How much backing do I need for a 60 by 80 inch quilt?

With 4 inches of overage on every edge the backing is 68 by 88 inches. From 44 inch usable cotton that is 2 panels cut 88 inches long, joined with one seam down the length: 176 inches of fabric, which is 4.89 yards, so 5 yards at the cutting counter. Change the overage, the fabric width or the seam allowance and every one of those figures moves with it.

How much extra backing should I allow beyond the quilt top?

Longarm quilters usually ask for 3 to 4 inches beyond the top on every side, so the quilt can be loaded and squared on the frame. The page opens at 4 inches and the field takes anything from 0 up to 24. At 0 the backing finishes exactly the size of the top, which is what some domestic machine quilters prefer.

Why does the seam allowance change the number of panels?

Every seam takes the allowance from both of the edges it joins, so joining panels of 44 inches with a half inch allowance gives 87 inches of stitched width, not 88. That matters at the boundary: an 88 inch backing is exactly two widths on paper, and one inch short once the seam is sewn. This page counts the smallest number of panels whose stitched width actually covers the backing.

Should the backing seams run down the length or across the width?

It depends on the shape of the quilt, so the page works out both and leads with whichever buys less fabric. A tall quilt usually wants the seams running down the length; a wide, short one often uses less fabric with the seams across the width. You can also pin the direction yourself, and the page will show what that choice costs against the other one.

What changes if I use 108 inch wide backing fabric?

Usually the seam disappears. For the same 60 by 80 quilt, one cut of 68 inches from 108 inch wide fabric covers the whole 68 by 88 backing once it is turned, which is 2 yards instead of 5 and no piecing at all. Type 108 into the fabric width field and the cutting plan changes to a single length.

Does the yardage allow for shrinkage or for matching a print?

No. The arithmetic is exact on the measurements you enter, and it treats the cloth as it measures on the table. Cotton can draw up in a first wash, so wash before you measure if you prewash at all. A large directional print or a pattern you want matched across a seam needs fabric this page does not add, because it cannot see the repeat.

What does usable fabric width mean here?

It is the width you can actually sew with, after the selvages are trimmed off. Quilting cotton sold as 44 inches is often 42 inches usable once the selvage and any shrinkage at the edge are gone, so measure your own cut and type that. The panel count is sensitive to this number, which is why it is a field rather than a fixed assumption.

Quilt Backing Calculator

Enter the finished top, the extra you want on every edge and the usable width of your fabric, and this page returns the backing size, the panel count, the cutting plan and the yardage to buy. It counts the seam allowance that disappears into every join, which is the step that turns an 88 inch backing from two widths of 44 inch cotton into three, and it works the backing out both ways round: panels joined with the seams down the length, and panels joined with the seams across the width. The exact length is printed beside the figure rounded up to the next eighth of a yard, so you can see what the counter will actually cut.

Top 60 x 80 inOverage 4 inWidth 44 inSeam 1/2 in

top       60 in x 80 in
overage   4 in all round
fabric    44 in usable, 1/2 in seams

backing   68 in x 88 in   4 in beyond the top on every edge
panels    2   1 seam, down the length
cut       88 in each   stitched 87 in against 68 in needed
yardage   5 yd   176 in, 4.89 yd exact

Backing

68 x 88 in+4 in each edge

Panels

2of 44 in

Seams

1down the length

Yardage

5 yd4.89 yd exact

Type the measurements the way a ruler reads them: 1/2, 60 1/2 and 60.5 are all read as inches. Fabric width is the usable width with the selvages off, so quilting cotton sold as 44 in is often 42 in here, and wide backing is 108 in.

Cut 2 lengths of 88 in from 44 in usable fabric: 176 in in all, so buy 5 yd.
Join the panels along their 88 in edges with a 1/2 in seam allowance, then press the seam open.
Square the stitched 87 by 88 in piece down to the 68 by 88 in backing: 19 in comes off the width.

