Quick answer: how to calculate yardage
Total length with extra equals total fabric length needed times 1 plus extra percent divided by 100. Exact yardage equals total length with extra divided by 36. Yardage to buy is exact yardage rounded up to the nearest 1/8 yard. Exact yardage is what the math gives, yardage to buy is what you ask the shop to cut, and buy yardage must never be below exact yardage.
Example: total fabric length needed 200 inches, extra 5 percent. Total length with extra is 210 inches, exact yardage is 5.83 yards, yardage to buy is 5.88 yards. Without extra, yardage to buy would be 5.63 yards, so extra 5 percent adds 0.25 yards to buy in this example.
Scope, stated plainly: this calculator converts a total fabric length you already know into yardage, with an extra percent of your choice. It does not calculate a whole quilt in one run, and it does not know whether your fabric is directional, fussy cut, or shrink prone. Those cases need a larger extra percent, chosen by you, not by the calculator, and a pattern envelope or a fuller cut list tool when the layout is complex.
If you only need a number, use the Yardage Calculator. If you want to understand why exact and buy yardage differ, read on.
What yardage means
Yardage means how many yards of fabric to buy, for a total length you already worked out. It is the last step in fabric calculation, not the first step. First you work out total length needed, from piece counts, backing size, or your pattern, then you convert that length to yardage to buy.
In the United States, fabric is usually sold by the yard, cut from a roll. In many other countries, fabric is sold by the metre. This guide works in yards first, with metres and feet shown for comparison, because QuiltPilot is made for a United States audience first.
Inches, yards, metres and feet, compared
| Unit | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 yard | 36 inches, 3 feet, about 0.91 metres |
| 1 metre | 100 centimetres, about 39.37 inches, about 1.09 yards |
| 1 foot | 12 inches, 0.33 yards, about 0.30 metres |
| 1/8 yard, one cutting step | 4.5 inches, about 11.43 centimetres |
Fabric shops usually cut in eighth yard steps, which is 4.5 inches at a time. That is why yardage to buy is rounded up to the nearest eighth yard, not to the nearest whole yard, and not to exact yardage with no rounding.
Step by step: how to calculate yardage
Step 1: Get total fabric length needed
Total fabric length needed is the length you already worked out, from another calculator or from your pattern, before adding extra. For piece counts, use the Fabric Calculator. For backing size, use the Backing Calculator. For batting size, use the Batting Calculator. Do not guess total length, because yardage from a guessed length is also a guess.
Step 2: Add extra, if you want it
Total length with extra equals total fabric length needed times one plus extra percent divided by 100. Extra is a percentage added for mistakes, cutting errors and shrinkage. Extra is your own choice, not a standard amount. If you already added extra in another calculation, enter 0 percent, or you will add extra twice.
Step 3: Work out exact yardage
Exact yardage equals total length with extra divided by 36 in inch mode. One yard equals 36 inches. Exact yardage is the mathematical answer, with no rounding, and it is not the amount to buy, because shops do not cut exact fractions of a yard.
Step 4: Work out yardage to buy
Yardage to buy is exact yardage rounded up to the nearest eighth yard. Rounding up means you buy enough, even if the last eighth yard is only partly needed. Rounding down would give you less fabric than you need, and you could come up short on the last piece.
Step 5: Check metres and feet, for comparison
Same length in metres equals total length with extra in inches times 0.0254. Same length in feet equals total length with extra in inches divided by 12. These are for comparison only, when you are shopping in metres or feet, or when your pattern uses metres.
Try it with the calculator: Use the Yardage Calculator with your own total length needed and extra percent. It uses the same steps as this guide, and it shows total length with extra, exact yardage, yardage to buy, and the same length in metres and feet, together.
Worked example: 200 inches, with 5 percent extra
Take total fabric length needed 200 inches, extra 5 percent.
Total length with extra: 200 times 1.05 equals 210 inches.
Exact yardage: 210 divided by 36 equals 5.83 yards.
Yardage to buy, rounded up to the nearest eighth yard, equals 5.88 yards, because 5.875 rounds to 5.88 at two decimal places.
Same length in metres: 210 times 0.0254 equals 5.33 metres. Same length in feet: 210 divided by 12 equals 17.50 feet.
