How to Calculate Yardage for Curtains

Calculating yardage for curtains is an important first step before picking out fabric. It’s best to measure the window with the curtain rod you want to use already installed, since some curtain rods fit inside the window frame, while others sit several inches above the window and extend past the window on both sides. If you haven’t picked out the rod yet, you can make your best guess.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Measure the window from the top of the curtain rod to a few inches below the bottom of the window frame, or the place where you want the curtain to end. Measure the width of the installed curtain rod.

2. Add an extra 4 inches or so to the window length for the hem and any casing at the top of the curtain. Add an extra 2 to 4 inches to the window length for the hem at the bottom. For example, if the window length is 54 inches, the total curtain fabric length would be about 62 inches.

3. Divide this number of inches by 36 to figure out the number of yards. Round up to the nearest 1/4 yard. For example, 62 / 36 = 1 3/4 yards.

4. Decide how full you want the curtains. For thick fabrics, you’ll want the curtains to be 1 1/2 times as wide as the window. For most fabrics, 2 times as wide is a good rule of thumb. For sheer fabrics, you may want the curtains as much as 3 times as wide.

5. Multiply the window width by 1 1/2 to 3. For example, if the window is 60 inches wide and you want the curtains twice as wide, 60 x 2 = 120 inches.

6. Divide this result by the number of curtain panels you want. For example, if you want to use two panels for the curtain, one on each side of the window, 120 inches / 2 = 60 inches.

7. Add 2 to 3 inches to each panel width for hems. For example, if you want each hem to be a 1/2 inch double-fold, add 2 inches, or 60 + 2 = 62 inches.

8. Figure out how many pieces of fabric you’ll need to create this width. For example, to make a 62 inch panel from 44 inch wide fabric, you’ll need to buy enough fabric for an extra panel. You can then cut the extra panel in half, and sew it to the other panels to make them wider, since 44 / 2 = 22, and 44 + 22 = 66. Include enough extra for seams if you need to sew pieces of fabric together.

9. Multiply the yardage from Step 3 (the length of each panel) by the number of pieces of fabric you need. For example, 1 3/4 yards x 3 panels = 5 1/4 yards.

10. Add extra yardage if you want to make tiebacks or other curtain accessories from matching fabric.

Tips & Warnings

• The amount of yardage you need may vary depending on the type of curtain you want to make. When in doubt, it’s best to buy a little bit of extra fabric.
• Since curtain fullness isn’t an exact science, you can use a “fudge factor” to make things simpler, as long as the fabric will still cover the window. For example, if your results tell you each panel should be 62 inches wide and you want to use 60 inch fabric, that’s close enough.