Cloth Cover Calculator

Bookcloth dimensions from board size and turn-in allowance.

Board height (mm)

Board width (mm)

Spine width (mm)

Turn-in allowance (mm)

Number of books

Tab to move between fields

Cloth width (mm)

371

Cloth height (mm)

256

Cloth width (inches)14.61

Cloth height (inches)10.08

Area per cover (cm²)950

Total area (sq in)147

Roll length needed (yards)0.28

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the height and width of each cover board in millimeters (board height = block height + overhang).
Enter the spine width in mm — use the Book Block Calculator to determine this value.
Set the turn-in allowance in mm (the amount of bookcloth that folds over the board edges); 15–20 mm is standard.
Enter the number of books to calculate total cloth for a production run.
Read the cloth width and height in mm (and inches) — these are the cut dimensions for your bookcloth.
Use the roll length in yards to order from a standard 44-inch wide roll of bookcloth.

How the result changes with Board width (mm)

Board height (mm): Height of each cover board in mm (block height + overhang).
Board width (mm): Width of each cover board in mm (block width + overhang).
Spine width (mm): Width of the spine piece (use the Book Block Calculator to determine this).
Turn-in allowance (mm): How far the cloth folds over the board edges. Standard: 15-20 mm.
Number of books: Number of books to cut cloth for.

Cloth width (mm): Total width of bookcloth piece (board + spine + board + turn-ins + joints).
Cloth height (mm): Total height of bookcloth piece (board height + turn-ins).
Cloth width (inches): Cloth width in inches.
Cloth height (inches): Cloth height in inches.
Area per cover (cm²): Area of cloth needed for one book cover.
Total area (sq in): Total cloth area for all books.
Roll length needed (yards): Length from a standard 44-inch (112 cm) wide roll.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Board height (mm) = 216, Board width (mm) = 151, Spine width (mm) = 15, Turn-in allowance (mm) = 20 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Cloth width
Cloth width = turnInMm + boardWidthMm + jointGapMm + spineWidthMm + jointGapMm + boardWidth...
371 = 371
Calculate Cloth height
Cloth height = turnInMm + boardHeightMm + turnInMm
256 = 256
Calculate Cloth width
Cloth width = clothWidth / 25.4
14.61 = 14.61
Calculate Cloth height
Cloth height = clothHeight / 25.4
10.08 = 10.08