Fabric Calculator
Calculate how much fabric to buy for a project: panels needed across the fabric width, total yardage and metres, rounded up to a practical purchase amount.
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What this tool does
Calculate how much fabric to buy for a project: panels needed across the fabric width, total yardage and metres, rounded up to a practical purchase amount. No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
How to use the Fabric Calculator
- Enter or select finished project width (inches).
- Enter or select finished project length (inches).
- Enter or select fabric width.
- Enter or select number of pieces at this size.
- Read the calculated result; change any measurement to compare alternatives.
Formula
Panels = ceil(project width / usable fabric width) where usable width = fabric width - 2 in for seams/selvedge; yardage = panels x project length x pieces / 36, rounded up to the nearest quarter yard for purchase.
- pwidth
- Finished project width (inches)
- plength
- Finished project length (inches)
- fwidth
- Fabric width
- pieces
- Number of pieces at this size
No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
Worked example
For fabric calculator, the following measurements illustrate the exact method: Finished project width (inches): 60; Finished project length (inches): 72; Fabric width: 44; Number of pieces at this size: 1.
Inputs
- Finished project width (inches)60
- Finished project length (inches)72
- Fabric width44 in (quilting cotton)
- Number of pieces at this size1
Result
- Fabric to buy (yards)4
- Exact yardage needed4
- Fabric to buy (metres)3.66
- Panels across the width2
- Usable width per panel (inches)42
Results explained
- Fabric to buy (yards)
- Fabric to buy (yards) from the formula above. No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
- Exact yardage needed
- Exact yardage needed from the formula above. No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
- Fabric to buy (metres)
- Fabric to buy (metres) from the formula above. No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
- Panels across the width
- Panels across the width from the formula above. No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
- Usable width per panel (inches)
- Usable width per panel (inches) from the formula above. No pattern-repeat matching or nap direction allowance — add 10-25% for large prints, plaids or one-way designs. Length includes no hem allowance; add your hem to the project length first.
Frequently asked questions
Divide the project width by the usable fabric width (bolt width minus about 2 inches) and round up — that is your panel count. Multiply panels by project length and pieces, divide by 36 for yards, and buy the next quarter yard up.
Selvedges are unusable and seams consume width, so this calculator reserves 2 inches. A 44-inch quilting cotton really offers about 42 usable inches — the difference decides many panel counts.
Multiply yards by 0.9144. The calculator shows metres alongside yards; most non-US fabric shops cut in 10 cm increments, so round up to the next 0.1 m.
For plaids and large repeats, add one full pattern repeat per panel plus a 10% safety margin. This calculator's result is the plain-fabric minimum.
44-45 in for quilting cottons, 54-60 in for apparel and home-decor fabrics, and 108 in for quilt backings. Check the bolt end before ordering — the panel count depends on it.