Fabric Calculator for Cushions

Cushion Fabric Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate the amount of fabric needed for your custom cushions. Accurate measurements are key to avoiding over or under-buying fabric.

Understanding Your Cushion Fabric Needs

Creating custom cushions can transform any space, but getting the fabric quantity right is crucial. Our Cushion Fabric Calculator simplifies this process, helping you avoid costly mistakes of buying too much or too little material.

How to Use the Calculator:

  1. Cushion Length, Width, and Thickness: Measure your cushion insert accurately. For length and width, measure seam to seam. For thickness (or depth), measure the side panel height.
  2. Seam Allowance: This is the extra fabric added around the edges for sewing. A common seam allowance is 0.5 inches (1.25 cm), but adjust this based on your sewing pattern or preference.
  3. Fabric Width: Check the width of the fabric bolt you plan to purchase. Standard upholstery fabric widths are often 54 inches (approx. 137 cm) or 60 inches (approx. 152 cm), but can vary.
  4. Number of Cushions: Enter how many identical cushions you plan to make.
  5. Extra Fabric for Safety/Pattern Match: It's always wise to add a buffer. This accounts for pattern repeats (if your fabric has one), cutting errors, or future repairs. A 10-15% buffer is common.
  6. Input/Output Units: Select whether you're inputting measurements in inches or centimeters, and whether you want the final fabric quantity in yards or meters.

How the Calculation Works (Simplified):

The calculator estimates fabric by breaking down the cushion into its main components:

  • Top and Bottom Panels: Each cushion requires two main pieces for the top and bottom. The calculator adds the seam allowance to both the length and width of these panels.
  • Boxing Strip (Side Panels): This is the fabric that forms the thickness or depth of the cushion, wrapping around its perimeter. The calculator determines the total length needed for this strip (perimeter of the cushion plus seam allowance for joining) and adds seam allowance to its width (cushion thickness).

It then sums the linear fabric required for all these pieces per cushion, multiplies by the number of cushions, and adds your specified extra percentage. This method provides a safe estimate, ensuring you have enough fabric for your project.

Tips for Buying Fabric:

  • Check Pattern Repeat: If your fabric has a pattern, especially a large one, you'll need extra fabric to ensure the pattern matches across seams. Our "Extra Fabric" percentage can help account for this, but for very large repeats, you might need to manually add more.
  • Consider Fabric Nap: Fabrics with a nap (like velvet or corduroy) have a directional pile. All pieces must be cut with the nap running in the same direction, which can increase fabric requirements.
  • Fabric Type: Different fabric types behave differently. Upholstery fabrics are generally durable, but consider the wear and tear your cushions will experience.
  • Buy a Little Extra: It's almost always better to have a little too much fabric than not enough. Dye lots can vary, so buying more later might result in a slight color difference.

Example Calculation:

Let's say you want to make 2 cushions with the following dimensions:

  • Cushion Length: 24 inches
  • Cushion Width: 20 inches
  • Cushion Thickness: 4 inches
  • Seam Allowance: 0.5 inches
  • Fabric Width: 54 inches
  • Extra Fabric: 10%

The calculator would perform the following steps (internally in inches):

  1. Top/Bottom Pieces (per cushion): Each piece needs (24 + 2*0.5) = 25 inches length and (20 + 2*0.5) = 21 inches width. For two pieces, this requires 2 * 25 = 50 linear inches of fabric (assuming 21 inches fits within the 54-inch fabric width).
  2. Boxing Strip (per cushion): The length needed is (2*24 + 2*20 + 0.5) = 88.5 inches. The width needed is (4 + 2*0.5) = 5 inches. This requires 88.5 linear inches of fabric.
  3. Total per Cushion: 50 + 88.5 = 138.5 linear inches.
  4. Total for 2 Cushions: 138.5 * 2 = 277 linear inches.
  5. With 10% Extra: 277 * 1.10 = 304.7 linear inches.
  6. Converted to Yards: 304.7 / 36 = 8.46 yards. Rounded up for practical buying, you would likely need 8.5 yards.

This calculator provides a reliable estimate to help you confidently purchase fabric for your next cushion project!

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Please choose wider fabric or adjust cushion dimensions.'; return; } var linearFabricForTopBottomPerCushion = 2 * lengthForTopBottom; // Assuming pieces are cut sequentially along the length // 2. Fabric for Boxing Strip (Side Panels) var boxingStripLength = (2 * cushionLength) + (2 * cushionWidth) + seamAllowance; // Perimeter + seam for joining ends var boxingStripWidth = cushionThickness + (2 * seamAllowance); // Check if boxing strip width fits within fabric width if (boxingStripWidth > fabricWidth) { resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Error: Cushion thickness (including seam allowance) is too wide for the specified fabric width. Please choose wider fabric or adjust cushion thickness.'; return; } var linearFabricForBoxingPerCushion = boxingStripLength; // 3. Total Linear Fabric per Cushion (in inches) var totalLinearPerCushion = linearFabricForTopBottomPerCushion + linearFabricForBoxingPerCushion; // 4. Total Linear Fabric for all Cushions (in inches) var totalLinearFabric = totalLinearPerCushion * numCushions; // 5. Add Extra Fabric Percentage var totalLinearFabricWithExtra = totalLinearFabric * (1 + (extraFabricPercentage / 100)); // — Convert to Output Units — var finalFabricAmount; var unitLabel; if (outputUnit === 'yards') { finalFabricAmount = totalLinearFabricWithExtra / 36; // 36 inches in a yard unitLabel = 'yards'; } else { // meters finalFabricAmount = totalLinearFabricWithExtra / 39.3701; // 39.3701 inches in a meter unitLabel = 'meters'; } // Round up for practical buying (e.g., to the nearest 0.1 yard/meter) finalFabricAmount = Math.ceil(finalFabricAmount * 10) / 10; // Display results resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Estimated Fabric Needed: ' + finalFabricAmount.toFixed(1) + ' ' + unitLabel + '' + '(This estimate includes ' + extraFabricPercentage + '% extra fabric for safety/pattern matching and is rounded up to the nearest 0.1 ' + unitLabel + ' for practical buying.)'; } // Calculate on page load with default values window.onload = calculateFabric;

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