--- title: "Fabric Yardage & Width Converter | Fabric Marsh" description: "Convert fabric lengths between yards, metres and inches, and see how much to buy when the bolt width changes, from 45 in to 60 in or 115 to 150 cm." url: https://fabricmarsh.cfd/ --- # Fabric yardage converter Turn yards into metres (and back), then see how much to buy when your fabric comes in a different width from the one on the pattern. ## How the yardage converter works Type the length from your pattern, a shop listing or a remnant label and choose its unit. Decimals, a comma as the decimal mark and fractions such as 2 3/8 all work. You get the same length in yards, metres, centimetres, inches and feet, plus what to ask for at the cutting table: shops cut in steps, so the amount to buy is rounded up to the next ⅛ yard or 10 cm. Step 2 answers the classic problem: the pattern gives yardage for one width, but the fabric you want comes in another. The converter keeps the area of cloth the same, so the new length is the old length × the pattern width ÷ your width. For example, 2¼ yd of 45 in fabric holds as much cloth as 1 11/16 yd of 60 in fabric (2.25 × 45 ÷ 60), so you would buy 1¾ yd. The table repeats the sum for the usual bolt widths. Enter the width you can really use: selvedges are kept out of pattern pieces, and some fabrics narrow a little when pre-washed. ### When the area answer is too optimistic - **Nap and one-way prints.** Velvet, corduroy, faux fur and prints with an up and a down need every piece pointing the same way, so pieces cannot be turned to nest. Pattern envelopes list separate “with nap” amounts for this reason. - **Stripes, plaids and big motifs.** Matching them at the seams uses up part of a repeat for each main piece. - **Long pieces.** A 40 in skirt panel stays 40 in long on any width. Enter your longest piece and the answer never drops below it. - **Narrower fabric.** A piece wider than the new fabric, or wider than half of it when folded, needs a new layout. Add a margin with the extra menu, try the [garment fabric estimator](https://fabricmarsh.cfd/garment-fabric-estimator/) for a typical range, or lay out your real pieces in the [pattern layout estimator](https://fabricmarsh.cfd/pattern-layout-estimator/). ## Sources - NIST, [Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9: conversion factors](https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811/nist-guide-si-appendix-b-conversion-factors/nist-guide-si-appendix-b9): 1 yd = 0.9144 m and 1 in = 0.0254 m, both exact. - Simplicity, [How to sew striped fabric](https://simplicity.com/how-to-sew-striped-fabric): “with nap” cutting layouts keep every piece facing one way, so extra fabric is usually needed. - sewing.org, [Working with plaids](https://www.sewing.org/html/plaids.html) (after Coats & Clark, *Sewing A to Z*): buy at least one extra repeat of a plaid beyond the envelope amount. ## More fabric calculators From the first estimate to the cutting table. - [Swatch 02 Garment fabric estimator Typical yardage for skirts, shirts, dresses, trousers and coats by size, width, sleeves and length.](https://fabricmarsh.cfd/garment-fabric-estimator/) - [Swatch 03 GSM to oz/yd² converter Fabric weight in g/m², oz/yd² and per linear yard, with weight classes and a swatch weigher.](https://fabricmarsh.cfd/gsm-to-oz-converter/) - [Swatch 04 Fabric cost calculator Price a whole project, mixing per-yard and per-metre prices, with notions, discount, tax and shipping.](https://fabricmarsh.cfd/fabric-cost-calculator/) - [Swatch 05 Pattern layout estimator Lay your pattern pieces on the fabric width, see the cutting layout and the length to buy.](https://fabricmarsh.cfd/pattern-layout-estimator/) ## Recommended Two free services for the online side of buying fabric. Temporary email · no sign-up ### CleanTempMail Fabric shops and pattern designers often ask for an email address before they hand over a first-order discount or a newsletter freebie. CleanTempMail gives you a free disposable inbox at once, with no sign-up, a random or custom address on hundreds of domains, and messages deleted automatically after 3 days. Collect the code; keep your own inbox for orders that matter. [Open a temporary inbox](https://cleantempmail.com/) Disposable cloud browser · domain lookups ### WebTraceCheck Found a bargain on silk or wool from a shop you have never heard of? WebTraceCheck's free DNS and domain lookup shows the records behind a shop's domain, and its disposable cloud browser opens unfamiliar links on an isolated desktop that is deleted after each session. Nothing to install, with free time every day. [Check a shop with WebTraceCheck](https://webtracecheck.com/) ## Questions **How many metres is a yard of fabric?** One yard is exactly 0.9144 metres (91.44 cm), so one metre is about 1.094 yards, or 39.37 inches. A metre is about 3½ inches longer than a yard, and the gap adds up: 5 yards is 4.57 metres, not 5. **How do I convert yardage from 45 inch to 60 inch fabric?** Multiply the length by 45 and divide by 60, which is the same as taking three quarters of it: 3 yards of 45 inch fabric holds as much cloth as 2¼ yards of 60 inch fabric. Round up to the next ⅛ yard and add a margin for nap, one-way prints or matching. **Should I use the width on the label or measure it?** A listed width is the whole cloth from edge to edge. The selvedges, the firm woven edges, are usually kept out of pattern pieces, and many fabrics narrow a little when pre-washed. If the layout is tight, measure the width you can really use and enter that. **Why does it round up to ⅛ yard or 10 cm?** Fabric is usually cut in fixed steps rather than to the exact inch or centimetre, so the amount to buy is rounded up to the next step. Shops differ: some cut only in ¼ yard or 25 cm steps and many have a minimum cut, so check before you order. **Does it work in metric?** Yes. Choose metres or centimetres for the length and centimetres for the widths, and the table switches to common metric widths such as 115, 140 and 150 cm. Every result is shown in both metric and imperial units.