Fabric Yardage Calculator

Figure out exactly how much fabric to buy for your sewing project — no more guessing at the cutting counter.

Piece width (in) Piece length (in) Quantity Fabric width (in)

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yards needed

What this calculator does

The Fabric Yardage Calculator turns your pattern pieces into a real fabric-buying number. Tell it how big each piece is, how many you need, and how wide your fabric is, and it works out how many yards to purchase. It is built for straightforward rectangular cuts — quilt blocks, tote panels, cushion fronts, sashing strips, napkins and other simple shapes — where you can lay pieces side by side across the fabric width.

How the math works

Most fabric comes on a bolt at a fixed width (44"/45" quilting cotton and 54"/60" home-decor or apparel fabric are common). The calculator first finds how many pieces fit across that width: pieces per row = floor(fabric width ÷ piece width). Then it counts the rows you need: rows = ceil(quantity ÷ pieces per row). Total length is rows × piece length, and yards is that length ÷ 36. Rounding down per row and up on rows is intentional — you cannot buy half a placement, so it always keeps you covered.

How to use it

Enter the width of one pattern piece in inches (the side that runs across the bolt).
Enter the length of one piece in inches.
Type the quantity of identical pieces you need to cut.
Set the fabric width — the default is 44" for quilting cotton; change it for wider goods.
Read the yards total, then check the breakdown below it for pieces-per-row and total length.

FAQ

Should I buy exactly this many yards?: Add a bit extra. This is an estimate that does not include seam allowances, pattern matching, directional prints or shrinkage. Rounding up to the next quarter-yard is a safe habit.
What fabric width should I use?: Quilting cotton is usually 44" (usable ~42"). Home-decor and apparel fabrics are often 54" or 60". Use the usable width if you want to be conservative.
Why did it say my piece is too wide?: Your piece width is larger than the fabric width, so it cannot fit across the bolt. Rotate the piece so its shorter side runs across the width, or pick a wider fabric.
Does anything leave my computer?: No. Every calculation runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.