Cushion Fabric Calculator
Plan a box, bench, round, or bolster cover from its finished measurements. The result shows the pieces used by this calculator, a simple running-length estimate, and a basic materials list so you can compare the model with the cover you intend to sew.
Select Cushion Type
The panel geometry assumes a flawless layout. This adds room for squaring up, a flaw in the bolt, or a mis-cut. Set it to suit how you cut.
Total fabric needed
2.75yards
2.75 yards per cushion
- 1 box cushion: 24″ × 24″ × 4″ finished size.
- Main panel cut size = 25″ wide × 60.25″ long.
- Seam allowance = 0.5″. Zipper allowance = 0.625″.
- Main-panel rows: 1 at 60.25″ each, with up to 2 identical panels across the fabric.
- Side-strip rows: 1 at 25″ each, with up to 10 identical strips across the fabric. Main panels and side strips are not mixed in one row.
- DIY profile adds a 10% cutting allowance (0.24 yd) to the 2.37 yd the panels themselves need.
- Corner notches: 3″ wide × 4.5″ deep - cut at all 4 corners.
Start With the Construction, Not Just the Size
Two covers can fit the same foam and still need different cut pieces. This calculator uses one specific construction for each shape. Check that model against your sewing plan before treating the yardage as a shopping amount.
Box and bench cushions
These use one long piece that wraps over the top, front edge, bottom, and back edge, plus two separate side-boxing strips. They are not modeled as two loose faces and one continuous boxing band.
Round cushions and bolsters
A round cushion uses two circle blanks and a boxing strip. A bolster uses a rectangular body wrap and two end-circle blanks. The circles are allowed for as enclosing squares.
Simple running layout
Piece lengths are added along the bolt. The model does not nest side strips beside a main panel, combine pieces from several cushions, or search for the most efficient layout.
Piping is cord only
Turning on piping reports the linear length of welt cord around the modeled edges. It does not add matching or contrast fabric for bias strips to the fabric total.
What Each Cushion Option Models
Use this table to choose the closest construction. If your pattern uses different pieces, its cut list is the better source.
| Option | Pieces in the model | How running length is handled |
|---|---|---|
| Box cushion | One long wrap and two side-boxing strips | Repeat rounds the main wrap only, then both side-strip lengths are added |
| Bench cushion | The same long-wrap model as a box cushion | A bench wider than the usable fabric width can multiply the full estimate across joined panels |
| Round cushion | Two square circle blanks and one boxing strip | The two blank sizes and boxing length are added, then the sum can round to a repeat |
| Bolster | One rectangular body and two square end blanks | The body length and two end-blank sizes are added, then the sum can round to a repeat |
How the Box and Bench Estimate Is Built
Width means side to side. Length means front to back. Thickness is the finished depth of the boxing. The calculator adds the seam allowance to both sides of each relevant dimension.
1. Build the long wrap
The wrap is the finished width plus two seam allowances. Its running length is the top, front boxing, bottom, and back boxing placed end to end. When a zipper is selected, the back boxing uses two zipper allowances instead of two seam allowances.
2. Add two side-boxing strips
Each side strip is the cushion thickness plus two seam allowances by the front-to-back length plus two seam allowances. Both full strip lengths are added after the main wrap. Empty space beside another piece is not credited back.
3. Apply orientation and repeat
In the standard orientation, the long dimension of the wrap runs down the bolt. If you ask to railroad the piece, the calculator rotates it only when the full wrap length fits across the entered fabric width. For box and bench covers, a vertical repeat rounds only this main running dimension. It does not place or match a motif from the top to either side strip.
4. Convert and round
The modeled running inches are divided by 36 and rounded up to the next quarter yard for one cushion. Quantity multiplies that per-cushion amount. The calculator does not nest a batch of covers together, so several cushions are simply several copies of the same allowance.
A Reproducible Bench Cushion Example
Choose Bench Cushion. That preset loads these settings: 48 inches wide, 18 inches front to back, 3 inches thick, one cushion, 54-inch fabric, half-inch seams, a five-eighth-inch zipper allowance, zipper on, piping off, no repeat, and standard orientation.
Main wrap: 49 inches wide by 46.25 inches long
Side boxing: two strips, each 4 inches wide by 19 inches long
Main wrap row: one 49-inch panel per row, so 46.25 inches of length
Side strip row: the strips are only 4 inches wide, so both sit side by side in a single row of 19 inches
Modeled running length: 46.25 + 19 = 65.25 inches
Panels alone: 65.25 / 36 = about 1.81 yards
DIY cutting allowance: 10 percent, about 0.19 yards
Calculator result: 2 yards, shown as 1.83 meters in metric output
The model places identical pieces side by side across the fabric before starting a new row, which is why the two side strips share one row rather than being added end to end. It does not mix different piece types in the same row, so a careful hand layout may still do better.
That panel figure is a bare geometric minimum, so a cutting allowance is added on top and shown as its own line rather than hidden in the total. The default DIY setting adds 10 percent for squaring up, a flaw in the bolt, or one mis-cut. Set it to Professional for a tight layout or Beginner for room to re-cut a panel. A directional print or a different cover construction may need more again.
Checks to Make Before You Order
Look at your cover's seams
Confirm that your box or bench cover can be made with the long wrap shown above. A cover with separate top and bottom faces needs a different layout.
Check direction before railroading
A print, weave, pile, or fabric specification may prevent rotation even when the piece fits. Keep standard orientation when the material must run one way.
Treat repeat as an allowance, not matching
Enter the vertical repeat if you need the main running length rounded up. Then plan where the motif should sit on the top and how it should meet the side pieces.
Plan piping fabric separately
The piping line is cord length. Work out the fabric strips from your chosen strip width, grain direction, joining method, and whether you are using matching fabric.
Draw a quick bolt-width sketch
Put the cut dimensions on paper at a small scale. This catches pieces that do not fit, reveals useful nesting, and gives you a better final check than yardage alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
To see the formulas and current limits, read the calculation methodology.
Related Cushion Guides
How Much Fabric for Cushions?
Measure a cover and check its construction
Fabric Width Guide
Find the width you can actually cut
What Is Pattern Repeat?
Repeat terms and practical measuring checks
How to Calculate Fabric Yardage
Follow the running-length math by hand
Upholstery Yardage Chart
Reference ranges for furniture projects
Fabric Conversion Chart
Convert yards, meters, inches, and centimeters
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