Upholstery Fabric Calculator
How much fabric to recover a sofa, chair or ottoman? Pick your furniture type, fabric width and pattern — the calculator applies the industry chart numbers plus repeat and width adjustments, and can even estimate the total weight in pounds.
Calculate your upholstery fabric
All math runs in your browser. Results update as you change inputs.
How the upholstery calculator works
Upholstery is not a rectangle, so the industry uses chart yardage: measured averages for each furniture type, cut from 54-inch plain fabric. The calculator starts from those numbers and applies two adjustments:
Pattern repeat surcharge — industry standard
| Fabric | Add | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solid / no repeat | 0% | Cut pieces anywhere; no matching needed. |
| Small print, repeat < 13 in | +10% | Small motifs must still land consistently on back, arms and seat. |
| Repeat 13–27 in | +15% | Every cut rounds up to a whole repeat — that waste adds up across 10+ pieces. |
| Large repeat > 27 in | +20% | A 36 in repeat can waste nearly half of some cuts on a sofa. |
| Velvet / one-way nap | +15% | All pieces must run the same direction; you cannot flip a cut to save fabric. |
Full upholstery yardage chart (54 in plain fabric)
| Furniture | Plain fabric | With repeat 13–27 in |
|---|---|---|
| Dining chair seat pad | ¾ yd | 1 yd |
| Bar / counter stool | 1¼ yd | 1½ yd |
| Parson chair (seat + back) | 3 yd | 3½ yd |
| Ottoman / footstool | 4½ yd | 5 yd |
| Slipper / armless chair | 5 yd | 5¾ yd |
| Club chair (with arms) | 6½ yd | 7½ yd |
| Wingback chair | 7½ yd | 8¾ yd |
| Loveseat (2-seat) | 12 yd | 14 yd |
| Sofa (3-seat) | 16 yd | 18½ yd |
Sectionals, recliners and chaises vary too much for a single number — measure the back, seat, arms, skirt and cushions separately with the general yardage calculator, or ask your workroom for a quote.
Why weight in pounds matters
Upholstery fabric is the heaviest fabric most people ever buy — and some supplies (cotton batting, duck cloth, scrap bundles) are literally sold by the pound. Knowing your total weight before you order helps with:
| Use | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Shipping cost | A sofa re-cover at 13 oz/yd² can weigh 25–30 lb; heavy bolts sometimes push an order into a higher freight tier. |
| Batting & filler | Cotton batting rolls are priced per pound — convert your square-yard area to pounds before ordering. |
| Handling at home | 30 lb of canvas up three flights of stairs is a different project than 6 lb of quilting cotton. |
Enter the oz/yd² from the bolt label (or the seller's spec sheet) and the calculator converts your total yardage into pounds and kilograms.
Buying tips for upholstery projects
Check the rub count. Look for a Wyzenbeek double-rub rating of 15,000+ (30,000+ for daily-use family furniture). Pretty 45-inch apparel cotton will bag and tear on a sofa within a year.
Buy one extra repeat. For pattern-matched pieces, add one horizontal repeat beyond the total. If the bolt is 27-inch repeat and you need 14 yards, buy 14¾.
Never mix dye lots. All fabric for one piece of furniture must come from the same bolt or dye lot — a half-yard top-up in a different lot will show, especially on solids.
Railroaded fabric changes everything. Upholstery bolts are often railroaded (pattern runs along the length). On long sofa runs and cushions this can eliminate seams — show your workroom the bolt label before they cut.
Frequently asked questions
How many yards of fabric do I need to reupholster a sofa?
A standard 3-seat sofa needs about 16 yards of 54-inch plain fabric, 18–19 yards with a pattern repeat over 27 inches, and roughly 14.5 yards in 60-inch fabric with no repeat. A loveseat needs about 12 yards.
How much fabric for a dining chair seat?
A simple dining chair seat pad needs about 3/4 yard of 54-inch fabric. A fully covered parson chair (seat and back) needs about 3 yards. Buy 5–10% extra when covering four or more chairs to allow for pattern matching.
Why does pattern repeat add so much fabric in upholstery?
Upholstery pieces must be cut so the pattern lands in the same place on every surface — the back, the arms, the seat and the front rail all need to match. Industry charts add 10% for repeats under 13 inches, 15% for 13–27 inch repeats and 20% for repeats over 27 inches.
Can I use 45-inch fabric for upholstery?
Yes, but you need about 20% more yardage (multiply chart yardage by 54/45). Also check the fabric passes a rub test suitable for furniture — apparel-weight 45-inch cotton usually will not survive daily use.
How heavy is upholstery fabric?
Upholstery-weight fabric is typically 12–16 oz per square yard, drapery 9–12 oz, quilting cotton 4–5 oz. A 16-yard sofa order of 13 oz fabric on a 54-inch bolt weighs about 27 pounds — enter the oz/yd² figure in the calculator to see the total for your order.