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The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

How do I measure a curved bench, like a church pew or fire pit bench, for a cushion?

A curve looks like one measurement. It is five numbers and a photo. Angles are just lengths in disguise, and a curve is a few more of them.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit · · Updated

Pinned by Nate

The quick answer

To measure a curved bench cushion, take the inner curve along the front edge and the outer curve along the back with a flexible tape or string, then the straight end-to-end distance and the depth at both ends and the middle. Add a photo. The shop redraws the curve for approval and splits long curves into matching segments.

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Key facts

  • A curved bench needs the inner curve, outer curve, straight end-to-end length and depth at both ends and the middle.
  • A string laid along the curve and measured flat can replace a flexible tape.
  • Wedge segments also need the curve depth, from the middle of the inner chord to the arc.
  • Tracing the seat on paper or cardboard gives a template.
  • The recommended thickness for curved benches is 2-3 in (5-8 cm).
  • The shop redraws the curve for approval and splits long curves into matching segments.
  • Kidney-shaped curves have been declined when a precise fit couldn't be guaranteed.

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Every edge and both diagonals, to the nearest 1/4 in. If the numbers do not close, the workshop will say so on the call. — Nate

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Foam
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In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

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Five numbers and a photo

  1. Inner curve

    Run a flexible tape along the front edge, following the curve. No flexible tape: lay a string along it, mark both ends, and measure the string flat.

  2. Outer curve

    Same method along the back edge. It will be the longer of the two.

  3. Straight end-to-end

    Pull the tape straight from one end to the other, across the curve. This is the chord.

  4. Depth, three times

    Front to back at each end and in the middle. Depth can change along a curve, so one reading is not enough.

  5. Thickness and a photo

    2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) is the recommended thickness for curved benches. Add a photo of the seat.

Follow-up: what about a wedge from a round sofa?

A buyer sent one segment of a round rattan outdoor sofa: outer arc 43 1/4 in (110 cm), inner arc 17 in (43 cm), two sides 19 3/4 in (50 cm) each. The shop still needed one more number, the curve depth: from the middle of the straight line across the inner edge to the arc, 11 3/8 in (29 cm), marked on a sketch.

That buyer ordered a single segment first to test the fit. Good engineering, partner. The chord and rise Pattern explains why that one number fixes the whole arc.

Follow-up: can I just trace it?

Yes. Trace the seat onto paper or cardboard, or draw the curve with its sizes. A curved fireplace hearth cushion was quoted from exactly that kind of drawing. The shop redraws your curve for approval before anything is cut; the paper template Pattern shows the method.

The honest limit

Very long curves are made as matching segments that join cleanly and are easier to handle and wash. Pew, fire pit and hearth curves have all been accepted. A kidney- or banana-shaped backyard bench was declined, because a precise fit couldn't be guaranteed from measurements, and a local upholsterer who can fit it in person was recommended instead. Which shape is yours: an arc, a wedge or a kidney?

A string laid along a curved bench edge, marked at both ends and measured flat, gives the curve length as well as a flexible tape does.

Nate
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Can you make a curved cushion for a church pew or a round fire pit bench?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Measure the inner curve along the front edge and the outer curve along the back with a flexible tape, or a string laid along it and measured flat; then the depth at both ends and the middle and the straight end-to-end distance, plus a photo. The shop redraws the curve for approval, and very long curves are made as matching segments.

  2. A common question

    Can you make a curved wedge cushion for one segment of my round outdoor sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Besides the outer arc of 43 1/4 in (110 cm), the inner arc of 17 in (43 cm) and two 19 3/4 in (50 cm) sides, the shop needed the curve depth, from the middle of the straight line across the inner edge to the arc: 11 3/8 in (29 cm), marked on a sketch. The buyer ordered one to test the fit first.

  3. A common question

    Can you make cushions for a curved, banana-shaped bench?

    The workshop's answer

    The shop asked for the straight end-to-end length, both edges along the curve, depth at the center and each end, and thickness, with 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) recommended, and suggested tracing the seat. After review it declined the kidney-shaped curves, since a precise fit couldn't be guaranteed, and recommended a local upholsterer.

  4. A common question

    Can you make a cushion for a curved fireplace hearth?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Draw the curve and its sizes on paper and send it; a curved hearth cushion was quoted from that drawing.

  5. A common question

    How do I measure a bench with a rounded end?

    The workshop's answer

    Mark where each curve starts and ends and how deep it runs on a measured sketch, or trace the seat onto paper and photograph the template flat next to a tape measure. The shop confirms the shape before production.

Questions buyers ask next

What thickness suits a curved bench cushion?

2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) is the recommended thickness for curved benches. Send it with your curve lengths, straight length and depths, since it is part of the quote.

Why split a long curved cushion into segments?

Matching segments join cleanly along the curve and are easier to handle and wash than one long arc. The shop makes very long curves this way and redraws the curve for your approval before cutting.

Can a curved cushion be made from a photo alone?

A photo helps, but the curve needs numbers: inner and outer curve lengths, the straight end-to-end distance and three depths. A traced template or a sketch with sizes can stand in for some of those.