Buy fabric for repeated rectangles, or count cuts from fabric you already have.
Your measurements
A saved plan is on this browser.
Your cutting plan
Ready when you are
Measurements changed. Calculate again to update your plan.
Measure your fabric. We'll work out the plan.
Measure your fabric. We'll work out the plan.
Enter your dimensions, then select Calculate. Or use the example to see a plan take shape.
Use cut dimensions, including seam allowances. Check the print before allowing pieces to rotate.
Convert a known length
A measurement reference, separate from your cutting plan. It converts length only; fabric width is not needed.
Count whole pieces across the fabric
Fabric yardage calculator
Enter the cut size of one rectangle and the number needed. Remove selvages from your usable fabric width.
Fit whole pieces across that width. Round the number of rows up so every piece has a place.
Multiply rows by the cut height, then add your extra length. Rotation compares two regular row layouts only.
Start with the fabric you actually have
Yield from fabric you have
Measure the usable rectangle in each source piece. Enter its actual quantity; a package name is not a dimension.
Fit whole cut pieces across and down. Rotation, when allowed, compares a second uniform grid with every piece turned.
Multiply the per-source yield by the source count. The right and bottom offcuts shown do not overlap; they are not repacked into extra pieces.
See the measurements at work
Short illustrated examples for the decisions around this tool.
Measure the cloth you can actually cut
Prepare the fabric as you intend to use it, then measure between usable boundaries with the cloth opened flat. Exclude selvages, damage and any area you will not cut. Check the width along the length needed; 42 in is an editable assumption, not a standard deduction.
Worked example below. These fixed measurements are not your calculated cutting plan.
Count from the usable edges
44 - 3/4 - 1 = 42 1/4 in usable.
Five 8 1/2 in cuts need 42 1/2 in and do not fit.
Four across use 34 in and leave 8 1/4 in beside the row. Twenty cuts need five rows, or 42 1/2 in along the fabric.
Separate total width from usable width
Left exclusion 3/4 in; right exclusion 1 in.
Four 8 1/2 in cuts use 34 in; hatched usable remainder: 8 1/4 in.
Five rows supply the twenty cuts
Measured usable rectangle: 42 1/4 x 42 1/2 in for these rows.
Usable boundary / cut piece
Excluded edge or uncut remainder
The edge exclusions belong to this measured example. They are not a standard deduction for every fabric. All dimensions are seam-inclusive cuts.
At 42 1/4 in usable width, five 8 1/2 in squares do not fit across: they need 42 1/2 in. Twenty squares need five rows of four. Those rows use 42 1/2 in along the bolt before any chosen extra.
Keep construction, extra and purchase separate
First find the fabric length used by the layout. Add any chosen allowance once. Then round that total upward to a quantity the shop sells. Rounding the purchase does not change your cut sizes or usable width.
Worked example below. These fixed measurements are not your calculated cutting plan.
Round the purchase after adding the chosen extra
Construction 17 1/2 in + chosen 1 in squaring = 18 1/2 in required.
A half yard is 18 in, which is 1/2 in short of this requirement.
Shop sells 1/8-yard steps
Buy 5/8 yd
22 1/2 in; five increments of 4 1/2 in.
Shop sells 1/4-yard steps
Buy 3/4 yd
27 in; three increments of 9 in.
Shop sells 1/2-yard steps
Buy 1 yd
36 in; two increments of 18 in.
All three purchasing comparisons remain visible. Round upward once for the actual purchase, after stating any extra. These amounts assume no larger minimum cut and do not establish a shrinkage allowance.
A requirement of 18 1/2 in is more than half a yard. Check the seller’s increment, minimum cut and whether multiple units arrive continuously. Keep conversion precision until the final purchase; the rounding surplus is not a tested shrinkage allowance.
Build a mixed cut list one group at a time
For each fabric and cut size, count whole pieces across the usable width, round the required rows upward, then multiply rows by their depth. The calculator handles one identical group at a time. Combine multiple groups manually using an actual layout.
Worked example below. These fixed measurements are not your calculated cutting plan. This manually combined cut list includes multiple piece sizes; the calculator handles one identical group at a time.
Keep each cut group in its own rows
Group A: 12 cuts, 6 1/2 in across x 10 1/2 in along; 6 across, 2 rows, 21 in length.
Group B: 20 cuts, 4 1/2 in square; 9 across, 3 rows, 13 1/2 in length.
