We have analyzed the phase-calculation-error of a three-dimensional shape measurement system using the projection of phase shifted fringe patterns. In this study, we have dealt various errors; an error caused by the variation of quantization levels, an error caused by the defocus of fringe pattern projected images, an error caused by phase-shifting errors, an error caused by the intensity variation of the background and modulation amplitude of fringe pattern projected images during the projection of multiple patterns, an error caused by the distortion of sinusoidal shape of a fringe pattern. The results will contribute to the design of a three-dimensional shape measurment system and give an important meaning to the calculation and the analysis of the accuracy of a system.