Circle Skirt Calculator
Find the seam-line radius and the inner and outer cut radii for a quarter, half, full, or double circle skirt.
Calculator
Calculated in your browser. These measurements are not sent to the server.
Result
- Seam-line radius
- 4.615 in (11.723 cm)
- Inner cut radius
- 4.115 in (10.453 cm)
- Outer cut radius
- 25.115 in (63.793 cm)
- Finished hem arc
- 154.66 in (392.85 cm)
- Finished diameter
- 49.23 in (125.05 cm)
No fabric yardage is calculated.
The full-circle cut diameter is wider than the usable fabric. A one-piece full circle does not fit on this width.
Panel side seam allowance is recorded for layout only. It is not added to the radius and it is not converted into yardage.
Waist plus ease sets the seam-line radius. Waist seam allowance is only the radial distance from that stitch line to the cut line.
Hem allowance is added outside the finished length. It is not part of the waist radius.
No panel, fold, or pieced layout is assumed, so no fabric yardage is reported.
Fit check
Outer cut radius 25.12 in (63.79 cm) compared with usable width 45 in (114.3 cm). Fraction full (1).
How this calculation works
The seam-line radius is (waist + ease) ÷ (2 × π × fraction). Quarter is 0.25, half is 0.5, full is 1, and double is 2.
Waist seam allowance is subtracted from that radius to get the inner cut line. Skirt length and hem allowance are added to get the outer cut line. Panel side seam allowance is not folded into the radius.
Usable fabric width is compared with the outer cut radius so you can see when one width cannot hold the panel. This page does not estimate yardage, because that requires a specific fold or piecing layout.
Worked example
Full circle, 28 in waist, 1 in ease, 20 in length
Seam-line radius = 29 ÷ (2 × π) ≈ 4.62 in.
With 1/2 in waist seam allowance, the inner cut radius is about 4.12 in. With 1/2 in hem allowance, the outer cut radius is about 25.12 in.
A 45 in usable width is wider than that outer radius, so the straight edge can fit across the width. The diameter of a one-piece full circle still may not. No yardage is shown.
Assumptions and limitations
- Waist and ease set the stitch line. Ease cannot be negative in this calculator; enter a larger waist if you need more room.
- Hem allowance sits outside the finished length.
- Side seam allowance is stored for the layout note only.
- No yardage, fold layout, or pieced-panel plan is calculated.
- Grown-on waistbands, yokes, and pockets are not included.
Common questions
Why is there no yardage result?
A circle skirt can be cut on a fold, in gores, or from pieced panels. Without that layout, a yardage number would look more exact than it is. The calculator reports radii and a width warning instead.
Does waist seam allowance get added to the waist measurement?
No. Waist plus ease determines the seam-line radius. The waist allowance only moves the cut line inward from that radius.