Pleated Skirt Fabric Calculator

How it works

Pleats = circumference ÷ visible width; fabric per pleat = visible width + 2 × underlay depth; flat width = pleats × fabric per pleat (3× for full-depth pleats, 2× for half-depth); panels = ⌈flat width ÷ usable fabric width⌉; fabric = panels × (length + allowances)

Every pleat folds fabric into three layers across its visible width when the underlay is as deep as the face — the classic “three times the hip” for a full knife-pleated or box-pleated skirt and kilt. Shallower underlays save cloth (2× fabric at half depth) at the cost of pleats that open more when walking. Knife, box and inverted box pleats consume the same fabric for the same face width and depth; they differ only in the direction the folds face. The flat width is then divided across panels of the fabric width — joins are hidden inside a fold — and multiplied by the cut length to give yardage. Fitted skirts pleat to the waist and taper the underlays over the hip; pull-on styles pleat to the hip measurement plus ease and gather or elasticate the waist.

Worked example

Pleating a 96 cm hip with 3 cm full-depth knife pleats: 32 pleats × 9 cm = 288 cm of flat fabric (3×). In 150 cm fabric that is two panels of 61 cm (55 cm length + 6 cm allowances) — buy 125 cm.

Frequently asked questions