What is the Fabric Yardage Calculator?
This calculator tells you how much fabric to buy for a sewing or quilting project. You can either enter the total length of fabric you need in inches, or describe the individual pieces you want to cut — their length, width, and how many — and the calculator works out the most efficient layout across the bolt width and returns the result in yards, feet, and meters.
How to use it
If you already know the total length, type it in the first field and the rest is ignored. Otherwise leave the total length blank and fill in the size of one piece, the number of pieces, and the width of the fabric bolt (commonly 44, 54, or 60 inches). Click calculate to see the yardage.
The formula explained
The tool first finds how many pieces fit side by side across the fabric width, \(\lfloor W_f / W_p \rfloor\), then divides the piece count by that to get the number of rows (rounded up). Multiplying rows by piece length gives the total inches, which is divided by 36 to convert to yards:
$$\text{Yards} = \frac{\left\lceil \frac{N}{\lfloor W_f / W_p \rfloor} \right\rceil \times L_p}{36}$$Here \(N\) = number of pieces, \(W_f\) = fabric width, \(W_p\) = piece width, and \(L_p\) = piece length, all in inches.
Worked example
Suppose you need 12 pieces, each 10 in long and 10 in wide, from 44 in wide fabric. Pieces per row: \(\lfloor 44/10 \rfloor = 4\). Rows: \(\lceil 12/4 \rceil = 3\). Total length:
$$3 \times 10 = 30\,\text{in} = \frac{30}{36} \approx 0.83\,\text{yd}$$So buy about 1 yard to be safe.
FAQ
Should I add extra for seams and shrinkage? Yes — add roughly 10% extra, and pre-wash if the fabric may shrink.
What if pieces are wider than the fabric? The calculator assumes at least one piece fits per row; rotate the piece or choose wider fabric if it does not.
How many inches are in a yard? Exactly 36 inches, or 3 feet.