Without extra, for comparison: total length 200 inches, exact yardage 5.56 yards, yardage to buy 5.63 yards. Extra 5 percent adds 0.25 yards to buy in this example.
Extra percent table, our own computed table
This table uses the same starting length, 200 inches, and shows how extra percent changes exact and buy yardage. It is computed from the same rule as the calculator, not copied from another site. Notice that buy yardage jumps in 1/8 yard steps, so a small extra percent does not always change the buy number, and a larger one can jump by more than the extra itself.
| Extra | Total length with extra | Exact yardage | Yardage to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 percent | 200 in | 5.56 yards | 5.63 yards |
| 5 percent | 210 in | 5.83 yards | 5.88 yards |
| 10 percent | 220 in | 6.11 yards | 6.13 yards |
| 15 percent | 230 in | 6.39 yards | 6.50 yards |
How to make sure your result is correct
- Total length check. Total length with extra must equal starting length times 1 plus extra percent divided by 100, not starting length plus extra percent as inches.
- Exact check. Exact yardage must equal total length with extra divided by 36, because 1 yard equals 36 inches.
- Buy versus exact check. Buy yardage must never be below exact yardage, and buy yardage must be a multiple of 1/8 yard.
- Extra check. Extra percent must cover what you actually risk, cutting mistakes, directional prints, fussy cutting, and shrinkage. A 5 percent extra does not automatically cover a directional print that needs a full repeat per cut.
- One fabric check. Each fabric must be converted separately. Converting a combined length of different fabrics gives a number that buys neither fabric correctly.
When to add extra, and when not to
- Add extra when: you are cutting a fabric for the first time, you are not sure about your piece count, your fabric may shrink in prewashing, or your pattern does not include a safety margin.
- Do not add extra twice when: another calculator already rounded yardage up, your pattern already includes extra, or you already added extra to total length before entering it here. In those cases, enter 0 percent.
- Do not use extra as a substitute for checking: extra does not fix a wrong piece count, a wrong fabric width, or a wrong seam allowance. Check those first, then add extra if you still want it.
Common mistakes with yardage
- Dividing by 12 instead of 36. Dividing inches by 12 gives feet, not yards. Dividing inches by 36 gives yards. Mixing these up gives yardage three times too large.
- Rounding yardage down. Rounding down gives less fabric than needed. Always round yardage to buy up, to the nearest eighth yard.
- Adding extra twice. If you add extra in one calculator, and again in this calculator, you buy more than you need, and you pay for fabric you will not use.
- Adding yardages of different fabrics together. Yardage for fabric A cannot be used to cut fabric B. Calculate yardage for each fabric separately, and buy each fabric separately.
- Forgetting fabric width. Yardage alone does not tell you if pieces fit across fabric width. Check fabric width in the Fabric Calculator, Backing Calculator, or Batting Calculator, before buying yardage alone.
Calculate your own backing now
Use your top size, overhang and fabric width in the calculator, and check the result against the steps in this guide.
Open the Yardage CalculatorFrequently asked questions
Divide total fabric length in inches by 36 to get exact yardage, then round up to the nearest eighth yard to get yardage to buy. For example, 200 inches with 5 percent extra gives total length 210 inches, exact yardage 5.83 yards, and yardage to buy 5.88 yards.
One yard equals 36 inches, 3 feet, and about 0.91 metres. Fabric is usually sold by the yard in the United States, so length in inches must be divided by 36 to get yardage.
Extra yardage is your own choice, not part of every calculation. This calculator lets you add a percentage for mistakes, cutting errors and shrinkage. If you already added extra in another calculator, enter 0 percent here, or you will add extra twice.
Exact yardage is total length divided by 36, with no rounding. Yardage to buy is exact yardage rounded up to the nearest eighth yard, because fabric shops cut in eighth yard increments, and rounding down would give you less fabric than you need.
Yes, but one fabric at a time. Calculate yardage for each fabric separately, with that fabric's total length and extra percent, and buy each fabric separately.
Related guides and calculators
Next, read How to Piece a Quilt Backing for joining panels, and Wide Quilt Backing Fabric for choosing wide fabric. For a different layout, see the Diagonal Pieced Backing Calculator, and for the middle layer, see the Batting Calculator.