How long is one gaz? Gaz to metres and inches

Gaz to metres, centimetres and inches

Metre figures are rounded to two decimal places. One pair is worth remembering: 11 gaz is almost exactly 10 metres.

• Quarter gaz: 9 inches, 22.9 cm.
• Half gaz: 18 inches, 45.7 cm.
• 1 gaz: 36 inches, 0.91 m.
• 2 gaz: 72 inches, 1.83 m.
• 2.5 gaz: 90 inches, 2.29 m.
• 3 gaz: 108 inches, 2.74 m.
• 4 gaz: 144 inches, 3.66 m.
• 5 gaz: 180 inches, 4.57 m.
• 7 gaz: 252 inches, 6.40 m.

Common suit lengths, in metres and in gaz

Most branded unstitched suits are labelled in metres. If you are comparing a label with a shop that sells by the gaz, these are the equivalents. The quantities come from our three-piece fabric guide; they are typical figures, and height, fabric width and the cut all change them.

• 2 m (straight trousers): about 2.2 gaz, so ask for 2.25.
• 2.25 m (a shorter dupatta): about 2.5 gaz.
• 2.5 m (a knee-length kameez, a shalwar or a dupatta): about 2.75 gaz.
• 3 m (a long kameez): about 3.3 gaz. Three and a quarter falls just short, so round up to 3.5.
• 4 to 5 m (a sharara or a flared frock): about 4.4 to 5.5 gaz.
• 7.5 to 8 m (a typical three-piece suit in total): about 8.2 to 8.75 gaz.

Gaz or metre? Ask before the cloth is cut

The awkward part is that the word gaz is sometimes used loosely for a metre, especially where shops measure with metric rods and tapes but customers still ask in gaz. The difference is about 3.4 inches (8.6 cm) on every unit, which over a 7 gaz purchase comes to almost 24 inches (60 cm): enough to lose a pair of sleeves.

• Ask which unit the shop measures in, and look at the rod or tape: a metre rod is marked to 100 cm, a yard stick to 36 inches.
• Check the label on packed suits, which normally states metres for each piece. Our guide to reading an unstitched suit label shows what to look for.
• Measure at home with a tape before you plan a design, and note the width as well; see fabric widths explained.
• Write the unit down next to every number you pass on to a tailor.

The fractions you will hear in a cloth shop

Lengths are often spoken with the Urdu and Hindi words for fractions, which work the same way whether the unit is a gaz or a metre.

• Sawa: a quarter more. Sawa do is 2.25.
• Dhai: two and a half.
• Paune: a quarter less. Paune teen is 2.75.
• Sarhe: a half more, used from three upwards. Sarhe teen is 3.5.
• Girah: an old tailoring unit of one sixteenth of a gaz, 2.25 inches or about 5.7 cm. It still turns up in older measurement notes.

Sending fabric details to us

When you describe fabric for an order, give the length in metres or yards and the width in inches or centimetres, and say which is which. For a Stitching Only quote we confirm that the amount is enough for your design before you post it to us in Pakistan, as the unstitched suit stitching page explains. Our guide to checking you have enough fabric walks through measuring each piece.