The Working Upholsterer’s Bible · Tools
Free working tools for the trade — the sums upholsterers do at the bench, done quickly and in both metric and imperial.
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A growing set of calculators for upholsterers and learners alike. No sign-up, no charge — just the numbers you need before you cut, stuff or button.
Fabric
Work out how much top fabric a piece needs, by type and size, with allowances for pattern and turnings — so you order enough without over-buying.
Open calculator →Pricing
Ballpark the labour hours, materials and total for a job — traditional or modern — grounded in real workshop rates. For a guide price before you commit.
Open estimator →Buttoning
Button count and layout, both marking grids — base and cover — and the fabric fullness that lets each diamond pleat in, with diagrams you mark straight from.
Open calculator →Foam
The right foam type, density, firmness, depth and fire grade for each job — sofa seats, dining pads, headboards, benches and more — with an optional cut size.
Open tool →Leather
How many square feet of hide — and how many hides to buy — for any piece, with allowances for aniline finishes and deep buttoning. Metric and imperial.
Open tool →Cutting
Enter width, depth and height and get every panel cut to size — boxing, zip border, piping strips — with total fabric and a printable cutting list. Metric and imperial.
Open calculator →Trimmings
How much cord, how wide to cut the strips, and how much fabric — straight cut or bias — with the joins counted and the honest rule on when bias is worth the waste.
Open calculator →Paperwork
A free Excel quote, order form and invoice built for upholstery — your logo, your terms, a VAT toggle, and deposit and balance worked out for you. Opens in Excel, LibreOffice or Google Sheets.
Download free →AI
Upload a photo of your furniture and a fabric swatch and see the piece re-covered in seconds — free, emailed to you, with a route straight to an upholsterer who can make it real.
Open tool →Compliance
Four questions and you know where a job stands under the Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 — what needs a barrier cloth, what’s exempt, and what the label must say.
Open checker →More on the bench
Pattern-repeat cut planner, foam & cushion spec, spring and webbing layouts, a Martindale durability guide and more are in the works. Got one you wish existed? Tell us in the group.
From the workshop