How many hides do I need?

[Hilly]

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been here! Glad to see this place is still here to ask questions.

Buying leather hides is a lot more intimidating than just a roll of vinyl, and a heck of a lot more expensive if a mistake is made. I need advice on how much leather to buy for a project.

I want to recover a bench seat in an old Ford roadster, cover the door panels, and the kick plates. How many full hides should I expect to buy? I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination, but I have the equipment to do the work, and a basic knowledge of car upholstery.

I used heavy chap leather to cover a couple of buckets in a Corvette a few years ago, and they turned out great. Also did a few Mustang seats with vinyl a while ago. They turned out okay, too.

Anyone have the answers I need?

Thanks,
Hilly

[JDUpholstery]

figure out square footage instead of yardage, then tell your hide supplier how many square feet you need and let them tell you how many hides...hides range between 45-55 sf

[Darren Henry]

I believe the conversion is 17.?? sq/ft =1 yard. Remember a sq ft of leather is 10X10".

[byhammerandhand]

Really???

This sounds like a conversation I had with a Home Ec. teacher.

Her: "How thick is a 1x4x8?"
Me:  "3/4 inch"
Her: "Well then, how wide is it?"
Me:  "3 1/2 inches."
Her (getting more frustrated): "Then how long is it?"
Me: "96 inches."

I guess she was used to a teaspoon of salt being a teaspoon, and an eighth of a yard of fabric being 9 inches.

I believe the conversion is 17.?? sq/ft =1 yard. Remember a sq ft of leather is 10X10".

[sofadoc]

My charts always say to order 18 sq. ft. of leather for every 1 upholstery yard.
So the average hide is equivalent to just under 3 yards.
So if for example, you determine that you would need 7 yards of regular upholstery fabric for your roadster, that would equate to 2 1/2 hides.

Remember a sq ft of leather is 10X10

I never heard it put that way before, but it makes sense. 10" X 10" is a good formula for factoring in the flawed/unusable parts of the hide.

I've been second-guessed by many customers when I tell them that 36" X 54" = 18 sq. ft. ;)

[gene]

How many feet are in a yard?

It depends on how many people are standing in it.


I once told a designer that I needed 5 yards of fabric for a job. She gave me 3 1/2 yards. When I called her to tell her that I could not do the job with only 3 1/2 yards of fabric, she told me that she assumed that I told her 5 yards only to make more money on the job buy selling her more yards of fabric than she actually needed. I then pointed out that she bought the fabric from her fabric supplier, not from me.

gene

[sofadoc]

I guess she was used to a teaspoon of salt being a teaspoon, and an eighth of a yard of fabric being 9 inches.

Actually, 1/8th of a yard would be 4 1/2 inches.
Typical woman. Wanting 9 inches when all we can offer is 4 1/2. ;)

[Mojo]

I guess she was used to a teaspoon of salt being a teaspoon, and an eighth of a yard of fabric being 9 inches.

Actually, 1/8th of a yard would be 4 1/2 inches.
Typical woman. Wanting 9 inches when all we can offer is 4 1/2. ;)

LMAO.........:)   :o

;D    :D   8) :-X

[byhammerandhand]

To quote a politician, "Oops."  :-[   Coming into this as a "cabinetmaker"  I tend to work in inches (or mm) and board feet and not fractional yards (upholstery and sewing) or feet and inches (carpentry).

However, if fabric is 54" wide (a yard and a half), one running yard would be 1.5 square yards.

I guess she was used to a teaspoon of salt being a teaspoon, and an eighth of a yard of fabric being 9 inches.

Actually, 1/8th of a yard would be 4 1/2 inches.
Typical woman. Wanting 9 inches when all we can offer is 4 1/2. ;)

NSFW:  Sofadoc : I think you'd just have to make two trips  ;D

[Darren Henry]

I never heard it put that way before, but it makes sense. 10" X 10" is a good formula for factoring in the flawed/unusable parts of the hide.

Actually; it isn't a compensation for waste. When they measure hides at the tannery and stencil the size on them they actually measure a sq.ft. as 10X10. I guess they expect us to stretch it the other 2" ???.That BTW is really hard to do with sole leather.

I thought my old master was pulling my leg when he and our upper maker told me that, but they had me measure out a couple of hides and as usual they were right.

[seamsperfect]

Take if from some that does a good amount of leatherwork.  I just ordered 2,000 sq ft of avg 50sqft/per.  General rule 2.5yds per 50sq ft.  Usually with blemishes stretches etc you can use 80-90% of the total hide.  It all depends how clean they are like a spineybeck leather is very clean but it is also $20/sqft
Kevin