Upholstery Fabric Calculator

This calculator starts from a base yardage figure for each furniture type — 14 yards for a sofa, 10 for a loveseat, 7 for an armchair, 2.5 for a dining chair, or 3 for an ottoman — each pegged to standard 54" plain (non-patterned) fabric, and then adjusts that baseline for the fabric you're actually buying. If your fabric is narrower or wider than 54", a width factor (54 divided by your actual width, with a 36" floor) scales the yardage up or down, since narrower bolts need more linear yardage to cover the same surface area. If your fabric has a vertical pattern repeat, the calculator adds roughly 15% more yardage for every 12 inches of repeat distance, reflecting the extra fabric wasted when cushions and panels must be cut to keep the pattern aligned across seams — solid or non-directional fabrics (repeat = 0) skip this penalty entirely.

The tool also reports an approximate cushion count and professional labor-hour estimate for the selected furniture type, both drawn from typical industry ranges rather than computed from your specific piece, and a cost estimate assuming $25 per yard for mid-range upholstery fabric — high-end designer fabrics or bargain remnants will shift that total substantially. Because these are industry-average starting points rather than a pattern-matched cut list for your exact frame, always add 10-15% extra yardage as a safety margin when you actually place your fabric order, and have your upholsterer confirm requirements against the real piece before cutting.