Fabric Yardage Calculator for Cutting Pieces
Work out the yards of fabric needed to cut a number of identical rectangular pieces. Enter the piece width and length, how many you need, and the usable bolt width.
How to calculate fabric yardage
- Enter the width and length of one piece in inches.
- Set how many pieces you need and your usable fabric width.
- Read the pieces per row, total rows and yards, then copy the estimate.
Examples
Ten 12 by 15 inch pieces from 44 inch fabric
Piece 12 x 15 in, quantity 10, fabric width 44 in
3 per row, 4 rows, 60 in of fabric, about 1.6667 yards
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate fabric yardage for cut pieces?
Divide the fabric width by the piece width and round down to get how many pieces fit across a row. Divide the quantity by that and round up for rows, multiply by the piece length, then divide the inches by 36 for yards.
What fabric width should I use?
Use the usable width across the bolt after selvages. Quilting cotton is about 42 to 44 inches, so 44 is a common default. Many apparel and home fabrics run 54 or 60 inches.
Does this add extra for seam allowances or shrinkage?
No. The result is the exact layout for the piece sizes you enter. Add your seam allowance to each piece size first, and buy a little extra to cover shrinkage and squaring up.
What if a piece is wider than the fabric?
Then it cannot be tiled across the width, so the tool places one piece per row and flags that the piece must be cut along the length of the bolt instead.
Why does it round the number of rows up?
Fabric is bought by continuous length, so any partial row still needs a full piece length of fabric. Rounding rows up makes sure every piece can be cut.
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