Fabric calculator for clothing by cloth width
How much cloth should you buy for a shirt, a dress, a kurta or a pair of trousers? This fabric calculator for clothing lays a simplified pattern on cloth folded lengthwise, draws the cutting layout and tells you how many metres or yards to buy for 36, 44 and 58-inch fabric side by side.
Pick the garment and a typical size, adjust the measurements, and choose the cloth width. Everything runs in your browser, in inches or centimetres, and the result is an estimate you can copy and take to the shop or tailor.
How to use the Fabric Calculator for Clothing
- Choose the garment, then a typical size to start from.
- Adjust chest, waist, hip, length and sleeve length to your measurements; set sleeve length to 0 for sleeveless.
- For dresses and kurtas pick a straight, A-line or flared shape.
- Choose the fabric width and read the metres to buy, or compare all three widths in the table.
- Check the cutting layout, then copy the estimate.
Fabric Calculator for Clothing features
Four garments
Shirt, dress, kurta or kurti, and trousers or pyjama, each with its own simplified pieces.
All widths at once
The table shows 36, 44 and 58-inch cloth together so you can see when a wider cloth saves money.
Visible layout
The drawing shows which pieces sit beside each other on the folded cloth.
Editable allowances
Add a percentage for shrinkage, pattern matching and mistakes.
How the estimate works
The cloth is folded lengthwise with the selvedges together, so each cut goes through two layers. A body panel cut on the fold needs only half its width across the folded cloth; mirrored pairs such as two sleeves or two trouser legs are cut as one outline through both layers. The tool tries every order of the pieces, keeps the shortest layout, adds your percentage and rounds up to the next quarter metre, because shops cut by that unit. The layout model is the one used in Indian home-tailoring guides such as SewGuide’s sari-blouse tutorial and Online Clothing Study’s kurti worked example (read 19 October 2026).
Pieces are simple: panels are a quarter of the larger of chest or hip plus ease (shirt 4 in, dress 3 in, kurta 5 in, trousers 3 in) and 1 in of seams, plus 3 in for the hem and shoulder seam. Sleeves are the sleeve length plus 2 in. Shirts add a collar, cuff and pocket block; trousers add a waistband and pockets. These allowances are this tool’s own simplification, not a published standard.
| Size M, straight, 5% extra | 36-in | 44-in | 58-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirt, 29 in, full sleeves | 3 m | 2.5 m | 1.75 m |
| Dress, 40 in, sleeveless | 2.5 m | 2.5 m | 1.25 m |
| Kurta, 40 in, full sleeves | 3 m | 3 m | 2 m |
| Trousers, 40 in outseam | 3.25 m | 3 m | 1.75 m |
Which fabric width should I choose?
Wide cloth is not always cheaper per metre, but it often needs far fewer metres. When front and back panels fit side by side on the doubled cloth, as on 58-inch fabric, the layout is about half as long as when they must be cut one after the other on 36 or 44-inch cloth. Compare the metres in the width table with the price per metre of each cloth.
Limits
Yokes, gathers, pleats, pockets with flaps, borders, stripes and checks that must match, large prints, directional prints and napped fabrics such as velvet all need more. Stretch knits and very flared skirts may behave differently too. For a numbered measurement diagram see the kurti measurement chart and the blouse measurement chart; for circle skirts use the circle skirt calculator, and for curtains the curtain fabric calculator.
Fabric Calculator for Clothing FAQ
How much fabric do I need for a shirt?
For a medium shirt (29 in long, full sleeves) the calculator gives about 2.5 m of 44-inch cloth or 1.75 m of 58-inch cloth. Your own measurements will change that.
How many metres of fabric are needed for trousers?
A medium pair with a 40 in outseam comes to about 1.75 m of 58-inch cloth or 3 m of 44-inch cloth in this layout, because the legs fit side by side only on the wider cloth.
Is 44-inch or 58-inch fabric better?
Wider cloth needs fewer metres because panels sit side by side. Compare the total cost, not only the price per metre.
Why does the estimate round up to 0.25 m?
Shops generally cut by the quarter metre, so the amount to ask for is the layout plus your extra percentage, rounded up.
Does it include lining or interfacing?
No. Lining, interfacing and trims are bought separately.
How accurate is it?
It is an estimate based on a simplified pattern. A real pattern may differ by 10 to 20 percent, so ask your tailor or check the pattern envelope.