CushionGuide
Get a quote

The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

Should I give my cushion measurements in inches or centimeters?

Either unit works, partner. The number that causes trouble is the one that shows up without a unit behind it.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit ·

Pinned by Nate

The quick answer

Give cushion measurements in inches or centimeters, whichever you measured in, but write the unit after every number. When a size like 60 x 60 arrives unlabeled, the workshop asks before quoting, because an inch order once made in centimeters had to be remade. Production works in centimeters, so inch sizes are converted and rounded.

Get a quote

Key facts

  • Inches and centimeters are both accepted; the unit must be stated.
  • An unlabeled size such as 60 x 60 is checked before quoting.
  • An inch order made in centimeters had to be remade.
  • Sizes are cross-checked against your photos before production.
  • A 4 in cushion and a 3.9 in (10 cm) one are treated as the same standard thickness; 8 in is 7¾ in (20 cm).
  • If a corrected size costs less, the difference is refunded.
  • Production works in centimeters, so inch sizes are converted and rounded.

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
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
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

"Inches or centimeters: which do you want?"

Whichever your tape reads. The cutting is done in centimeters, so inch orders get converted and rounded; that makes centimeters a hair easier for the workshop, and nothing more.

The real rule is the unit after every number. A bare 60 x 60 is either a 24 in (60 cm) square or a 60 in (152 cm) square, a factor of 2.5. Measure twice; the fabric remembers. Which side of your tape did you read, the inch edge or the metric one?

"I typed centimeters but meant inches. Now what?"

Place a corrected order. Before cutting, the workshop holds the new numbers up against your photos. On one order the figures came out at 62.4 x 63 in, and the photo showed a space about 24 in wide. That can't close, so the buyer re-measured: the final size was about 24 5/8 x 63 in (62.5 x 160 cm), and because it cost less than the quote, the difference came back as a refund.

For what to measure, see length, depth and thickness or run the numbers in the bench cushion builder.

Inch-to-centimeter conversions that come up at the cutting table

You writeIt meansNote
4 in100 mm (10 cm)Treated as the same standard thickness
8 in7¾ in (20 cm)Equal, as the workshop counts it
23½ x 23½ in (60 x 60 cm)about 24 x 24 inChecked with you before quoting
60 x 60 inabout 59¾ x 59¾ in (152 x 152 cm)Large; may be split into two 30 x 60 in pieces

A custom cushion ordered in inches and cut in centimeters had to be remade. One missing unit costs a whole second cushion's worth of work.

Nate
Share on X (opens a new window)

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Should I send my sizes in inches or centimeters?

    The workshop's answer

    Either, but state the unit clearly. When it isn't obvious the workshop asks, because one inch order made in centimeters had to be remade. A 4 in cushion and a 3.9 in (10 cm) one are the same standard thickness, and 8 in equals 7¾ in (20 cm).

  2. A common question

    If I ask for 60 x 60, do you need to know the unit?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, always. The unit is checked before quoting, and for a square that large the workshop may suggest two pieces, such as two 30 x 60 in cushions.

  3. A common question

    My bench has a small corner section that doesn't lift. Do I need a third cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    All three sections can be made, the small one included. Confirm whether your numbers are inches or centimeters and send length, depth and thickness for each, ideally with a photo or simple drawing.

Questions buyers ask next

Why does the workshop lean toward centimeters?

Production is measured in centimeters, so inch sizes are converted and rounded before cutting. Centimeters skip that step, but inches are fine; just write the unit after every number.

Is a 4 inch thick cushion the same as a 4 in (10 cm) one?

For thickness, yes: 4 in and 3.9 in (10 cm) are treated as one standard size. Strictly, 4 in is 4 in (10.16 cm); the workshop treats the two as one.

Should I subtract the seat cushion when measuring for a back cushion?

Yes. Back cushions stand on the seat cushion, so deduct its thickness: with a 4 in (10 cm) seat, a 21 in (53 cm) back area takes a 17 in (43 cm) backrest.