Upholstery fabric yardage calculator
Estimate how much fabric a piece needs before you order. Pick the furniture type, adjust the base yardage to your piece, and account for pattern repeat and railroading — get the result in both yards and metres.
Free · no sign-up · works in your browserLast reviewed
Sets a typical base yardage you can adjust.
Plain-fabric estimate for this piece.
Vertical repeat of the fabric. 0 for plain.
Estimated fabric needed
6.6
yards≈ 6.0 metres (incl. 10% cutting allowance)
Base
6.00 yd
With repeat
6.0 yd
A planning estimate. Always confirm large or unusual jobs with your upholsterer before ordering cloth.
The yardage is one line on a much bigger spec.
Controlbook lets designers build the full FF&E specification — fabrics, finishes, suppliers and quantities — pulling product data straight from supplier URLs, then hand the live record to the client at handover.
- Record fabric, supplier, finish and quantity per item
- Pull spec data from supplier links automatically
- Export the full O&M pack — or hand over a live database
How to use this tool
- 1Choose the furniture type to load a typical base yardage.
- 2Adjust the base figure if your piece is larger, smaller or more detailed.
- 3Enter the fabric's pattern repeat to add the extra needed to match it.
- 4Read the estimate in yards and metres, including a cutting allowance.
How to estimate upholstery fabric
Estimating upholstery fabric is part geometry, part experience. Every furniture type has a typical yardage — a dining chair seat needs far less than a three-seat sofa — but the real number shifts with the size of the piece, the complexity of the cover, and crucially the fabric's pattern repeat, which forces you to waste cloth to keep the pattern aligned across panels.
This calculator starts you from a sensible base yardage for the piece, then lets you adjust it and add an allowance for the pattern repeat and for railroaded fabrics. The result is shown in both yards and metres with a cutting margin, so you can order with confidence rather than guessing or over-buying.
It is a planning estimate, not a substitute for a workroom's pattern — always confirm large or unusual jobs with your upholsterer before ordering expensive cloth. For specifiers, it pairs naturally with a spec sheet that records the chosen fabric, supplier and exact quantity for every item.
Frequently asked questions
How much fabric do I need to reupholster a chair or sofa?
It depends on the piece and the fabric. This calculator gives a base yardage by furniture type and lets you adjust for size and pattern repeat. As a rule, always order a little extra for matching and mistakes — the tool includes a cutting allowance.
Why does pattern repeat increase the fabric needed?
A large repeat means you must position each cut so the pattern lines up across panels, which wastes cloth between usable sections. Enter the repeat and the calculator adds the extra yardage required to match it.
What is railroading?
Railroading runs the fabric sideways so a wide piece can be covered without a seam. It can reduce yardage on long sofas but isn't suitable for every pattern. Toggle it to see the effect on the estimate.
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