Fabric measurement converter
One yard is 36 inches, 3 feet, or 0.91 meters. Enter any measurement below and get it back in every unit the fabric world uses, with buying advice when you cross between yards and meters.
Converted
Common fabric cuts in inches and centimeters
| Cut | Yards | Inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eighth yard | 1/8 | 4 1/2" | 11.4 cm |
| Quarter yard | 1/4 | 9" | 22.9 cm |
| Fat quarter | (18" x 21" cut) | 18" x 21" | 45.7 x 53.3 cm |
| Half yard | 1/2 | 18" | 45.7 cm |
| One yard | 1 | 36" | 91.4 cm |
| Two yards | 2 | 72" | 182.9 cm |
| One meter | 1.09 | 39.4" | 100 cm |
Yards or meters: buying fabric across the divide
The United States sells fabric by the yard; nearly everywhere else sells by the meter, which is about 3 1/2 inches longer. The cheerful consequence: a pattern written in meters is slightly generous when you buy the same number of yards short, and a pattern in yards leaves you a little spare when bought in meters. Crossing from meters to yards, round up to the next quarter yard; American cutting counters work in quarter yard steps and rounding up is simply good manners toward your future self.
Why quilting stays in inches
Even quilters in fully metric countries largely piece in inches, because the tools demand it: rotary rulers, die cutters, and nearly all published patterns are drafted on the inch and its kindly fractions. A 1/4" seam allowance, a 2 1/2" strip, a 12" block; the entire ecosystem agrees on the units, which is rarer and more precious than it sounds. Convert your fabric purchases at the shop door, then piece in inches once you are inside.
Sources and methodology
Conversions use exact definitions: 1 yard = 36 inches = 3 feet, 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly, 1 meter = 100 cm. All conversions route through inches as the base unit; displayed values round to a sensible precision for fabric shopping rather than laboratory work.
Conversion questions, answered
Exactly 36, regardless of the fabric's width. A yard refers only to the length cut off the bolt; the width rides along free, which is why a yard of 108" backing contains over two and a half times the fabric of a yard of standard quilting cotton at the same "one yard".
Yes, by about 3.4 inches: a meter is 39.37 inches against the yard's 36. Buying 3 meters when a pattern asks for 3 yards leaves you roughly 10 spare inches, almost a free eighth yard per meter. The error always lands in your favor going that direction.
About 46 x 53 cm: a fat quarter is a quarter yard cut wide instead of long, 18" x 21" from standard width fabric. Metric shops sell a close cousin called the fat quarter metre at roughly 50 x 55 cm, slightly larger because the meter parent is larger.
Convert your quilt dimensions to inches here first, then carry them into any calculator on the site; the math is identical once the units agree. Results come back in yards, which this converter happily turns back into meters for the shop.