Fabric Calculation & Cutting Math Quiz: Yield, Consumption & CMM / CMT

Practical Garment Math: Cutting Cost and Fabric Waste

In garment manufacturing, fabric represents 50% to 70% of the total production cost. Miscalculating consumption by even 10 to 15 centimeters per piece can erase profit margins across a production run of 1,000 kurtis.

Key Formulas & Sizing Rules

• Fabric Consumption: Total linear meters of fabric required to stitch one garment, factoring in body panels, sleeves, collars, seam allowances, and hem folds.
• Fabric Width Impact (Panna): Standard widths are 44 inches (regular) and 58 inches (wide panna). A straight kurti that takes 2.25 meters in 44-inch fabric typically requires only 1.6 to 1.7 meters in 58-inch fabric because pattern pieces can be laid side-by-side.
• Marker Efficiency: The percentage of fabric utilized within the cutting marker layout: (Area of Pattern Pieces ÷ Total Marker Area) × 100. High-efficiency commercial markers aim for 85% to 92% utilization.
• Shrinkage Allowance: Natural fabrics (cotton, viscose, linen) shrink 3% to 6% during washing. Fabric patterns must include positive dimensional allowance before bulk cutting unless fabric is pre-shrunk or sanforized.
• CMT vs CMM Costing: CMT stands for Cut, Make, and Trim (labor to cut, stitch, and attach trims where the buyer supplies fabric). CMM refers to Cut, Make, and Manufacture.

Compute accurate manufacturing margins and landed costs with our kurti margin calculator and fabric margin calculator.