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Fabric Yardage Calculator — Yardage for Cutting Quilt Pieces

~1 minute

Enter the size and number of pieces you need to cut, your fabric's usable width, and an overage allowance. The calculator figures out how many pieces fit across the fabric, how many rows you need, and the exact and purchase yardage (rounded up to the next 1/8 yard).

What this calculator determines

It calculates how many same-size pieces fit across your usable fabric width, how many rows are needed, and the resulting exact and purchase yardage.

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Examples

10 charm squares (5″)

5″ × 5″ pieces, 10 count, 42″ fabric, 0% overage

Calculation

  1. Pieces across: floor(42 ÷ 5) = 8
  2. Rows: ceil(10 ÷ 8) = 2
  3. Linear inches: 2 × 5 = 10″
  4. Yards: 10 ÷ 36 = 0.278 → buy 0.375 yd

Buy 0.375 yard (0.278 yd exact)

20 WOF strips, 2.5″ × 42″

2.5″ × 42″ pieces, 20 count, 42″ fabric, rotation off

Calculation

  1. 42″ is the full fabric width → that dimension runs across
  2. Pieces across: 1
  3. Rows: 20
  4. Linear inches: 20 × 2.5 = 50″
  5. Yards: 50 ÷ 36 = 1.389 → buy 1.5 yd

Buy 1.5 yards (1.389 yd exact)

100 rectangles, 3″ × 4″

3″ × 4″ pieces, 100 count, 42″ fabric, rotation allowed

Calculation

  1. As entered: floor(42 ÷ 3) = 14 across, ceil(100 ÷ 14) = 8 rows, 8 × 4 = 32″
  2. Rotated: floor(42 ÷ 4) = 10 across, ceil(100 ÷ 10) = 10 rows, 10 × 3 = 30″
  3. Layout used: as entered (32″) — rotated alternative shown
  4. Yards: 32 ÷ 36 = 0.889 → buy 1 yd

Buy 1 yard (0.889 yd exact)

Assumptions & Conventions

Piece orientation
Piece width runs across the fabric width; piece length runs along the bolt.
Usable fabric width
The default usable width is 42 inches and can be changed to match the fabric being used.
Purchase rounding
Purchase yardage is rounded up to the next 1/8 yard.
Rotation
Rotation is off by default. Enable it only when turning the pieces 90° is appropriate for the fabric or design.

Frequently asked questions