Fabric Width Conversion Calculator
Yardage when the bolt is a different width.
Convert a pattern's yardage requirement between 45, 54 and 60 inch bolts, and between yards and metres.
Equivalent yardage
2.25 yd
2.06 m on 60" fabric
This preserves area, which is an estimate rather than a guarantee. Pattern pieces are rigid: if a piece is 32 inches wide, moving from 45 to 60 inch fabric gains nothing at all, because one still fits per row either way. Check your widest piece before trusting the saving.
How the Fabric Width Conversion Calculator works
Patterns state yardage for a particular bolt width, and the fabric you have found is a different one. The conversion is proportional — three yards of 45 inch is about two and a quarter yards of 60 — but it is an estimate rather than a guarantee, because it assumes the pieces repack neatly into the new width, and sometimes they simply do not.
Also known as: bolt width converter · 45 vs 60 inch fabric calculator
Why the conversion is an estimate
Converting yardage between bolt widths preserves area: multiply by the old width and divide by the new. Three yards of 45 inch is 135 inch-yards of fabric, which is 2.25 yards of 60 inch.
That works when the pieces can rearrange freely into the new width, and pieces cannot. The conversion is a lower bound on what you can get away with, not a reliable figure, and the gap between the two depends entirely on your widest pattern piece.
The rule of thumb: the conversion is trustworthy when your pieces are small relative to both widths, and unreliable when any piece is more than about a third of the narrower width.
A worked example
A pattern calls for 3 yards of 45 inch fabric. By area that is 2.25 yards of 60 inch, a saving of three quarters of a yard.
But suppose the largest piece is a 32 inch wide skirt panel. On 45 inch fabric one fits per row; on 60 inch fabric one still fits per row, because two would need 64. For that piece the wider fabric saves nothing at all, and the real requirement stays near 3 yards. The saving only materialises for the smaller pieces.
Where the answer misleads
European fabric is sold in metric widths — 140 or 150 cm, which are 55 and 59 inches — and metric lengths. Converting yardage and width at the same time is where unit errors creep in, so convert one at a time and sanity-check the result against the original area.
Quilting cotton at a nominal 44 inches is often 42 after the selvedge, and some prints are narrower still. Where the conversion is marginal, measure the fabric you are actually buying rather than trusting the bolt end.
Round up to the quarter yard, which is how fabric is cut. A conversion that lands at 2.26 yards is a 2.5 yard purchase.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert 45 inch yardage to 60 inch?
Multiply by 45 and divide by 60, or equivalently by 0.75. Three yards of 45 inch fabric becomes about 2.25 yards of 60 inch. Going the other way, multiply by 1.33.
Is the conversion exact?
No. It preserves area, but pattern pieces are rigid: a wider bolt only helps if your pieces actually fit side by side in the extra width. If a piece is 32 inches wide, going from 45 to 60 inch gains you nothing at all, because one still fits per row either way.
What are the common bolt widths?
Quilting cotton is typically 42 to 44 inches, dress fabrics 45, and home furnishing and many knits 54 to 60. European fabric is usually sold at 140 or 150 cm, which is 55 to 59 inches.
Should I round up?
Always, and to the nearest quarter yard at least, since that is how fabric is cut. When the conversion lands close to a quarter, take the next one up — the cost of a spare eighth is trivial against being short.
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