Fabric Yardage Calculator

Fabric yardage comes down to one awkward fact: fabric is sold by length off a bolt of fixed width, and your project is almost never the same shape as the bolt.

How this calculator works: panels, not pattern pieces

This page answers the panel question, the one you have for curtains, tablecloths, quilt backing, blinds and upholstery: a finished piece of a given size, cut from a bolt of a given width. It is not a garment-pattern layout tool, which is a different problem entirely, since a pattern’s pieces nest into each other and only the pattern envelope can tell you how well.

Yards needed = (panels × project length + repeat allowance) × (1 + waste %) ÷ 36

Where panels = project width ÷ bolt width, rounded up.

That rounding is where the money goes. A project 1 inch wider than the bolt needs two full panels, and the second one costs the same as the first no matter how little of it you use. It is always worth checking whether trimming an inch off the design, or moving to a wider bolt, drops you back to a single panel. The chart under the result compares all four bolt widths for exactly this reason.

Fabric width consideration: Most quilting cotton: 44–45 inches wide Apparel fabric: 54–60 inches wide Home décor fabric: 54–60 inches wide Knits: 60 inches wide Narrower fabric requires more yardage (pieces don’t fit as many across)

Pattern matching adjustment: Extra length = Pattern Repeat × (Panels − 1)

A printed fabric repeats vertically at a fixed interval. To make the print run continuously across a seam, every panel after the first has to start at the same point in that repeat, and getting it there costs up to one full repeat of length that ends up as offcut. One panel needs no allowance at all, because there is no seam to match.

• Small repeat, under 3 inches: barely noticeable, roughly a tenth of a yard per seam
• Medium repeat, 3 to 12 inches: a quarter to a third of a yard per seam
• Large repeat, 12 inches and up: half a yard or more per seam, and worth measuring properly rather than guessing

Measure the repeat yourself on the bolt: find a distinctive motif, then find the next identical one directly above it, and measure between the same point on each.

Shrinkage allowance: Pre-washing cotton shrinks 3–5%. Add 5–8% to your calculated yardage before pre-washing.

Three terms worth knowing before you cut:

• Grain line: the direction of the woven threads. Cut along it. Off-grain pieces hang crooked and no amount of pressing fixes it later
• Selvage: the finished woven edge running down both sides of the bolt. It is tighter than the rest of the fabric and usually unprintable, so it is not usable width
• Seam allowance: already included in commercial patterns, normally 5/8 inch. If you drafted the piece yourself, add it before entering the dimensions above

Reference yardage for common garments (60-inch fabric):

These are for the garment case this calculator does not cover, given here so you have a sanity check when you are working from a pattern envelope instead:

• T-shirt (S/M): 1.5–2.0 yards
• Pair of trousers: 2.0–2.5 yards
• A-line skirt: 1.5–2.0 yards
• Dress (knee length): 2.5–3.5 yards
• Quilt top (throw, 60×80): 4.5–6.0 yards across all fabrics

Worked example: A pair of curtains finishing 72 inches long and 96 inches wide across both panels, in a plain 54-inch fabric, with 10% for waste.

Panels = 96 ÷ 54 = 1.78, rounded up to 2 Length = 2 × 72 = 144 inches With 10% = 158.4 inches = 4.40 yards, so ask for 4.5 yards

Now try the same curtains on a 60-inch bolt. Still two panels, still 4.5 yards: the wider bolt buys nothing here, because 96 inches needs two widths either way. But a 45-inch bolt would need three panels and 6.6 yards, half as much fabric again. That jump is the whole reason the bolt width sits on this page.