Upholstery Fabric Calculator
Sum your panel areas, add a waste allowance, and get the linear metres or yards of fabric or vinyl to buy — or how many leather hides a re-trim needs.
Fabric to buy
Fabric and vinyl are sold by the linear metre at the roll width you entered, so buy the fabric/vinyl length. If you’re using leather instead, it’s sold as whole hides — buy the hide count. The waste allowance covers seams, pattern matching, and offcuts.
From panels to a fabric order
Re-trimming an interior starts with a materials list, and the hardest part of that list is translating a pile of oddly-shaped panels into a single number you can hand a supplier. Fabric and vinyl are sold by the linear metre at a set roll width, so the useful figure isn’t the total area you’re covering — it’s how far down a roll of that width the area stretches once you allow for waste.
Enter each panel as an area, set a realistic waste allowance, and pick the roll width your material actually comes in. The result is the length to buy. If you’re working in leather, the same area is converted into whole hides instead, since hides are sold by area with plenty of unusable edge.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does it turn panel areas into fabric to buy?
It sums the area of every section you enter to get the total area to cover, adds your waste allowance on top, then divides by the usable roll width to get a linear length. Fabric and vinyl are sold by the linear metre or yard at a fixed width, so that length — not the raw area — is what you order.
Why add a waste allowance?
You almost never cut a cover from fabric with zero offcuts. A 10–20% allowance covers seam allowances, pattern and nap matching so pieces run the same direction, and the scrap left when curved panels are cut from a straight roll. Tight patterns or striped material need the higher end of that range.
How do I measure each section's area?
Measure the widest length and width of each panel — seat cushion top, bolsters, backrest, headrests, door cards — and multiply for a rectangular area in square metres. Rounding each panel up to its bounding rectangle is deliberate: it builds in a little of the material a curved cut wastes.
What about leather instead of fabric?
Leather isn't sold by the linear metre — it comes as whole hides of an irregular area. The calculator also divides your area-plus-waste by an average hide size (default 50 ft²) and rounds up to whole hides. Because hides have holes, brands, and thin edges you can't use, leather projects usually need a larger allowance than fabric.
Is the linear-metre figure exact?
No — it's a planning estimate. It assumes panels nest efficiently across the roll width, which real layouts only approximate. Lay your pieces out on paper or the actual roll before cutting, and keep the offcuts until the job is finished.
Estimates for planning — not professional automotive or installation advice. Lay out and measure your own panels, and confirm the roll width and material with your supplier before ordering.