Stained Glass Materials Calculator (Foil, Came, Solder & Glass)

How it works

average piece size a = √(panel area ÷ pieces) · interior seam ≈ 2 × pieces × a − perimeter ÷ 2 · foil = 4 × pieces × a × 1.1 · foil solder ≈ 35 g per m of seam + 15 g/m border · came = seam × 1.1 + perimeter; came solder ≈ 5 g per joint (2 joints per piece)

The material in a stained glass panel is governed by how many pieces it has rather than how big it is: every piece must be wrapped in foil or seated in came around its whole edge, and every seam between pieces must be soldered, so a detailed suncatcher can use more foil and solder than a plain window of ten times the area. Treating the pieces as roughly square gives an average edge length from the area and count, from which the total seam length follows — each interior edge is shared by two pieces. Copper foil work then beads solder along the full length of every seam on both faces, while leaded work joins the came only where lines meet, which is why the two methods have such different solder budgets. Glass is bought with generous waste because irregular shapes nest badly.

Worked example

A 40 × 60 cm copper-foil panel of 80 pieces has an average piece about 5.5 cm across, roughly 7.8 m of interior seam and a 2 m border: it needs about 19 m of 7/32″ foil (one 36-yard roll), 300 g of 60/40 solder, 2.1 m of zinc border came and 0.31 m² of glass with waste — around 21 hours of work. Leaded instead, it would take about 10.7 m of 6 mm H came (6 strips), 160 solder joints and 0.06 kg of cement.

Frequently asked questions