How much fabric does that chair actually take?

Pick the pieces you're covering, tell us the roll width and the pattern repeat, and we'll total the COM yardage — broken out so you can see exactly what the fabric choice is costing you before you commit to it.

Running total

0 yd

Nothing picked

1 · Your fabric

Roll width

Chart baseline— the chart below is built on 54" goods, so narrower rolls scale everything up.

Vertical pattern repeat

Railroad the fabric where the frame allowsRunning the goods sideways skips the seams on long, shallow pieces and saves about 10%. It applies to sofas, benches, banquettes, headboards, and big ottomans — never to a dining chair back.

2 · What you're covering

Dining & side seating

0.75 yd each

1.25 yd each

2 yd each

1.5 yd each

Bar & counter

0.75 yd each

1.5 yd each

Lounge & lobby

5.5 yd each

6 yd each

6.5 yd each

1.5 yd each

3 yd each

Sofas & sectionals

10 yd each

12 yd each

14 yd each

4.5 yd each

Booths & banquettes

1 yd / linear ft

Headboards

2 yd each

2.5 yd each

3 yd each

Fabric to supply

0 yards

54" goods · none / solid

Start with one chair

Tap the pieces you're covering and set the counts. We'll total the yards as you go, break out what the width and the repeat are costing you, and round up to the next half yard so the number is orderable.

Yardage only — no allowance for cutting errors, contrast welt, or a second run later. Most designers add a yard or two for the ones that matter.

Price the frames with our COM program See the lounge seating we supply

Upholstery yardage chart

Base yards of 54-inch plain fabric per piece, on average commercial frames. Multiply by the width factor and add the repeat surcharge from the tables underneath to get the yardage you actually order. Anything marked as railroadable is long and shallow enough to run the goods sideways on a solid, which takes about 10% off.

Base COM yardage by furniture piece at 54-inch fabric width
Piece	Base yards (54")	Priced per	Railroadable
Dining & side seating
Side / dining chair — seat only	0.75 yd	Each	No
Side / dining chair — seat + inside back	1.25 yd	Each	No
Dining chair — fully upholstered	2 yd	Each	No
Dining bench — upholstered seat (to 60")	1.5 yd	Each	Yes
Bar & counter
Barstool — seat only	0.75 yd	Each	No
Barstool — seat + back	1.5 yd	Each	No
Lounge & lobby
Lounge chair	5.5 yd	Each	No
Club chair	6 yd	Each	No
Wing chair	6.5 yd	Each	No
Ottoman — standard (to 24")	1.5 yd	Each	No
Cocktail ottoman — large	3 yd	Each	Yes
Sofas & sectionals
Loveseat (~60", 2-seat)	10 yd	Each	Yes
Sofa (78–84", 3-seat)	12 yd	Each	Yes
Sofa (90–96")	14 yd	Each	Yes
Sectional — per seat	4.5 yd	Each	Yes
Booths & banquettes
Banquette / booth — per linear foot	1 yd	Linear foot	Yes
Headboards
Headboard — twin	2 yd	Each	Yes
Headboard — full / queen	2.5 yd	Each	Yes
Headboard — king	3 yd	Each	Yes

Fabric width factors

The chart above assumes 54-inch goods. Narrower rolls force extra cuts across the same panels.

Roll width	Multiply by
54"Chart baseline	×1
45"+30% yardage	×1.3
36"+50% yardage	×1.5

Pattern repeat surcharge

Measured as the vertical repeat on the fabric memo. Bigger repeats waste more between matched cuts.

Vertical repeat	Add
None / solid	—
Up to 14"	+10%
15–27"	+15%
28"+	+25%

Planning figures for specification and budgeting. The manufacturer's stated COM requirement for the exact frame governs the order.

How we figure this

The chart underneath this tool is the starting point: base yards per piece on 54-inch plain goods, average commercial frame sizes, one continuous piece with no fabric direction problems. It's the same set of numbers we use when someone sends over a fabric memo and asks what the order looks like — 0.75 yards for a drop-in seat, 6 yards for a club chair, 12 for a three-seat sofa, a yard per linear foot of banquette.

Three things move those numbers, and we apply them in that order. Roll width comes first, because the chart is built on 54-inch goods — 45-inch fabric needs about 30% more yardage and 36-inch needs about 50% more, since the narrower roll forces extra cuts across the same panels. Then the pattern repeat: matching motifs across cushions means every cut starts at the same point in the pattern and the fabric in between gets trimmed. We allow 10% for repeats up to 14 inches, 15% from 15 to 27 inches, and 25% at 28 inches and above.

Railroading works the other way. Running the goods sideways lets the roll width cover the length of a long shallow piece, which removes seams and takes roughly 10% off. We only apply it to the pieces where it's physically sensible — sofas, sectionals, benches, banquettes, headboards, and oversized ottomans — and only when you've set the repeat to solid, because a pattern that runs up the roll can't be turned 90 degrees without ending up sideways. The total then rounds up to the next half yard, because that's how fabric gets cut and sold.

The honest caveat: these are planning yardages, not cut tickets. Frame sizes vary more than people expect — two chairs described the same way in two catalogues can be 20 inches apart in seat depth, and skirts, contrast welt, and channel tufting all eat fabric that no average accounts for. The manufacturer's stated COM requirement for your exact frame always governs. If their card says more than we do, order what their card says.

When you've got a yardage that looks right, the next question is usually the frames. We supply commercial seating built for COM, so you can see what we stock in lounge seating or send the whole list over and get it priced with lead times and freight attached.

Questions we get a lot

What does COM mean in upholstery?

COM stands for customer's own material. You buy the fabric yourself, ship it to the furniture manufacturer, and they upholster the frame with it. It's how most hospitality projects get the designer's fabric onto a commercial-grade frame, and it means the yardage is your responsibility, not the factory's.

How much fabric does a dining chair need?

A drop-in seat pad takes about 0.75 yards of 54-inch plain goods. A seat plus an inside back runs about 1.25 yards, and a fully upholstered parsons chair covered on every face takes about 2 yards. Those are averages on standard commercial frames — a deep seat or a tall back moves them.

Why does a pattern repeat add yardage?

Every cut has to start at the same point in the pattern so the motifs line up across cushions and panels. The fabric between one usable start and the next gets trimmed off. A repeat up to 14 inches costs roughly 10% extra, 15 to 27 inches about 15%, and anything 28 inches or larger about 25%.

What is railroaded fabric and when does it save yardage?

Railroading runs the fabric sideways off the roll, so the roll width covers the length of the piece instead of its height. On long shallow pieces — sofas, benches, banquettes, headboards, big ottomans — it removes seams and saves around 10%. It only works on solids and on patterns printed or woven to be railroaded; a vertical repeat turned 90 degrees ends up lying on its side.

Should I order extra fabric?

Usually yes. Our yardages have no allowance for a cutting error, a contrast welt, or a dye lot that's gone by the time someone damages a cushion. A yard or two of overage on a signature piece is cheap insurance, and a spare panel of the banquette fabric will save you in year three.

Do these numbers replace the manufacturer's COM requirement?

No. Use this to budget, to compare fabrics, and to sanity-check a quote. Before you cut a purchase order for fabric, get the COM requirement for the exact frame from the manufacturer's spec sheet. If their number is higher than ours, order theirs — they're the ones cutting.

Got the yardage? Let's price the frames.

We supply the seating — dining chairs, barstools, lounge and club chairs, sofas, banquettes, and headboards — and COM is welcome on all of it. Send us your list with the pieces and counts and we'll price it, with lead times and freight.

Tell us what you need