Fabric & consumption calculator
Estimate fleece or French terry consumption for hoodies and sweatshirts, with hood, kangaroo pocket and rib cuffs and waistband calculated separately, in kg per dozen and grams per piece.
Method note: An estimating method for costing. Confirm with marker consumption for production.
Main fabric per dozen
8.213kg/dz
Book main and rib fabric separately, each with its own buffer.
Main fabric grams = (body area + hood area + pocket area) × GSM / 10,000 × (1 + wastage / 100)
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| A_body | (BL + SL + allowance) × (½ chest + allowance) × 2 | cm² |
| A_hood | (hood height + allowance) × (hood width + allowance) × 2 | cm² |
| A_pocket | Pocket length × pocket width | cm² |
The body and sleeves use the same body block method as the T-shirt calculator. The hood is added as two side panels (height × width plus seam allowance), and the kangaroo pocket as one panel. All of these use the main fabric GSM. The rib for cuffs and waistband uses its own length, width and GSM. Wastage is added to both.
Defaults: body 70 cm, sleeve 62 cm, half chest 58 cm, allowances 8 cm and 4 cm, hood 36 × 26 cm, pocket 22 × 34 cm, 300 GSM main fabric, rib 100 × 16 cm in 280 GSM, 12% wastage.
Book and cost the main fabric and rib separately. Heavy fleece often shrinks in length, so check bulk shrinkage and adjust patterns before relying on the estimate. After the first cut, compare the fabric used with the booked consumption.
Yes. Set the hood height to 0. Set the pocket length to 0 if there is no pocket.
Rib is a different fabric with its own GSM and price, and it is booked separately from the body fabric.
No. The hood is calculated as two side panels in the main fabric. Add a lined hood as extra hood area, or calculate lining separately.
The panel method for knit fabric consumption: list every panel, calculate area and weight by fabric, add allowances, and total by kg per dozen. Worked example for a hoodie with body fabric and rib.
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