How much Fabric do I need for a Dishdasha, Thobe, Dress, Shirt, or Pants?

After years of researching fabric requirements and how much fabric is needed for a tailor, a simple formula has been generated that simplifies the required fabric length you should buy before going to a tailor shop. The article will go into details on what metrics you should put in mind in addition prior to making that textile purchase. When you have countless meetings with tailors as well as master cutters about the actual fabric needed for a dress or pair of clothing, you start to understand why they require more fabric than expected. We also start to list down the most crucial points needed to make this formula as close to the actual quantity of fabric required.

The formula or fabric calculator for the required fabric length is: 2.25 multiplied by the length of the dress or piece of clothing plus 0.30 meters (0.35 yards or 12 inches). The formula applies to a fabric that has a minimum width of 1.50 meters (1.60 yards) with minimal textiles shrinkage. This factors the collars, cuffs, sleeves, pockets, and the additional details needed for the pair of clothing. However, if there are additional accessories or details that are sewn onto the dress or pair of clothing, such as decorative gear, additional pockets, side notions, textile bows, double sided clothes, wings or capes, bodices or bustles, trains or extensions, skirts or hems, etc. would alter the following fabric length calculation as shown above.

It is highly recommended when buying fabric online to speak with a customer service agent about these requirements. The fabric yardage calculator shown applies to yards as well. If you are not sure about the length of the clothing, use the length from the top of your shoulder to the ground for a dress, the length from the top of your shoulder to your waistline for a shirt, and the length from your waistline to the ground for a pair of pants.

In conclusion, I  hope the article above aids in giving guidance on how much fabric to buy from a fabric store before handing it over to the tailor shop. I would like to inform you that the fabric yardage calculator above factors an additional 10% to 20% margin for unexpected errors a tailor may face while cutting or sewing a pair of clothing, where he or she would need extra fabric to compensate for the error or for additional fashion details needed for a particular piece of clothing. For reference, here are a Fabric Yardage Calculation examples for an Average Sized Individual:

Dress/Gown: (60 in. x 2.25) + 12 in. = 147 in. (3.7 m)

Dishdasha/Thobe: (58 in. x 2.25) + 12 in = 142.5 in. (3.6 m)

Shirt/Blouse: (20 in. x 2.25) + 12 in. = 57 in. (1.4 m)

Pants/Trousers: (38 in. x 2.25) + 12 in. = 97.5 in. (2.4 m)

Jacket/Vest: (24 in. x 2.25) + 12 in. = 66 in. (1.7 m)