So, you’ve decided to upholster your furniture. Well, knowing how to estimate the fabric yardage will help, whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring a pro.
This post covers a simple, fast estimation method, as well as a more in-depth method. Before we get started, let’s cover some important basics.
Why Estimate Fabric Yardage?
Estimating your fabric yardage helps you budget your project ahead of time, which is essential. Now, it might be a bit less essential if you’re going with a pro since they can estimate the yardage for you.
However, even if you’re working with a pro, having an idea of how much fabric you’ll need will give you a better picture of the total cost (fabric + labor). This is doubly important because fabric yardage can vary significantly, and you don’t want to be surprised by the final price point.
How big is a yard of fabric in inches?
A yard of fabric is usually 54 inches wide by and 36 inches tall, so it’s actually rectangular in shape.
If you’re new to fabric, you might assume it’d be a square, but it’s rectangular, so you want to keep that in mind.
The fast, rough estimate method
This method is usually best for people who are experienced with furniture upholstery.
However, if you just want to get your boots wet and try estimating the fast way, or if you’re less concerned with accuracy and more concerned with speed, more power to you.
1. Visually estimate your yardage
Your approach here will depend on whether you’re measuring a couch, chair, or sectional, but the core is the same, which is to break down the total estimate by sections.
So, you want to figure out how many yards each section needs, then add the sections together, then once you’ve got the total yards, add another yard or two to be on the safe side.
Yes, it’ll cost more to add extra yardage, but you want to do this to account for things like seams, piping, pattern type (if any), etc.
Overestimating a bit is helpful.
So, what would this look like in an example? Let’s take a look.
Chair:
Usually, each section will need a yard. So one to 1.5 yards for the seat, one yard for the inside back, a yard for the outside back, a yard for the inside arms, and a yard for the outside arms.
There are, however, chairs where you’ll need more yardage. For instance, if you have contrasted piping or tufting, you’ll need substantially more yardage. There are also very large chairs that require substantially more fabric.
Couch:
For a standard couch, you can estimate yardage by breaking it down into sections, just like with a chair. A conservative estimate will put you at around 2 to 3 yards for the seat cushions, another 2 to 3 yards for the inside back, and around 2 yards for the outside back.
Each arm usually requires 1.5 to 2 yards. After adding up the total, it’s a good idea to include an extra yard or two to cover details like piping, patterned fabric, etc. If the couch has extra components, such as additional cushions, plan on adding even more yardage.
Sectional:
The same concept applies to a sectional, but you’ll need to account for its size and shape. Break it down into separate pieces, just like you would with a standard couch. Sectionals often have a bumper unit or chaise that adds extra surface area to cover.
And that’s it. This is the only step.
The good news is, if it’s not DIY, you can take your estimate to your upholsterer and run your number by them. They will either agree with you or suggest an adjustment based on their experience.
The more you practice this, the better you’ll get, and this will save you time, as well as ensure your upholsterer isn’t overestimating the yardage.
The more in-depth method
If you want a more accurate estimate, this method takes a little extra time but gives you a clearer picture of how much fabric you’ll need.
1. Label different sections of your furniture
The first step is to label the different parts of your furniture. You don’t need to mark your furniture directly unless it’s old and worn out and you plan on replacing all of the fabric anyway.
If you’re only going to replace some of the fabric, then you can label the sections on a piece of paper.
You can use the following basic labels for most upholstered furniture so that you can easily remember what measurements go where:
- Seat
- IB for Inside Back
- OB for Outside Back
- IA for Inside Arms
- OA for Outside Arms
You can certainly add more labels if you prefer, or as needed specific to your project, such as Arm Border (AB), Back Arm Border (BAB), Inside Wing (IW), Outside Wing (OW), Deck, Front Panel, etc.
You can be as loose or as exact as you wish.
In my opinion, you want to be more exact if you’re going the DIY route and less exact if you’re working with a pro who you can bounce ideas off of. Then again, some people have the opposite opinion.
