How much cloth does a shalwar kameez need?
It depends on how wide your cloth is, not just on your size. Put in your measurements and the width of the thaan, and this works out the gaz — and draws the cutting layout the number comes from.
Fabric calculator
Fill in the form and press Calculate.
| Piece | Cut size | Per row | Length used |
|---|
Cutting layout: cloth runs top to bottom, width across.
Buying estimate, not a cutting plan. This assumes a straight-cut garment with standard seam and hem allowance, and no shrinkage. Panelled, flared, lined and one-way-print fabrics all need more. Confirm with your tailor before cutting.
Why the width changes the answer
A kameez front and a kameez back are each about half your chest wide, plus room and seams. At a 38" chest that is roughly 23" per panel.
On 44" cloth, two 23" panels are 46" — they do not fit side by side, so the front and back are laid one after the other and you pay for the kameez length twice. On 58" cloth the same two panels fit across in one row, and the kameez length is paid once. That single difference is worth about a gaz.
This is why "2.5 gaz for a suit" is not a real answer, and why a figure copied from a general sewing site is usually wrong here: those sites assume 45" or 60" quilting cotton and a Western pattern, not a 36" thaan.
What brand unstitched packs actually contain
Brands sell a printed panel set, not a length off a thaan. The meterage on the pack is already matched to the print and the mill's wide cloth, so you cannot compare it directly to the figure above. These are the component splits the brands publish themselves:
| Brand / listing | Shirt | Bottom | Dupatta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gul Ahmed, printed lawn (common spec) | 1.75 m | 1.75 m dyed trouser | 2.50 m |
| Gul Ahmed, embroidered lawn DN-62047 | 2.35 m front, back & sleeves | 1.75 m | 2.50 m |
| Sana Safinaz, 3-piece (split out) | 1.15 m front + 1.15 m back + 0.75 m sleeves | — | 2.50 m |
| MTJ premium printed lawn | 1.75 m | 1.80 m cambric | 2.50 m |
| Faisalabad Fabric Store, wholesale | 2.5–3 m | 2.5–3 m shalwar | 2.50 m |
Sources: gulahmedshop.com, sanasafinaz.com, mtjonline.com, faisalabadfabricstore.com — product specifications as published on 19 August 2026. Brands revise specs each season; always read the pack.
The Sana Safinaz row is the useful one, because it shows what "1.75 m shirt" hides. Split into pieces, that shirt is over three metres of cloth. If you are buying plain cloth by the gaz and comparing it against a 1.75 m pack, you will buy far too little.
Men's cloth runs the other way. A Kamalia khaddar men's suit piece is sold as 7 metres at 1 yard width — narrow cloth, so the length has to be long.
The measurements this uses
Four numbers do most of the work. The rest are allowances the calculator adds for you.
| Input | How it is used | Allowance added |
|---|---|---|
| Chest round | Halved to get the panel width | + fit ease, + 1.5" seams |
| Kameez length | Row length for front and back | + 2" hem, + 0.75" shoulder |
| Sleeve length | Row length for the sleeve pair | + 2" hem, + 0.75" seam |
| Hip round | Leg width — shalwar is cut far wider than a trouser | + 1.5" seams |
| Bottom length | Row length for the leg pair | + 3" waist casing & hem |
| Fabric width | Decides how many pieces fit in a row | − 1" selvedge |
Questions people ask
How many gaz is one shalwar kameez?
There is no single figure, because it depends on the width of the cloth. The same kameez that takes about 3 gaz on 36" cloth can take under 2 gaz on 58" cloth, since the front and back fit side by side on wide cloth instead of one after the other. Use the calculator above for your own figure.
Is a gaz the same as a metre?
No. In the cloth trade a gaz is a yard: 36 inches, or 0.9144 metres. A metre is 39.37 inches. So one metre is about 1.09 gaz. The full comparison is here.
Why does the brand pack say 1.75 metres for a shirt?
Because it is a printed panel already cut to size on wide mill cloth, with the print positioned. Sana Safinaz publishes the same shirt as 1.15 m front + 1.15 m back + 0.75 m sleeves — over three metres of cloth. A pack figure is not comparable to cloth off a thaan.
Does this include shrinkage?
No. This is the cutting requirement before washing. Lawn, khaddar and cotton shrink on the first wash. Add a shrinkage allowance if the cloth is not pre-washed.
My cloth has a one-way print. Does that change it?
Yes, and it always costs more. Every piece has to face the same direction, so pieces can no longer be turned to nest together. Work it out with the allowance calculator.