Textiles & Apparel Manufacturing worked example

Soft Goods Scrap Cost at 8.64% scrap and offcut rate: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop scrap and offcut rate to 8.64%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimates the dollar value of fabric lost as cutting-room scrap plus disposal on a soft-goods run.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Fabric consumed per run: 3,200 yards (held at the documented default)
  • Fabric cost per yard: 4.1 $/yard (held at the documented default)
  • Scrap and offcut rate: 8.64 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)
  • Scrap disposal and rework cost: 180 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Scrap cost = fabric yardage x cost per yard x scrap rate + disposal cost.
  • Total soft goods scrap cost works out to 1,314 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Soft goods scrap cost per unit works out to 0.41 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable soft goods scrap cost works out to 1,134 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed soft goods scrap cost adder works out to 180 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where scrap and offcut rate sits at 12% and the headline result is 1,754 $, this scenario comes in 25.13% below the baseline at 1,314 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to scrap and offcut rate, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It applies one blended scrap rate across the whole run, so it won't capture roll-to-roll shade variation or the extra loss on directional and matched prints.

Results at a glance

  • Total soft goods scrap cost: 1,314 $ (headline result)
  • Soft goods scrap cost per unit: 0.41 $ / piece
  • Variable soft goods scrap cost: 1,134 $
  • Fixed soft goods scrap cost adder: 180 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Soft Goods Scrap Cost calculator, set scrap and offcut rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.