HesapHanem

Weaving Warp Length Calculator

Enter your finished length, warp ends, loom waste and take-up to find the total warp yarn.

How it is calculated

Enter the finished length of the cloth in centimetres, the number of warp ends (threads), the loom waste in metres and the take-up in percent. The tool first works out how long each warp thread must be: warp length (m) = finished length ÷ 100 × (1 + take-up ÷ 100) + loom waste. Then it multiplies by the number of ends: total yarn (m) = warp length × ends. If you leave loom waste empty the tool uses 0.5 m, and if you leave take-up empty it uses 10%. Length and ends must be above zero, and waste and take-up cannot be negative. The result is the exact amount the formula gives, with no safety margin, so buy or wind a little extra for sampling, broken ends and tying on.

Worked example

You want 200 cm of finished cloth with 240 warp ends, 0.6 m of loom waste and 12% take-up. Finished length in metres: 200 ÷ 100 = 2.00 m. Add take-up: 2.00 × 1.12 = 2.24 m. Add loom waste: 2.24 + 0.6 = 2.84 m per thread. Total yarn: 2.84 × 240 = 681.6 m. With the defaults (0.5 m waste, 10% take-up) the same project would need 648.0 m.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering the finished length in metres. The field is centimetres, so 2 would be treated as 2 cm and the yarn total would be far too small.
  • Entering loom waste in centimetres. Waste is added in metres, so 60 would add 60 m to every thread; type 0.6 for 60 cm.
  • Using take-up as a fraction like 0.12. It is a percentage, so enter 12.
  • Forgetting that the result is for all the ends together. It is the length of yarn in total, not the length of one thread, which is shown separately as the warp length.
  • Not leaving a margin. The formula gives the minimum, so a broken end, a test sample or a longer tie-on can leave you short.

About this calculator

Before threading a loom, a weaver has to calculate the total length of yarn needed for the warp — the fixed threads the weft is woven through — and underestimating it means running out mid-project. The total accounts for more than just the finished cloth length: take-up (the yarn shortens as it bends over and under the weft during weaving) and loom waste (the unwoven length lost to tying onto the front and back beams) both add extra length that must be planned for per warp end.

This calculator combines your finished fabric length, the number of warp ends, the take-up percentage, and loom waste to estimate the total warp yarn required, so you can buy or wind enough yarn — with a reasonable margin — before you start dressing the loom.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    Read the two results for different jobs. The length per thread is what you measure out on the warping board, while the total is what you buy or wind. The total covers the warp only, with no weft. The default 10 percent take-up is a starting guess, not a rule, since it varies with yarn, sett and weave. What take-up did a sample of your own cloth show, and in which weave?

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