Quilting Fabric Cut Calculator
Tell the calculator your cut size and how many pieces you need - instantly see how many yards to buy, how the cuts fit across your fabric bolt, and how much is wasted. Generates a shopping card to take to the store. Nothing uploaded.
Fabric width
Cut dimensions
Seam allowance ?
Pieces needed
Price per yard (optional)
Display in
Cutting layout
Results
Shopping card
Learn more: fabric width, selvage and cutting waste
Usable width is less than the label
FibreCalcs' fabric width guide says quilting cotton is 42 to 44 inches wide, with most US mills at 42 and UK and European mills often at 44. It says to trim half an inch on each side for the selvage, which leaves about 41 usable inches from a 42 inch bolt.
The tool is more cautious. It takes 1 inch off each edge, so 44 inch fabric gives 42 usable inches, and 42 inch fabric gives 40. If you trim less, you may fit one more piece per row than the tool shows for some cut sizes.
How the tool counts pieces
It divides the usable width by the cut width and rounds down, since a part piece is no use, and does the same for rows: a yard is 36 inches. For a 10 inch square from 44 inch fabric, 42 / 10 gives 4 per row and 36 / 10 gives 3 rows, so 12 pieces per yard.
For 25 squares, 25 / 12 = 2.083 yards. The tool adds a 10% buffer, 2.29 yards, then rounds up to the next 1/8 yard, 2.375 yards, since shops cut in eighths. Rounding the pieces down and the yardage up both push the answer up, so it is more likely to be generous than short.
Waste and finished size
The waste figure compares the area of your pieces with the usable fabric area, and strips too narrow to use count as waste. For the 10 inch square it is 1 - (4 x 10 x 3 x 10) / (42 x 36) = 21%. The tool also shows finished size by subtracting the seam allowance from each side of a cut piece.
It assumes pieces can be turned any way. A one-way print or a stripe you want to match limits that, so add yardage. Fabric that you pre-wash may shrink, so cut from fabric in the same state you will sew.
FAQ
Why is the waste percentage still high with a good layout?
Square and rectangular pieces rarely fill the full usable width and a whole number of rows. The leftover strip at the edge and the end of each yard counts as waste, so some is normal.
Does a directional print change the yardage?
Yes. The tool assumes free layout, so for a one-way print buy extra on top of its estimate.
Should I pre-wash before measuring?
Many people do, and washing can change the fabric's size. Use the same state for measuring and sewing, and keep the 10% buffer for the difference.