They’d rather experiment with their DIY approach and be much more exact when approaching a professional since some pros tend to over-quote.
2. Measure the sections
Before you start measuring, you want to be clear on how to write your measurements down.
Let’s look at that real quick.
Deciding how you’ll write your measurements
Our advice is don’t overcomplicate things. It’s better when your measurements are easy to follow and understand.
A good approach is to split the paper you’re working on into two halves. On one side, you can use an up-and-down arrow for up-and-down measurements, and on the paper’s other side, a side-to-side arrow for side-to-side measurements.
This is a simple and effective way to do it.
The actual measuring
Measuring tapes: Some people find it handy to use two types of tape measures. A hard tape works well for straight edges, while a soft tape makes it easier to measure curves and rounded areas.
Allowing for extra fabric: Again, as a general rule, it’s a good idea to allow yourself some extra fabric when measuring. For example, if you’re measuring the inside back of a chair, be sure to measure down into the seat crease and add extra inches—five or six is usually a safe bet.
You’ll also want to measure the widest or longest points of each section. For example, if you’re measuring the outside back of a chair and it curves at the top and dips at the sides, you’ll want to start measuring from the highest point of the curve.
Symmetrical and asymmetrical furniture: Most furniture is symmetrical, so you can usually measure one side and use the same measurements for the other. However, if the piece is asymmetrical, you’ll need to measure each section carefully and map out your measurements to avoid mistakes. This is a more advanced measuring process.
Tricky measurements: Certain furniture styles, even if they are symmetrical, can be tricky to measure. For example, if you’re covering a diamond-tufted back, you’ll need extra fabric.
Patterned fabric: If you’re working with patterned fabric, it’s important to account for pattern repeat. You may need extra fabric to ensure the design lines up correctly across different sections, especially on cushions where patterns need to match for a clean, professional look.
3. Use your measurements to estimate your total yardage
Determining how many yards you need is pretty much common sense once you’ve made your measurements. Just compare the standard size of a yard (usually 54 inches wide and 36 inches tall) to your measurements.
You can then map out what you need using a hand-drawn sketch with a diagram or a cut sheet. Not everyone can sketch well enough to make that approach work, so a cut sheet with the furniture section, width, height, and number of cuts might be preferable.
Totaling width or height in inches
Depending on how you plan on cutting the fabric, you’ll either need to total the height in inches or the width in inches to calculate your fabric yardage.
Either way, you’ll want to whip out your calculator and total one of those two values while remembering to account for the number of cuts for each piece.
Let’s say you choose height to determine how many yards you need and the total value comes out to be 300 inches. You’ll then refer back to the standard fabric yard and divide the 300 figure by the standard number of inches.
So, for this example, it would be 300 divided by 36 for a result of 8.3 yards. But remember the rule about adding more than you need, so you should round up to 9, 10, or even 11 yards.
Side note: If your fabric width is different from the above standard, just note it on a piece of paper so that you can refer back to it.
Beyond this, we suggest giving yourself some breathing room. At a certain point, trying to narrow down your yardage to a super specific, incremental value offers diminishing returns unless you’re dealing with extremely expensive fabric.
And, lastly, if you plan on cutting your own fabric, it’s a very good idea to mark the back side of each cut. Otherwise, you’ll probably lose track of which pieces go where!
How To Estimate Fabric Yardage For Upholstery – Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this short guide and will find it useful during your next upholstery project.
If you need upholstery but would rather leave it to the experts, reach out to Redesign Upholstery. We’re here to help with all your upholstery needs. We have years of experience in the industry.
» MORE: Need help picking furniture fabric? See our article The Right Fabric For Your Furniture, for a quick reference guide.
» MORE: If you’d like an overview of common furniture fabrics, check out our article Furniture Fabric: The Most Common Fabrics Used in Furniture.
