Sewing Fabric Calculator
Estimate total fabric yardage from your pattern pieces, bolt width, layout efficiency, and pattern repeat allowance.
Processed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Sewing Fabric Calculator
How tightly pieces nest; 85% is typical.
Extra for matching prints/plaids; 0 for solids.
Add a piece with width, length, and count to estimate yardage.
About Sewing Fabric Calculator
List each pattern piece's width, length, and count, pick your fabric's bolt width (44″, 54″, or 60″), and the calculator lays pieces across the bolt in rows to estimate the length you need. A layout-efficiency factor (85% by default) pads for the waste real cutting layouts always have, and a repeat allowance adds extra for matching prints and plaids.
The answer comes back both exact and rounded up to the quarter yard, the way fabric is actually sold.
Common uses
- Work out yardage before buying fabric for a garment or quilt
- Check whether a remnant is enough for a small project
- Compare how much a wider bolt would save
Example
Input
8 pieces of 10 × 10″ on a 44″ bolt at 85% efficiency
Output
0.65 yd exact — buy 0.75 yd
Limitations
- A simplified rows-across-the-bolt layout: directional prints, nap, and grain-line rules can require more fabric than estimated.
Frequently asked questions
How does this calculator estimate the yardage I need?
It fits as many of each piece as possible side by side across your bolt width (rotating a piece 90° if it won't fit upright), stacks the rows along the fabric length, then divides by your layout-efficiency factor and adds the repeat allowance. The result is shown exact and rounded up to the next quarter yard.
What is layout efficiency and why is it set to 85%?
Real cutting layouts always waste some fabric — pieces aren't perfect rectangles and grain lines limit how they nest. The 85% default pads the theoretical minimum by dividing it by 0.85; drop it lower for awkward pieces or raise it for simple rectangles like quilt squares.
What is a pattern repeat allowance?
Extra fabric for lining up prints, plaids, and stripes so the motif matches across pieces. The allowance adds a percentage on top of the estimate; the bigger the printed repeat and the more pieces need matching, the more you should add.
Is my project information stored online?
No. Piece dimensions and settings are computed in your browser and never uploaded — nothing about your project persists after you close the tab.
Why buy fabric in quarter-yard increments?
Because that's how fabric stores cut and price it — most shops sell by the quarter yard (9 inches) at minimum. The calculator rounds up to the next quarter yard so the number you take to the store is one you can actually buy.