Choose a step size
Because Shopify quantities are whole numbers, the trick is to sell the smallest length you cut as one item. With a 10 cm step, 2.3 m is 23 items; with a 50 cm step, shoppers can only buy 0.5 m, 1 m, 1.5 m and so on.
| Step | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 10 cm | Dressmaking fabric, ribbon, trims | More precise; quantities in the cart look large (23) |
| 25 cm | Quilting and craft fabric | Matches fat-quarter thinking |
| 50 cm | Upholstery, curtain fabric | Simple, but less flexible |
Price per step, show price per metre
Set the variant price to the price of one step ($1.20 for 10 cm of a $12.00/m fabric) and turn on Shopify’s unit price with "per 1 m" (where unit prices are available for your store). Shopify then shows "$12.00 / m" next to the price, in the cart and at checkout, which is what fabric shoppers compare.
Keep stock in steps
A 50 m roll in 10 cm steps is 500 in stock. When overselling is off, nobody can order more than you have, and every order reduces stock by exactly what was cut.
Name the variant after the step ("10 cm") so that "23 × 10 cm" in the cart and on the packing slip is clear to the shopper and to whoever cuts the fabric.
Give shoppers a length field
Without an app, shoppers have to type 23 in the quantity box and do the maths. That works, but it confuses people and leads to wrong lengths. A length input that converts "2.3 m" into 23 steps, shows the live price and enforces your minimum is the missing piece.
Our Sell by Measure app adds that input as a theme app block, uses Shopify’s unit price, offers quick buttons such as 1 m, 2.5 m and 5 m, and adds a checkout rule for the minimum and maximum length, even if the cart is edited by hand.
Shopify
Sell by Measure
An amount input with a live price, Shopify unit prices and a checkout check for minimum and maximum amounts.
Practical tips
- Set a minimum length (for example 50 cm) if cutting smaller pieces is not worth it.
- Mention whether multiple quantities of the same fabric are cut as one continuous length.
- Use the product weight per step so shipping rates follow the length.
- Offer swatches as a separate cheap product; they reduce returns of cut fabric.
