Canvas Roll Calculator — Canvases from a Roll

For gallery wrap (stapling on the back of stretcher bars), add 50-75 mm per side. For stapling on the sides, 30-40 mm is enough. The calculator adds the allowance to both sides of each dimension, so a 50 mm setting adds 100 mm total to width and height.

In the UK, cotton and linen rolls are commonly sold in widths of about 1000-1100 mm, 1600 mm (63 in), 2100 mm (83 in) and 2500 mm (98 in). Lengths are typically 5 or 10 metres per roll (some priced by the metre). Wider rolls give more layout options but cost more per metre — enter your actual roll width and length above.

It is the share of the roll left as offcuts — the gaps between pieces and the unused tail — calculated as 1 minus (area of all cut pieces ÷ total roll area). It is a measure of how efficiently the roll is used, not a count of ruined canvases. The separate Spoilage Buffer setting is what holds back whole pieces for mistakes.

Use the auto orientation option to let the calculator find the best layout. Cut all pieces of one size before moving to the next. Use leftover strips for small canvases or test pieces. Plan and mark your cuts before reaching for the blade.

Most artists do not need to worry about grain direction for standard canvas. However, if using linen with a visible weave pattern, you may want all canvases cut in the same direction — use portrait or landscape orientation mode to enforce this.