How to Calculate Ripplefold Drapery Yardage: Track & Fabric Guide

Ripplefold Is Different from Other Drapery

Ripplefold is not a sewing pleat — it is a track system. The drapery fabric is clipped to carriers at fixed intervals. The carrier spacing creates a controlled, uniform S-wave pattern. This means:

• Fullness is determined by the track (not the sewing)
• No buckram or pleat tape needed in the heading
• A special ripplefold track is required — NOT compatible with standard traverse rods
• Stack back is the most compact of all drapery styles (~25% of cut width)

Step 1 — Identify Your Track Fullness

Check your ripplefold track specification. Most tracks offer:

If unsure: Use 1.8× — this is the most common US specification and covers Silent Gliss, Rolls, Somfy, and Lutron standard ripplefold tracks.

Step 2 — Calculate Cut Width

Ripplefold has no side returns (the track terminates at wall brackets on each end):

Finished panel width = track width ÷ number of panels
Cut panel width      = finished panel width × fullness ratio

No return allowance is added for ripplefold.

Example: 120” track, 2 panels, 1.8× fullness:

Finished panel width = 120 ÷ 2 = 60"
Cut panel width      = 60 × 1.8 = 108"

Widths per panel:

Widths per panel = ⌈ 108 ÷ 54 ⌉ = ⌈ 2.0 ⌉ = 2 widths

Step 3 — Calculate Cut Length

Same formula as all drapery — drop plus heading and hem allowances:

Cut length = drop + top heading + bottom hem

Ripplefold heading allowance: 1–2” (the heading tape is pre-sewn; much less bulk than buckram). Check your heading tape specification.

Standard allowances for ripplefold:

• Top heading: 2” (heading tape — no buckram needed)
• Bottom hem: 8” (folded double = 4” visible)

Example: 96” drop:

Cut length = 96 + 2 + 8 = 106"

Note: If your workroom uses 4” heading for buckram, use 4” instead. Confirm with your workroom.

Step 4 — Calculate Total Yardage

Total widths = widths per panel × panels
Total inches = total widths × cut length
Total yards  = total inches ÷ 36

Example (120” track, 2 panels, 96” drop):

Total widths = 2 × 2 = 4 widths
Total inches = 4 × 106 = 424"
Total yards  = 424 ÷ 36 = 11.8 yards

Compare: Pinch pleat for the same window = ~18 yards. Ripplefold saves approximately 6 yards on this window. For a full comparison of fabric, hardware, and stack back, see Pinch Pleat vs Ripplefold Drapery.

Step 5 — Calculate Stack Back

Ripplefold stack factor = 0.25 (most compact of all drapery styles):

Stack per side = widths per panel × fabric bolt width × 0.25
Stack per side = 2 × 54 × 0.25 = 27"

The track needs to extend 27” past the window frame on each side for panels to clear the glass when open.

Carrier Count (Not Required for Fabric, But Useful for Ordering)

Some workrooms need to know the number of carriers per panel to order ripplefold heading tape:

Approximate clip interval = track width per panel ÷ (cut width per panel − track width per panel)

In practice: order 1 carrier per 4” of cut width. For 108” cut width: ~27 carriers per panel.

Check your specific track manufacturer’s carrier spacing table — intervals vary by fullness setting.

Ripplefold Pattern Repeat

Pattern repeat works the same as other drapery styles:

Adjusted cut length = ⌈ raw cut length ÷ repeat ⌉ × repeat

For 106” raw cut, 18” repeat:

⌈ 106 ÷ 18 ⌉ × 18 = ⌈ 5.89 ⌉ × 18 = 6 × 18 = 108"
Waste per cut = 108 − 106 = 2"

Ripplefold often uses solid or large-scale fabrics — the uniform wave looks best with minimal pattern interruption.

Use the Drapery Yardage Calculator — select Ripplefold and it calculates the correct 1.8× fullness, stack back, and total yards.

See also: Drapery Pleat Types Guide and How to Calculate Drapery Fullness.