CushionGuide
Get a quote

The Cutting Table · compared on the table

For a bolster or a very thick backrest, should I choose foam or silicone ball fill?

Also asked as:Foam filling or silicone ball filling?What would you recommend?

Filling is a shape decision before it's a comfort decision. The thicker and flatter the piece, the more it needs foam to hold its line.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit ·

Stacked pyramid of bolsters on a linen daybed cushion: plum velvet on top, navy corduroy, burgundy tweed and green stripeSave
Bolsters sized to match the green stripe, piled into a pyramid so every end cap and fabric shows at once.

The quick answer

Choose foam for a non-tufted backrest 12-14 in (30-35 cm) thick, often cut as a wedge, and silicone ball fill for round arm bolsters, because silicone balls can't hold a backrest that thick. For a neck roll, the workshop recommends shredded foam, which supports without being very soft, and the filling is included in the price.

Get a quote for a bench seat and back cushion

Filling by shape, on one sheet

PieceFillingWhy
Non-tufted backrest, 12-14 in (30-35 cm) thickFoam, often cut as a wedgeSilicone balls can't hold that shape
Round arm bolsterSilicone ball fillSuits the round form
Neck rollShredded foam (recommended) or solid firm foamShredded is supportive, not very soft

Key facts

  • Silicone ball fill can't hold a 12-14 in (30-35 cm) non-tufted backrest.
  • Thick backrests are filled with foam.
  • Wedge backrest example: 12 in (30 cm) at the bottom, 8 in (20 cm) at the top.
  • Silicone ball fill suits round arm bolsters.
  • Neck rolls can take shredded foam or solid firm foam.
  • Shredded foam is the workshop's pick for neck rolls.
  • Filling is included in the price of a neck roll.

Have it made

Have Nate’s workshop cut this for you

Precision starts on the phone. Give the workshop your measurements and they will read them back to you, edge by edge. — Nate

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
Thick backrests are filled with foam.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

The wedge backrest, dimensioned

MeasurementValue
Thickness at the bottom edge12 in (30 cm)
Thickness at the top edge8 in (20 cm)
Taper, bottom to top4 in (10 cm)

Why loose fill suits round, and foam suits flat

Silicone ball fill is loose by design: the balls slide past each other. In a round arm bolster that works, because the cylinder of fabric is the shape. In a flat, non-tufted backrest 12-14 in (30-35 cm) thick, the balls can't hold the shape, so the workshop uses foam.

Cutting that foam as a wedge, 12 in (30 cm) at the bottom and 8 in (20 cm) at the top, tips the sitter back at an angle instead of propping them bolt upright. Angles are just lengths in disguise, partner: two thicknesses and a height define the whole piece.

Neck rolls sit in between. Shredded foam or solid firm foam both work; the workshop recommends shredded because it isn't very soft and makes a good roll. What will yours lean against, a wall or a frame?

More in backrest cushions, shredded foam vs wedge backs, bolster size and diameter and the glossary's cluster fiber.

Silicone ball fill suits a round arm bolster; a flat backrest 12-14 in thick needs foam to hold its shape.

Nate Kowalski
Share on X (opens a new window)

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    For a very thick backrest, foam or silicone ball filling?

    The workshop's answer

    Foam. A non-tufted backrest 12-14 in (30-35 cm) thick can't hold its shape with silicone balls, so the workshop cuts foam as a wedge, for example 12 in (30 cm) deep at the bottom and 8 in (20 cm) at the top. Silicone ball fill suits the round arm bolsters.

  2. A common question

    Should my neck roll be shredded foam or firm foam?

    The workshop's answer

    Either works. The workshop recommended shredded foam: it isn't very soft and makes a good neck roll. The filling is included in the price.

  3. A common question

    Does a cushion come with the foam, or only the cover?

    The workshop's answer

    The foam is included. Standard custom cushions ship complete with a high-density foam insert in a zippered, washable cover; covers-only is a separate option with no filling.

Questions buyers ask next

Is silicone ball fill the same thing as fiberfill?

Close cousins. Silicone ball fill is polyester fiber rolled into small, often silicone-coated balls that slide past each other instead of matting, so it stays springy longer than plain fiberfill. That looseness is why it suits round bolsters.

How does a wedge backrest differ from a straight one?

A wedge is thicker at the bottom than at the top, for example 12 in (30 cm) tapering to 8 in (20 cm). As a backrest it tips you back at an angle instead of sitting you upright against a flat block.

What foam density is used, in US terms?

About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), above the usual 1.8 lb high-density threshold. It is high-resilience cold foam at roughly ILD 42, though no official ILD certificate is issued.