Fabric Yardage Converter: Yards, Meters, Inches and 45 to 60 Inch Widths

Three converters in one: length units, fabric widths and price. Fractions round to the nearest eighth of a yard the way fabric counters cut, and the "buy" figure always rounds up.

Sewing a few yards at a time

Dresses, tops and small home projects under about three yards suit a good garment machine and a serger.

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Juki Pearl Line MO-654DE Serger

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Oliso

Oliso TG1600 Pro Plus Auto-Lift Steam Iron

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An auto-lift steam iron that saves your wrist on long pressing sessions.

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How do you convert yards to meters for fabric?

Fabric length conversions all come from one fixed definition: an international yard is exactly 0.9144 meters. Everything else follows from that number.

• Yards to meters: multiply by 0.9144. 2 1/2 yards x 0.9144 = 2.286 meters.
• Meters to yards: divide by 0.9144, or multiply by about 1.0936. One meter is 1.094 yards, or 39.37 inches.
• Yards to inches: multiply by 36. 2 1/2 yards is 90 inches.
• Inches to centimeters: multiply by 2.54. 90 inches is 228.6 centimeters.

For buying, round up rather than to the nearest figure. Most US shops cut to the nearest eighth of a yard, and many shops that sell by the meter cut to the nearest 10 centimeters. If a pattern asks for 2 meters, the exact conversion is 2.187 yards, and you would ask for 2 1/4 yd.

Yard fraction chart: inches, centimeters and meters

Fabric counters, pattern envelopes and quilt instructions all speak in yard fractions. This reference table converts each one. The thirds of a yard are included because some shops and many older patterns use them.

A fat quarter is not a quarter yard cut in the usual way. It is a half yard cut in half across the width, about 18 x 21 inches, which gives a wider and more useful piece for quilting. The precut fabric chart lists every precut size.

How do you convert fabric yardage to a different width?

Patterns list yardage for specific bolt widths, often 45 and 60 inches. When your fabric is a different width, convert by area: the same number of square inches, spread over a wider or narrower bolt.

New yards = old yards x (old width / new width) x (1 + waste percentage)

For the default example: 3 yards of 45 inch fabric covers 4,860 square inches. Multiplying by 45/60, or 0.75, gives 2.25 yards of 60 inch fabric. With 10 percent added for pieces that do not rearrange perfectly, that is 2 1/2 yd after rounding up to the next eighth. Going the other way, 3 yards of 60 inch fabric becomes 4 1/2 yd of 45 inch with the same waste allowance.

Area conversion is a planning estimate, not a layout. It works well for small pieces that can be rearranged freely, such as quilt patches, pillow covers and most garment pieces, and poorly when one piece is wider than the new fabric. A skirt panel 50 inches wide will not fit on 45 inch fabric at any yardage without a seam, and wide backing at 108 inches is cut to the quilt's size rather than converted. When a pattern lists the width you are buying, use its figure instead.

How many yards is a meter of fabric?

A meter is about 9 percent longer than a yard. The table rounds each conversion up to the next eighth of a yard, which is the amount to ask for at a US fabric counter.

How do you compare price per yard and price per meter?

Divide a price per yard by 0.9144 to get the price per meter, and multiply a price per meter by 0.9144 to get the price per yard. Fabric at $12.99 a yard is $14.21 a meter. The table gives quick comparisons for common prices, reading the left column as either unit.

Per-unit price is only half the comparison. Wide fabric often costs more per yard but needs fewer yards, so compare the total project cost using the width converter above. For a full project estimate, start from the fabric yardage calculator for clothes or the curtain fabric calculator.

How do I read yardage on a pattern envelope?

US pattern envelopes print a yardage chart with sizes across the top and fabric widths down the side, usually 45 inch and 60 inch, sometimes with a note such as "with nap" or "without nap". Find your size column, then the row for the width you plan to buy, and read the yardage where they meet. Separate rows cover lining, interfacing and contrast fabric for each view.

European and many independent patterns list meters instead, often for 140 cm and 150 cm fabric, which are close to 54 and 60 inches. Convert the length with the first calculator above, and if the width differs from your fabric, run the width converter on the converted yards. For example, 2.2 meters on 150 cm fabric is about 2 3/8 yards of 60 inch fabric, since 150 cm is 59 inches.

When an envelope gives only one width and your fabric is narrower, be generous with the waste allowance. Large pieces such as coat fronts and wide skirt panels may need to sit end to end rather than side by side, and no area formula can see that. Laying the pattern pieces out on a marked table or a length of paper the width of your fabric is the most reliable check before you buy.

What makes cutting long yardage easier?

Once projects run past a few yards, the limit is table space. Fabric that hangs off a table edge pulls off grain while you cut, and bending over a dining table for an hour is hard on the back. A standing-height table such as the Sew Ready fabric cutting table folds away between projects, and a long mat like the Olfa 35 x 70 connecting mat set lets you cut a full width without shifting the fabric. For pressing yardage flat before cutting, an iron that lifts itself, like the Oliso TG1600 Pro Plus, is easier on wrists.