Fabric & cutting / FREE CALCULATOR
Bias binding fabric calculator
Estimate fabric area for your binding method using the required length, raw cut-strip width and your own joining and cutting allowance. Get a square plan that fits the fabric width.
Make your calculation
HOW IT WORKS
Measure the edge to bind and choose the raw strip width.
Add extra length and an area allowance for your cutting method.
Check the square plan against your chosen bias-cutting layout.
THE WORKING BEHIND THE NUMBER
A little more clarity.
THE METHOD
Planning area = (binding length + extra length) ร raw strip width รท (1 โ loss allowance). Equal square side = square root(planning area รท number of squares).
Start with the cut-strip width
Binding names can vary between methods. Enter the raw width of fabric that your chosen tape maker or construction requires. A visible finished edge width does not identify that cut width by itself. If you are unsure, test a strip and measure it before preparing a larger quantity.
The calculator multiplies strip length by strip width to find an area requirement, then adds the loss allowance you enter. The joining and end allowance is additional length along the strip; the percentage is an allowance on fabric area. They serve different purposes.
Treat the square as a planning estimate
An area calculation does not specify where every diagonal cut or join will fall. The result is not a guaranteed binding yield or a cutting template. Check it against the continuous-bias or separate-strip method you intend to use.
When one square is wider than the available fabric, the tool divides the area between equal squares that fit. Those squares produce separate pieces requiring joins. Allow more extra length or loss where your method calls for it, and add any separate prewash allowance before purchasing cloth.
A FEW USEFUL ANSWERS
Before you cut.
Should I enter the finished visible binding width?
Enter the raw cut-strip width. Obtain it from your construction method or tape-maker instructions, because finished-width naming can be ambiguous.
Is the loss percentage a fixed sewing rule?
No. It is your editable planning allowance. Actual loss depends on square size, strip width, cutting method and how joins and ends are finished.
Can I cut directly from the square result?
Check a real cutting layout first. The tool estimates area and a convenient square size; it does not generate the individual diagonal cut lines.
The reference shelf
Further reading on the construction or method. Calculator-specific assumptions are explained above.