Pleat Fabric Requirement Calculator

Pleat Fabric Requirement Calculator

Pleats consume far more fabric than the finished width suggests - this calculator shows exactly how much extra you need.

Fabric Per Pleat = Pleat Depth x 2
Total Fabric Needed = Finished Width + (Fabric Per Pleat x Number of Pleats)

Example

40-inch finished width, 1.5-inch pleat depth, 10 pleats:

Fabric Per Pleat = 3.0 in → 70.0 inches of fabric width needed

Why Each Pleat Doubles Its Depth in Fabric Use

Each knife or box pleat consumes twice its finished depth in raw fabric, since the fabric folds back on itself to create the visible pleat - this is exactly why pleated garments and curtains require substantially more fabric width than their flat finished measurement alone would suggest.

Box Pleats Need Even More

This formula calculates knife pleats (folding in one direction) - box pleats, which fold fabric in two opposing directions per pleat, effectively consume roughly double the fabric of a knife pleat at the same finished depth.