Repeat Distance Calculator
How many motif tiles fit across your fabric bolt or wallpaper roll. Straight block, half-drop, half-brick. Visual preview. Metric and imperial.
Each coloured tile = one motif repeat. Darker edges = selvedge (non-printable).
How repeat layout drives textile and wallpaper cost
Every printed textile has a repeat unit — the smallest tile that tiles cleanly to cover the fabric. The width of that tile against the width of the fabric bolt decides how many motifs fit across one linear metre, how much fabric you waste on selvedge, and how obvious the seam line is.
A straight block layout (aligned grid) shows a vertical seam between tiles — fine for geometric prints, less good for florals where the repeat becomes obvious. Half-drop offsets every other column by half a tile height, which hides the seam and is the textile / wallpaper industry default for organic prints. Half-brick does the same with rows instead of columns — used for certain architectural prints and masonry-style patterns.
Pair with our Seamless Repeats to generate a tileable motif and our Fabric Yield to work out total fabric needed for a garment run based on this repeat density.
What designers use this for
Quote a print-on-demand textile run
Customer wants 50 m of your print on 140 cm-wide cotton. Drop the bolt and tile size, see that your motif fits 7× across with minimal waste. Convert to fabric cost via Fabric Yield. Send the quote.
Validate a tile size before design work
Before committing hours to a motif at arbitrary dimensions, check that the proposed size divides cleanly into the bolt width. A 25 cm tile on a 140 cm bolt gives awkward 0.6-tile waste; a 20 cm tile gives 7× clean repeats. Design around the math.
Compare half-drop vs block layout yield
Half-drop uses about 50% more fabric between seamless repeats than block. Run both through the calculator to see the cost difference. For high-volume production, that gap can be significant.
Plan a wallpaper run
Wallpaper bolts (53 cm UK, 68.6 cm US) are much narrower than textile; tile sizes need to match. Half-drop is standard for wallpaper — pick your tile, confirm the repeat density, then order bolts.
Prepare a textile tile for digital print
Digital textile printers print at the bolt width. Your tile's cm dimensions need to divide cleanly into that width. Use this to find the closest integer-repeat tile size, then scale your artwork to match.
Explain repeat math to clients
Clients sometimes ask "why is this fabric more expensive?" The answer is often repeat layout. Run the half-drop vs block comparison in front of them, show the fabric-usage difference. Educates the conversation.
Four steps, no signup
Enter fabric width
The bolt width you'll be printing on — typically 112 cm, 140 cm, 150 cm, or 300 cm for textile. Selvedge margin is subtracted automatically if you specify it.
Enter your tile size
The width and height of one motif tile in cm or inches. For seamless repeats from our Seamless Repeats tool, this is the output file dimensions converted to physical size at your target DPI.
Pick a repeat layout
Straight block (aligned grid), half-drop (alternate columns offset by half height), or half-brick (alternate rows offset by half width). Each layout uses different amounts of fabric.
Review the repeat map
See repeats across the bolt, repeats per linear metre, fabric used per garment at a target quantity, and a visual preview of the layout. Pair with our Fabric Yield Calculator to work out total fabric needed for a production run.
Built for textile and wallpaper math
Bolt presets tuned to the industry. Unit-agnostic. Visual preview.
Industry bolt widths
Textile (112, 140, 150, 300 cm) and wallpaper (53, 68.6, 91 cm) one-click presets. Plus custom for specialty mills.
Three layouts
Straight block, half-drop (textile standard), half-brick. Switch to compare fabric usage across layouts.
Visual preview
SVG layout preview shows repeats, selvedge, drop offset at a glance. Not just numbers — a picture.
No paywall
Every preset, every layout, every unit free. No account needed. Commercial use allowed.
Frequently asked
Q.Why does repeat layout matter?
Q.What's selvedge margin?
Q.How do I know my tile size in cm?
Q.What's the difference from the Fabric Yield Calculator?
Q.Does this work for wallpaper too?
Q.Can I use this for rug or tile design?
Q.How accurate are the repeat numbers?
Q.Do I need an account?
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