There is only one tried and true method to determine the weight of the fabric used in a kilt when the advertised weight is in doubt. That method is to weigh your kilt. 16 oz is 16 oz. or 1 pound. It doesn't matter if the thing you measure is feathers or lead. 1 pound of feathers is the exact same weight as 1 pound of lead. It just takes more feathers to make 1 pound than it does of lead.


The method used as the Kilt Industry standard is to use a piece of fabric double width wide and a yard long, and put it on a scale.

Now Double Width fabric can vary between 54 and 62 inches wide so we sort of average that and use 60 inches as the width. That means that the piece of fabric will be 60" X 36" or 2160 square inches. I'm going to call this a fabric yard because in making a kilt you buy 4 yards of double width fabric and rip in in half, join the two halves, then cut off the excess length to get the correct drop.

To find out how much the fabric in your kilt weighs take a tape measure and measure along the entire hem. Add up the lengths for the fabric used in the aprons, for fringes, deep pleats, reverse pleats, and each pleat in turn.

Take this length number and then multiply it by the total length of the kilt from hem to top of waistband.

For example; If you measure the entire hem length and it comes to 288 inches and then if the kilt is 24 inches in drop your total amount of fabric will be 288 X 24 or 6912 square inches.

You still have what is called an 8 yard kilt but it only contains 3.2 Fabric yards of fabric.

Now place you kilt on a good quality postal scale that measures in ounces.

If the 8 yard kilt I used in the example were made from 16oz. cloth the kilt should weigh 51.2 ounces or 3.2 pounds. 3.2 fabric yards X 16oz. = 3.2 pounds.

Now, if your kilt does not weigh 3.2 pounds how do you find out what the actual weight of the fabric is. Use this formula.

1) The total length of the fabric in your kilt measured in inches at the Hem,
multiplied by,
The total length of your kilt from Hem to waistband, also in inches.

This will give you the total amount of square inches of fabric in your kilt.

2) Divide this number by a Fabric Yard or 2160.

This will give you the amount of Fabric Yards in your Kilt.

3) Divide the weight of your kilt in ounces by the Fabric Yards.

The answer will be the weight of the fabric in your kilt in ounces.



Here are some examples to use as a guide.

An 8 yard kilt 24 inches in drop made from 16 oz cloth will weigh 51.2 oz. or 3.2 pounds

A 4 yard kilt 24 inches in drop made from 16 oz cloth will weigh 25.6 ounces or 1.6 pounds.

An 8 yard kilt 24 inches in drop made from 13 oz cloth will weigh 41.6 oz. or 2.6 pounds.

A 4 yard kilt 24 inches in drop made from 13 oz cloth will weigh 20.8 ounces or 1.3 pounds.



I just measured a kilt here in my shop made from Marton Mills P/V. It contains 3.43 Fabric Yards of cloth and weighs 46 ounces. If I subtract the weight of the straps and buckles (2.6 oz.) this results in a fabric weight of 12.65oz per Fabric Yard.
Marton Mills advertises their fabric as weighing 375 grams per linear meter or 12.09 ounces per Fabric Yard so my numbers are within less than a 10% margin of error.