How to buy small quantities of fabric: cut yardage, samples and stock

SupplySeys guide · Updated November 2026

To buy small quantities of fabric, look for suppliers that sell cut yardage or sample yardage, keep fabric in stock, or sell deadstock. Pull swatches first, sample, then confirm stock before you order production yardage.

Cut yardage

Cut yardage means the supplier cuts the length you ask for from a bolt or roll instead of selling only full rolls. It's the easiest way to buy a few yards for samples or a small run. Stock services, wholesalers and some mills with stock programs sell cut yardage; retailers do too, at higher prices.

Sample yardage and swatches

Sample yardage is a short length (often a few yards) sold for prototyping before a production order. Swatches and swatch cards, often called headers, show the fabric and its available colors. Many mills will send headers or sample yardage to designers who give a clear brief, sometimes for a fee.

Stock services and jobbers

Stock services keep fabric in inventory and ship it quickly, often in small quantities. Jobbers buy excess production, overruns and deadstock from mills and brands and resell it. Both are good fits for small runs, though jobber stock is usually limited to what's available.

Deadstock

Deadstock is unused fabric left over from production. It can be high quality and inexpensive, but quantities are limited and you usually can't reorder the same fabric, so plan styles around what's available.

A simple small-batch workflow

1. Pull swatches or headers from a few small-batch friendly suppliers.
2. Buy sample yardage of your top picks and make samples.
3. Confirm the supplier has enough stock for your first run, or the minimum for a made-to-order run.
4. Order production yardage with written confirmation of color, width, quantity and delivery date.

Search the directory with the "Sells cut yardage" and "Holds stock" filters, or add your ZIP code to find suppliers you can visit.