Seams down the length buy less here: 5 yd against 5 3/4 yd across the width. The other direction takes 3 panels and 5 3/4 yd.

Backing 68 in by 88 in: the 60 in by 80 in top with 4 in added on all four edges.
The 44 in is usable width: trim the selvages before measuring, because a selvage edge is not counted here.
2 panels of 44 in joined with 1 seam lose 1/2 in from each side of every join, so the stitched width is 87 in against the 68 in needed, and 19 in is squared off.
Each panel is cut 88 in long, so the seams run down the length of the quilt.
2 cuts of 88 in is 176 in, which is 4.89 yd, rounded up to the next eighth: 5 yd.
Nothing is added for shrinkage or for matching a directional print: the figures are for the cloth as it measures on the table.

60 x 80 top, 44 in fabric4 in all round, 1/2 in seams
2 panels, 5 yd, seams down the length
108 in wide backingthe same top, one cut
1 panel, 2 yd, seams across the width
Wide top, 90 x 60 inthe seams turn the other way
2 panels, 5 1/2 yd, seams across the width

Cloth, counted both ways round. Exact arithmetic on the measurements you enter, rounded up to the next eighth of a yard. It assumes the overage you set on every side and does not allow for shrinkage or directional prints. The seam allowance is the part most backing calculators leave out: every join takes it from both edges, so the stitched width is printed here against the width the backing actually needs. Whether to prewash, and how much to add for a print you want matched across a seam, are yours to decide and are not folded into the figures.

Common questions

How much backing do I need for a 60 by 80 inch quilt?: With 4 inches of overage on every edge the backing is 68 by 88 inches. From 44 inch usable cotton that is 2 panels cut 88 inches long, joined with one seam down the length: 176 inches of fabric, which is 4.89 yards, so 5 yards at the cutting counter. Change the overage, the fabric width or the seam allowance and every one of those figures moves with it.
How much extra backing should I allow beyond the quilt top?: Longarm quilters usually ask for 3 to 4 inches beyond the top on every side, so the quilt can be loaded and squared on the frame. The page opens at 4 inches and the field takes anything from 0 up to 24. At 0 the backing finishes exactly the size of the top, which is what some domestic machine quilters prefer.
Why does the seam allowance change the number of panels?: Every seam takes the allowance from both of the edges it joins, so joining panels of 44 inches with a half inch allowance gives 87 inches of stitched width, not 88. That matters at the boundary: an 88 inch backing is exactly two widths on paper, and one inch short once the seam is sewn. This page counts the smallest number of panels whose stitched width actually covers the backing.
Should the backing seams run down the length or across the width?: It depends on the shape of the quilt, so the page works out both and leads with whichever buys less fabric. A tall quilt usually wants the seams running down the length; a wide, short one often uses less fabric with the seams across the width. You can also pin the direction yourself, and the page will show what that choice costs against the other one.
What changes if I use 108 inch wide backing fabric?: Usually the seam disappears. For the same 60 by 80 quilt, one cut of 68 inches from 108 inch wide fabric covers the whole 68 by 88 backing once it is turned, which is 2 yards instead of 5 and no piecing at all. Type 108 into the fabric width field and the cutting plan changes to a single length.
Does the yardage allow for shrinkage or for matching a print?: No. The arithmetic is exact on the measurements you enter, and it treats the cloth as it measures on the table. Cotton can draw up in a first wash, so wash before you measure if you prewash at all. A large directional print or a pattern you want matched across a seam needs fabric this page does not add, because it cannot see the repeat.
What does usable fabric width mean here?: It is the width you can actually sew with, after the selvages are trimmed off. Quilting cotton sold as 44 inches is often 42 inches usable once the selvage and any shrinkage at the edge are gone, so measure your own cut and type that. The panel count is sensitive to this number, which is why it is a field rather than a fixed assumption.

Exact arithmetic on the measurements you enter, rounded up to the next eighth of a yard. It assumes the overage you set on every side and does not allow for shrinkage or directional prints.