Fabric Yardage Calculator: How Much Fabric to Buy for Your Project
List your pieces and the fabric width. Get the yards or metres to buy, with seam allowance, shrinkage and a to-scale cutting layout across the bolt. Inches or millimetres. Runs in your browser.
When to use this
- You are sewing a project from a list of pieces and need to know how much fabric to buy.
- You want the answer to depend on the bolt width (45 in versus 60 in), not on total area alone.
- You want to see how the pieces sit across the fabric before you go to the shop.
How to use
- Choose inches or millimetres. Enter the fabric width and any edge you cannot use.
- Enter the seam allowance and the percentage you want to add for shrinkage and spare.
- Type one piece per line as width x length x quantity, using finished sizes. The second number runs along the fabric.
- Tick the turn box only if the fabric is plain with no direction or nap.
- Press Calculate yardage. Check the layout, then copy the buy list.
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Report a problem or suggest an improvement
Nothing is sent until you press Send. Your measurements are included only if you tick the box, and you can see the full report below first.
Examples
- Two 20 x 30 in pieces and three 10 x 10 in pieces on 45 in fabric: With 0.5 in seams the cut sizes are 21 x 31 in and 11 x 11 in. Two rows use 31 + 11 = 42 in. Adding 10 percent gives 46.2 in, which rounds up to 1 3/8 yd.
- Same pieces on 60 in fabric: A wider bolt can put more pieces in each row, so the length you need can drop. Change the width and compare.
Understanding the result
Every piece gets the seam allowance on all four sides. The tool then places the pieces in rows across the usable width, longest first, and adds up the row lengths. The extra percentage is added and the total is rounded up to the next eighth of a yard (or tenth of a metre). The area-only guess shown for comparison ignores how the pieces fit across the width, so it is usually too low.
Limitations
- This estimates fabric only. Patterns with stripes, plaids, prints that must match, nap or a one-way design need more fabric than a plain row layout.
- Pieces are rectangles. Curved pattern pieces need their bounding rectangle, which may overstate the fabric you need.
- The default extra of 10 percent and the shop cutting step are marked UNSOURCED. Check your pattern envelope and your fabric label.
- The row layout is a simple method. A hand-planned layout can sometimes use a little less fabric.
FAQ
How much fabric do I need for my project?
Add the seam allowance to every piece, place the pieces across the width of the fabric and add up the length. This tool does that, adds shrinkage and spare, and rounds up to a length a shop can cut.
Why does fabric width matter?
A wider bolt fits more pieces across, so you need less length. The same pieces can need very different yardage on 45 in and 60 in fabric.
Should I pre-wash fabric and how much does it shrink?
Many sewists pre-wash cotton, which can shrink around 3 to 5 percent. The extra percentage here covers that and a little spare, but check the label of your fabric.
What does turning the pieces mean?
Turning a piece sideways changes its grain direction. It is fine for plain fabric with no nap or print direction, but not for stripes, velvet or a printed design with an up and down.
How many yards is 46 inches?
There are 36 inches in a yard, so 46 inches is about 1.28 yards. Shops often cut by the eighth of a yard, so you would ask for 1 3/8 yards.
Does this tool store my measurements?
No. It runs in your browser. The share link keeps your numbers after the # sign, which is never sent to a server.
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