Fabric Shrinkage Calculator

Work out fabric shrinkage instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Fabric Shrinkage Calculator

Shrinkage is the lost length over the original, and the purchase length divides the finished requirement by one minus that fraction rather than multiplying by one plus it. Dividing rather than multiplying matters: at 6% shrinkage you need 6.4% more fabric, and the gap widens fast with heavier shrinkage.

Formulas

Shrinkage

shrinkage = (before - after) / before

Length to buy

buy = finished length / (1 - shrinkage)

Worked example

With the default values below, Fabric Shrinkage Calculator returns Shrinkage of 6.000%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Length before washingminimum 0.1 cm: 100 cm
Length after washingminimum 0.1 cm: 94 cm
Finished length you needminimum 0.1 cm: 200 cm

Results

Shrinkage: 6.000%
Length to buy before washing: 212.77 cm
Extra fabric to allow: 12.77 cm
Fraction of length retained: 0.94000

Step by step

1Values used
2Shrinkage
3Length to buy
4Shrinkage= 6.000
5Length to buy before washing= 212.77 cm
6Extra fabric to allow= 12.77 cm
7Fraction of length retained= 0.94000

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Fabric Shrinkage figure worked out?

shrinkage = (before - after) / before. Shrinkage is the lost length over the original, and the purchase length divides the finished requirement by one minus that fraction rather than multiplying by one plus it.

Why does this matter?

Dividing rather than multiplying matters: at 6% shrinkage you need 6.4% more fabric, and the gap widens fast with heavier shrinkage.

What do I need to enter?

Enter length before washing, length after washing, finished length you need. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.