---
title: "Contrast Piping Cushion: Any Chart Color, No Extra Cost"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/contrast-piping-color-cushion/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/"
published: "2026-03-31"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "contrast piping cushion, cushion piping different color, custom cushion trim color, velvet piping on linen cushion"
---

# Can the piping be a different color from the cushion?

*Yes, and it's free. The only work on your side is writing two codes where the shop will see them.*

Also asked as: Can you do contrast piping?; White cushion with black piping

> **The quick answer:** Yes: piping can be cut from any color in the fabric charts, matching or contrasting, at no extra cost. Write both codes in the personalization or order note, for example 'Body: L-06, Piping: 929', and the shop confirms them before production. Unsure how two shades sit together? Ask for original photos of both fabrics.

![Ivory linen-look box cushion on a walnut bench with two olive khaki back pillows edged in ivory piping, floor lamp and fern](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/ivory-linen-look-bench-cushion-olive-khaki-pillows-1024.webp "A calm reading corner: an ivory box cushion on a low wooden bench, olive khaki pillows trimmed in ivory, a linen floor lamp and a fern.")

## Key facts

- Contrast piping can be any color from the fabric charts.
- Matching piping in the body fabric is also available.
- Contrast piping costs nothing extra.
- Body and piping codes go in the personalization or order note.
- The shop confirms both codes before production.
- The shop can send original photos of both fabrics to compare shades.
- Piping can be a different fabric type, such as velvet piping on linen.
- The charts hold more than 150 colors to cut piping from, and roughly 50% of orders choose matching piping, 50% contrast.
- Cushions only 1 in (2 cm) thick are made without piping.
- Covers with contrast piping come off and wash at 86°F (30°C) max, inside out, on a gentle cycle.

## Body and piping pairs from past orders

| Body fabric | Piping | Mix |
|---|---|---|
| Linen L-05 | Linen L-48 | Linen on linen |
| Linen L-04 | Linen L-16 | Linen on linen |
| Black linen L38 | Pink linen L45 | Linen on linen |
| Mustard velvet 112 | Olive velvet 124 | Velvet on velvet |
| Dark red 928 | Dark green 945 | Soft fabric on soft fabric |
| Green corduroy COR-207 | Cream corduroy COR-201 | Corduroy on corduroy |
| Linen L-02 | Velvet 126 | Velvet piping on linen |
| Outdoor stripe M16 | Outdoor T-32 blue | Outdoor on outdoor |

## Matching piping or contrast piping

|   | Matching (self) piping | Contrast piping |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No extra | No extra |
| What to write | The body code only | Body code and piping code |
| The look | Clean, quiet outline | Frames every edge |
| Outdoor cushions | Recommended: it reinforces the edges | Possible in outdoor codes |

## Trim, border, edging: it's all piping

Right, then. Buyers call it trim, border or 'the edges in another color', and then can't find a trim option on the listing. There isn't a separate one. [Contrast piping](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#contrast-piping) is cut from the same fabric charts as the cushion, 150+ options across every listing, so the piping choice is simply a second code.

Write it the way the shop reads it: 'Body: L-06, Piping: 929'. Both codes are confirmed before cutting. If two shades on a screen look like cousins and you can't tell which is darker, ask for original photos of both fabrics side by side.

For a quiet outline rather than a bold one, pair two neighbors on the chart, such as L-43 and L-44. The [piping Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/) weighs matching, contrast and none. Which color in the room should your [bench cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) edge pick up?

> **Tailor's margin:** Write contrast piping as two codes in the order note, 'Body: L-06, Piping: 929', and the shop confirms both before cutting.

> Contrast piping can be cut from any color in the fabric charts at no extra cost, even velvet piping on a linen cushion.
>
> — Maggie

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can the piping contrast with the cushion, like a white cushion with black piping?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Any fabric from the charts can be piping, for example an HM-08 body with HM-05 piping, or a white body with black piping. Same-fabric piping is fine too, and the piping choice doesn't change the price.

**A common question:** If I pick a different piping color, how do I judge the two shades together?

**The workshop's answer:** Any combination is possible, for example a 930 body with piping close to 932. The shop sends original photos of both fabrics so you can compare the shades yourself.

**A common question:** Which piping combinations have other buyers ordered?

**The workshop's answer:** L07 with L14, L36 with N29, black L38 with pink L45, 937 with 935, soft lavender 120 with 937, and olive velvet 123 with lilac 116. Put both codes in the order note and the shop confirms them.

**A common question:** Can the piping be a different kind of fabric from the cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Piping comes from the same range as the fabrics, so linen cushions with velvet piping have been made, alongside COR-207 green with cream COR-201 and an n33 stripe with 110 brown.

**A common question:** Where do I find the piping color chart?

**The workshop's answer:** There isn't a separate one. Piping can be made from any fabric on any of the shop's charts, 150+ options across listings and fabric types. Use the body's code to match, or another code to contrast.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Is matching or contrast piping more popular?

Neither wins: roughly half of orders choose each. Matching piping gives a clean, low-risk outline; contrast piping frames the edges. For a subtle line, choose a code one shade darker than the body.

### Should outdoor cushions have contrast piping?

Same-fabric piping is recommended outdoors because it reinforces the edges. Contrast is still possible in outdoor codes; one order paired an M16 outdoor stripe with T-32 blue piping.

### What is cushion piping, exactly?

Piping is the thin fabric-covered cord sewn along a cushion's edge seams. Also called welt or trim, it gives a crisp, tailored outline and can match the cushion fabric or contrast with it.

## Related at the atelier

- [Does piping cost extra on a custom cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/does-cushion-piping-cost-extra/): No, piping doesn't cost extra: it is included in the cushion price, and a contrast piping color from the fabric charts is free too.
- [Where is the piping color chart?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/piping-color-chart/): There is no separate piping color chart: piping can be cut from any fabric on any of the fabric charts in the listing images, more than 150 options.
- [What piping color goes best with my cushion fabric?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/piping-color-combinations/): The best piping color depends on your body fabric and your room, and the workshop will suggest pairs and send photos before you decide.
- [Matching, contrast or no piping: choosing the line around a cushion](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/): Choose matching (self) piping for a guaranteed color match and a tailored edge, contrast piping when you want the outline to carry a second color, and no piping for a soft, flat seam.
- [Linen Bench Cushion Close-Up: Oatmeal Slub and Brown Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/oatmeal-slub-weave-brown-piping-close-up/): A linen-look slub weave feels dry and slightly nubby, looks like linen without real linen's creasing, and wears well on a custom bench cushion when a welt holds the edges square.
- [Custom Bench Cushion Edges in Corduroy: Box, Rounded, Angled](https://cushionguide.com/readings/rust-gray-dusty-pink-corduroy-box-cushions-closeup/): A custom bench cushion's edge decides how it sits: a box edge gives upright sides that square up to walls, a knife edge tapers like a throw pillow, and rounded or angled corners follow the bench.
- [Linen bench cushions: which 'linen' is on your bench, and how it wears](https://cushionguide.com/guides/linen-bench-cushions/)

*Stitch straight — Maggie*

---

Written by Margaret Holloway (https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/contrast-piping-color-cushion/