How much fabric does a t-shirt use?

It depends on the size and the width of the roll. An adult t-shirt takes around one meter of 1.50 m wide fabric, but you have to measure the real number with the pattern laid out, because it changes with the design.

Why does the same garment use different amounts on two fabrics?

Because of the width of the roll. On a wide fabric, more pieces fit across the width and the length is used better; the difference can reach 20%.

How to calculate fabric consumption

What you take from this lesson: Buy the right amount of fabric: not too little, and not money tied up in extra meters.

Consumption isn't estimated: it's measured

The only reliable way to know how much fabric a garment uses is to lay the pattern pieces out on the true width of the fabric and measure how much length they take up. Everything else is an approximation, and you pay for it with extra meters or with a stalled production run.

You place all the pieces of one size on the width of the fabric you are going to use, nested together as they would be in the real cut, and measure the total length they occupy. That is the consumption for that size at that width.

Width changes everything

The same garment uses different amounts depending on the width of the roll. On a 1.50 m fabric, two pieces can usually fit side by side across the width; on a 0.90 m fabric, only one. The result isn't proportional: there can be a 20% difference in consumption between one width and another.

That's why consumption is always written down together with the width: "1.10 m on 1.50 m fabric" means nothing without the second part.

It's also why, when you compare fabric prices between suppliers, you have to compare the cost per garment and not the cost per meter. A fabric that is cheaper per meter but narrower can end up costing more per garment.

Not all sizes use the same amount

A 3XL uses quite a bit more than an XS. If you calculate the purchase using the consumption of the base size and then produce the whole size range, you will run out of fabric.

The right way: measure the consumption of the smallest size, the base size, and the largest size, and calculate the purchase by multiplying the consumption of each size by the number of units you are going to cut in that size.

Waste and the safety margin

There is always some unused fabric between the pieces. A well-planned marker wastes between 10 and 15%; a careless one can go over 25%.

On top of that, you need to add a safety margin for roll defects, for shrinkage if the fabric is going to be washed, and for cutting errors. An extra 5 to 10% on the calculated total is reasonable.

The final calculation: (consumption per size × units of that size), added up for all sizes, plus a 10% margin.

Common mistakes

Calculating the purchase with the consumption of the base size and then producing the full size range.
Comparing fabric prices per meter instead of per garment.
Not leaving a margin for roll defects.

In short

Consumption is measured by laying the pattern pieces out on the true width of the fabric, size by size, and you add a 10% margin to the purchase for defects and errors.

Frequently asked questions

How much fabric does a t-shirt use?: It depends on the size and the width of the roll. An adult t-shirt takes around one meter of 1.50 m wide fabric, but you have to measure the real number with the pattern laid out, because it changes with the design.
Why does the same garment use different amounts on two fabrics?: Because of the width of the roll. On a wide fabric, more pieces fit across the width and the length is used better; the difference can reach 20%.