How to Measure a Roll of Vinyl Without Undoing the Roll

Tired of undoing rolls of vinyl and fabric to measure how many yards are left? Here’s a quicker and easier way to do it.

This free online calculator by Handy Math will tell you exactly how many yards are left on a roll. All you need to do is input the following figures:

The outside diameter of the roll
The diameter of the center hole
The thickness of the fabric

I recently tested the calculator for accuracy on a brand new 11-yard roll of vinyl. I used digital calipers to get the three figures needed.

On the first try, it calculated that the roll had a little over 11 yards of vinyl. I tested the calculator a few more times on various rolls in my auto upholstery shop and found that it was always within a half yard of the correct measurement.

I got the best results when I entered the figures in millimeters.

The calculator never rendered the exact measurement, but that’s understandable. After all, the rolls and the inner holes aren’t always perfect circles. Also, I was using a cheap pair of Harbor Fright calipers as opposed to high-quality ones.

Still, I was impressed. This handy calculator is accurate enough to help out around the shop — especially when double-checking a supplier’s shipment or making sure I have enough material to finish a job.

Best of all, the calculator is available in two handy smartphone formats that you can keep open on your phone’s browser. Click here to try it out.