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Fabric Roll Weight and Meterage Calculator
Fabric is bought by the metre but handled by the roll, and the roll is where three practical limits meet: what a person can lift, what fits in a container, and what a roll core can hold. This calculator turns GSM, width and roll length into roll weight, diameter and roll count, and flags when the answer is not workable.
Fabric Roll Weight and Meterage Calculator
Roll weight, diameter and roll count from GSM, width and roll length.
Finished weight of the fabric.
Open width. 150 cm is a common knit width, 180 cm wider.
Standard export rolls are 30 m or 50 m.
Optional. Used to count rolls and total weight.
Affects the roll diameter and the weight on the core.
Change any field, then press Enter again to recalculate.
Working out roll weight and diameter
- Converting GSM and width into grams per metre
- Weighting one roll of the specified length
- Estimating roll diameter from the wound area
- Counting the rolls in the total quantity
- Checking the result against manual handling limits
Press the button to see the figures
Enter weight, width and roll length above 0.
Roll weight and dimensions
Roll weight
—
kg per roll
Roll diameter
—
cm, with the core
Grams per metre
—
at this width
Rolls needed
—
for the total quantity
Total net weight
—
kg
Handling
—
safe / two-person / reel required
—
The 32 cm Rule
Roll diameter is the number buyers most often specify without thinking, and it is the one that determines whether the shipment packs. A roll of 28 to 32 cm diameter sits well in a container: two rolls lie end to end across the 2.35 m interior, and the cylinders nest without leaving much void.
Below 25 cm there are too many rolls to handle and too much core waste per metre. Above 35 cm, packing density falls off and unloading becomes awkward. A 50 m roll of 400 GSM fleece can reach 40 cm, which is a large amount of fabric to ask one person to lift off a truck.
Roll Weight Is a Handling Limit, Not a Freight Limit
The practical limit for manual handling is about 25 kg for one person, and 45 kg is the point where you need two people or a mechanical aid. Anything past that stops being a roll-handling problem and becomes a labour cost, because unloading time per roll rises sharply.
Heavier fabrics should be specified on 30 m rolls, and very heavy or stiff fabric may need 25 m. This is a normal expectation in the trade rather than a special request, and specifying 50 m rolls for a 400 GSM fleece tends to prompt questions about who is unloading.
Why Rolls Are Not Just About Volume
Cylinders do not tile a rectangular space. The void between rolls is real dead freight, and it grows with diameter. This is why two shipments of the same fabric in the same container can differ by 30 percent in metreage purely from the roll length choice.
Roll length also has to agree with the cutting room. A cutting table laid for 30 m cannot take a 50 m roll efficiently, and a 50 m roll means the fabric is cut across two lays, which changes marker planning and can increase waste. Specify the roll length for the cutting room, not only for the container.
Rolling Weight Into the Rest of the Chain
Three figures come out of this calculation and each one feeds a different tool. The grams per metre determines freight, because ocean carriers charge on weight. The total net weight determines whether the shipment binds on payload rather than space. The roll count determines how much labour unloading will take.
Carry the total weight into the container loading calculator to see whether you need a 40ft or a 45ft, and into the landed cost calculator to get the freight cost per metre. Those three together are the full purchase calculation, and a change to any one of them can change the others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a standard fabric roll length?
30 m and 50 m are the two standards for export, and 30 m is the usual choice above 350 GSM. 50 m is fine for lightweight fabrics below 150 GSM. Between those weights, 30 m is the safer default because it keeps roll weight within manual handling limits.
What is a good roll diameter for export?
28 to 32 cm. Below 25 cm there are too many rolls to handle and too much core waste; above 35 cm packing density falls off and unloading becomes difficult. If your roll diameter falls outside that band, change the roll length rather than the fabric.
How much can one person safely handle?
About 25 kg for comfortable manual handling, and 45 kg is the practical ceiling for a two-person lift. Beyond that, plan on a reel or trolley. Roll weight above 45 kg is usually a sign the roll length is too long for the fabric weight.
How many metres are in a fabric roll?
It is whatever you specify, and that is the point. 30 m and 50 m are the common export lengths, but a 65 m roll exists for lightweight fabrics. The right length is the one that gives a roll weight you can handle and a diameter that packs well.
Does roll weight affect freight cost?
Indirectly, and the connection is that carriers charge on weight. A 400 GSM fabric at 180 cm weighs about 7.2 kg per metre against 3.6 kg for a 200 GSM fabric, so the same metreage costs roughly twice as much to ship. The landed cost calculator handles this.
Should the roll length match the container width?
The roll length should be close to the container width, not exactly equal to it. Two rolls sit end to end across a 2.35 m container interior, so a 1.80 m roll leaves about 0.55 m of dead space per pair. Keeping the effective length consumed close to 2.35 m per two rolls is the practical target.
Then check the container: the container loading calculator takes this total weight and works out which container and which limit binds.
Then price it: the fabric landed cost calculator adds freight, duty and broker fees to reach a delivered cost per metre.
Reference data: the fabric width and spec reference gives the standard widths and roll lengths for each construction.