How to Figure Fabric Yardage for a Sofa

Remove one cushion from the couch. Measure the cushion's length from seam to seam. Flip the cushion over and repeat this measurement. Then measure all the way around the cushion's edges. Add these measurements together and multiply them by the total number of cushions. Measure the length of the sofa's platform -- where the cushions sit -- and add this to the cushion measurement.

Measure one of the sofa's arms. Start on the inside bottom corner, where the arm meets the sofa's platform, and measure over the arm and down to the floor. Multiply this measurement by two.

Measure the sofa's backrest, starting from the seam on the upper edge and down to the platform. Generally, the sections on a sofa's backrest match the width of the cushions. Multiply the measurement you get by the number of sections, or cushions on your sofa.

Pull the sofa away from the wall and look for seams along the back. If there aren't any, measure the length of the sofa's back, from arm to arm. If seams divide the back, measure the height of each section and add them together.

Add the measurements from Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 together. Divide the sum by 36 to determine approximately how many yards of fabric you need. Order an extra 1 to 2 yards to cover any measurement errors you may have made and to have on hand in case of mistakes during the upholstery project.