Curtain Pleat Calculator
Pleat size and spacing for pinch-pleated curtains, the fabric widths and cut drops they need at your fullness, and the total fabric with any pattern repeat.
Result
Fabric to buy: 16 3/8 ydEstimate
Whole widths are bought for each panel, so there is usually fabric over: trim it or put it into the pleats.
- Fabric widths in all
- 6
- Widths per panel
- 3
- Cut drop of each width
- 98 in
- Fabric in each pleat
- 7 1/2 in
- Space between pleats
- 5 1/2 in
- Pleated width of each panel
- 55 in
- Flat width of each panel, hemmed
- 150 1/2 in
- Fullness if every width is used
- 2.71Estimate
https://calcgallery.com/crafts/curtain-pleat-calculator/
Results are arithmetic on the figures you enter and are estimates. Products, materials and animals vary, so follow the maker's instructions and label, make a test piece where it matters, and ask a vet about feeding. Nothing here is safety or veterinary advice. Read the full disclaimer
How to use the Curtain Pleat Calculator
- Enter the rod or track width, and whether you are making a pair or one panel.
- Choose the fullness you want and the number of pleats in each panel.
- Enter the return, the centre overlap, the side hems and the usable width of your fabric.
- Enter the finished length, the heading and hem allowance and any pattern repeat, then read the fabric to buy and the pleat layout.
How it is calculated
pleated width = rod width ÷ panelsflat width = pleated width × fullness + return + overlap + side hemswidths = ⌈flat width ÷ usable fabric width⌉ per panel, × panelscut drop = finished length + heading and hem, rounded up to whole repeatsfabric = widths × cut drop (+ one repeat for a patterned fabric)pleat = pleated width × (fullness − 1) ÷ pleatsspace = pleated width ÷ (pleats − 1)The rod width is covered by the pleated part of each panel. Fullness multiplies only that part; the return, the overlap and the hems are flat. The pleat layout assumes a pleat at the return corner and a pleat at the leading edge, with the rest evenly spaced between them, which is the usual way pinch pleats are set out.
Whole widths leave fabric over
Fabric comes in whole widths, so the flat width you need is rarely an exact number of them. The spare is shown as the fullness you would get by pleating every inch of the joined widths. Either trim the panel to the flat width, or divide the spare among the pleats so each takes a little more.
What is left out
The usable width should already allow for the seams that join widths and for any selvedge you cut away. Linings, interlinings and buckram are separate purchases. Heading depths and hem sizes vary by style and maker, so the allowance is yours to set. For pattern yardage at a different width, the fabric width conversion calculator does that estimate.
With your numbers
- Flat width = 55 in × 2.5 + return, overlap and hems = 150 1/2 in a panel
- Widths = ⌈150 1/2 in ÷ 54 in⌉ × 2 = 6
- Pleats: 7 1/2 in each, spaced 5 1/2 in
- Fabric = 6 × 98 in = 16 3/8 yd
Quick reference
Whole widths are bought for each panel, so there is usually fabric over: trim it or put it into the pleats.
| Example | Fabric to buy |
|---|---|
| 110 in rod, pair, 2.5 fullness | 16 3/8 yd |
| 80 in rod, pair, 2 fullness | 11 yd |
| 110 in rod, 27 in repeat | 18 3/4 yd |
| 48 in single panel, 2 fullness | 4 1/4 yd |
| 144 in rod, pair, 3 fullness | 27 1/4 yd |
| 280 cm track, pair, 64 cm repeat | 16 m |
| 200 cm track, pair, plain | 15.3 m |
Common questions about the Curtain Pleat Calculator
- How do I work out pleats and spaces for pinch pleat curtains?
- Take the pleated width of the panel, the part between the return and the overlap. The spaces are that width divided by one fewer than the number of pleats, because there is a pleat at each end. The fabric in each pleat is the extra fabric, the pleated width times the fullness less one, divided by the number of pleats.
- What fullness should pinch pleat curtains have?
- It is a choice about the look, not a rule. Curtain makers commonly work between about 2 and 3 times the rod width; sew-helpful.com suggests 2.2 to 2.4 for lined double pleats, and sheers are often made fuller. The page shows the fullness your whole widths would give, so you can see what rounding up the widths does.
- How many widths of fabric do I need?
- Divide the flat width of one panel, including its return, overlap and side hems, by the usable width of the fabric, and round up. A pair needs twice that. Rounding down instead gives a skimpier curtain with bigger spaces; rounding up gives a fuller one.
- How does the pattern repeat change the fabric?
- Each cut drop is rounded up to a whole number of repeats so the pattern matches across the widths, and one more repeat is added so the first cut can start at the right point on the pattern. A large repeat can add a good deal of fabric.
- What are returns and overlap?
- The return is the part of the curtain that turns from the front of the rod back to the wall at the outer end. The overlap is how far each panel of a pair crosses the middle so the curtains close without a gap. Neither is pleated, so both are added flat.