The Upholstery Forum

Reading the post on the types of thread got me thinking about amounts too. A bit of googling came up with this. The ratio of 2.9 (2.5 plus 15% wastage) seems about right to me and makes it easier to work out project costs. Can't quite understand some of their estimates for clothes but I found it helpful - especially for a one off where you're not sure how much thread to buy:http://www.coatsindustrial.com/en/infor ... onsumption How do you estimate?

Great question! Ive never heard of those ratios before. That's pretty interesting. For me thread is such a small cost compared to the rest of the job that I always pay for what I think is the best and I trust. I have used Coats for a long time. I know from experience it works good and I can trust it. After 10 years of using it I have never had a job come back from a problem with the thread. But that doesn't mean other threads aren't good too.

As far as estimating the thread usage goes... I have always included that cost in the consumables category. They way I have always done it and a lot of shops I know do it is. Consumables are covered in the material mark up budget. For example most shops mark up their material %25-50 more than they bought the material for. material being fabric, foam, ABS, leather, etc..
This mark up covers all the many small consumable cost that don't make sense to calculate on the invoice but actually add up to real $$$ For example thread, electricity, staples, glue, pattern material, the time it took order and pick up the material, etc...

Unless your manufacturing 1000s of one thing I don't think It make sense to calculate the amount of thread used on jobs. I always buy 1 pound spools of black, white and beaver in size 92. These colors seem to be what you will use on 90% of jobs. Everything else I buy in the 4oz spools as needed.

Hope this helps!

Consumables is a category that really explains the material mark up. I see the necessity in adding a mark up to material now.

Thanks John

@John
Not to mention Vacuum time! Man I spent just as much time sucking up dirt, hair and sponge particles as anything else!

Haha yeah some jobs are dirtier than others.