Total separate-row cutting length: 34 1/2 in.
One fabric, two grouped layouts
Measured usable source: 42 in across; planned cutting length: 34 1/2 in.
Required cut boundary
Uncut offcut
The upper two rows are group A; the lower three are group B. The final row needs only two B squares. Hatched uncut fabric remains offcut. This is a feasible separate-row plan with locked orientation, not optimized mixed-size nesting.
Combine this fabric before rounding its purchase
Cutting layout: 21 + 13 1/2 = 34 1/2 in.
Chosen squaring extra: 2 in; total requirement: 36 1/2 in.
Buy 1 1/8 yd = 40 1/2 in at 1/8-yard increments. One yard is 1/2 in short.
Three amounts inside one purchase
All bands use the same 42 in usable fabric width.
Purchase or cutting-layout boundary
Total stated requirement
Chosen 2 in extra
The upper block is the row-cutting requirement, the hatched band is the chosen two-inch extra, and the remaining four inches arise from purchase rounding. Other fabrics need separate totals and separate rounding; neither area nor an unspecified offcut proves a combined layout.
The example uses separate full-width rows: 21 in for twelve 6 1/2 × 10 1/2 in rectangles, plus 13 1/2 in for twenty 4 1/2 in squares. Add a chosen 2 in for squaring to reach 36 1/2 in, then buy 1 1/8 yd at eighth-yard increments. It is a feasible baseline, not minimum-yardage nesting.
A yard tells you length; width tells you shape
One linear yard is exactly 36 in, or 91.44 cm. The fabric width is separate. A yard from two different bolts has the same length but can produce different cutting yields.
Worked example below. These fixed measurements are not your calculated cutting plan.
One linear yard can have different widths
1 yd = 36 in = 91.44 cm exactly.
36 x 42 = 1,512 square in; 36 x 54 = 1,944 square in.
Additional area in the wider piece: 432 square in. One square yard is 36 x 36 = 1,296 square in.
42 in usable width
42 in across x 36 in along the bolt.
54 in usable width
54 in across x 36 in along the bolt.
Usable fabric edge
Additional usable width in the 54 in piece
Both rectangles share a scale and a 36-inch bolt length. The hatched band is the wider piece's extra usable area, not extra length. More area does not by itself establish that a requested cut will fit.
Two twenty-inch squares have a cut layout
Usable yard: 42 in across x 36 in along.
20 in cut squares: 2 across x 1 row = 2 whole squares.
The area quotient 1,512 / 400 = 3.78 does not create a three-square layout.
Count pieces that physically fit
Cut dimensions already include any seam allowance required by the project.
Whole 20 in cut
Nonoverlapping offcuts
The side remainder is 2 x 36 inches; the lower remainder is 40 x 16 inches, so their corner is not double-counted. Three twenty-inch squares do not fit in this edge-aligned, unpieced layout. Two 18-inch rows would instead fit exactly, leaving no length for squaring or other extra.
At 42 in usable width, ordinary full-width cuts are 18 in long for 1/2 yd, 9 in for 1/4 yd and 4 1/2 in for 1/8 yd. A fat quarter is a different shape. Dividing area by piece area does not prove that whole pieces fit.
A few things to check
Should I enter finished or cut dimensions?
Enter cut dimensions. Add the seam allowances required by your pattern before using this calculator.
What does rotation allow?
It compares the original orientation with all pieces turned a quarter-turn. It does not mix orientations, pack irregular shapes or solve an unrestricted nesting problem.
Does the unused fabric disappear?
No. The diagram leaves the unused width and final row visible. Keep those offcuts for another part of your project.
Does this include shrinkage?
Only if you add a suitable extra length yourself. Prewashing, fabric defects and pattern matching can need more than the row layout alone.
Does a fat quarter always measure 18 by 21 inches?
No. Measure the fabric you have after edge trimming. The calculation uses those actual dimensions.
Does zero yield mean the fabric is unusable?
It means the requested cut piece does not fit in a supported allowed orientation. Another cut size or another use may work.
Is this the largest possible yield?
It is the best of the supported uniform grids shown. Mixed orientations, irregular nesting and reuse of offcuts are not included.
Should a 2 1/2-inch finished square be entered as 2 1/2?
For a plain square with quarter-inch seams, its cut size would be 3 inches. Enter the cut size required by your construction.
