances to each piece, work out how many fit across the usable width of the fabric, multiply the number of rows by the piece length, then add allowances for shrinkage and mistakes. Divide the total inches by 36 to get yards.
How wide is a bolt of fabric?+
Quilting cotton is usually 42–45 in wide (about 40–42 in usable after trimming selvages), home decor and upholstery fabric is often 54 in, apparel fabrics and fleece are commonly 58–60 in, and wide quilt backing is 108 in.
How much extra fabric should I buy for a pattern repeat?+
Every piece must start at the same point in the print, so each cut length is rounded up to a whole number of repeats. For a 27 in repeat, an 86 in curtain uses 108 in of fabric. Buy at least one extra repeat to choose where the motif falls.
Should I pre-wash fabric before measuring?+
Pre-wash natural fibers such as cotton, linen and rayon if the finished item will be washed, because they can shrink several percent. Buy extra to cover the shrinkage — this calculator divides the length by (1 − shrinkage) and lays pieces out on the narrower post-wash width.
How many inches are in a yard of fabric?+
One yard is 36 inches (91.44 cm). Common cuts are 1/8 yd = 4.5 in, 1/4 yd = 9 in, 1/3 yd = 12 in, 1/2 yd = 18 in and 3/4 yd = 27 in. A fat quarter is a half yard cut in half across the width, about 18 × 22 in.