--- title: "Custom cushion size from a photo? Send these 4 numbers instead" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-size-from-photo-or-measurements/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/" published: "2026-02-06" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "send photo for custom cushion size, how to measure for a custom cushion, custom cushion measurements, cushion size from photo, custom shape cushion drawing" --- # Can you work out the cushion size from a photo of my space? *A photo shows the workshop the shape of your seat; it can't show the size, partner. Here is the list that replaces the guess.* Also asked as: Can I send pictures of the space?; What size for this space above? > **The quick answer:** No: the workshop won't estimate a cushion size from a photo, because that leads to mistakes, and it can't give an exact size without your measurements. Photos still help show the shape. Type out the front width, back width, depth and thickness in inches or cm, and for anything that isn't a plain rectangle, send a paper sketch with every side labeled. ![Indigo ticking stripe box cushion on a weathered oak ladder-back chair in a white kitchen with limestone floor](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/indigo-ticking-stripe-kitchen-chair-cushion-1600.webp "Indigo ticking softens a weathered ladder-back chair on a limestone kitchen floor.") ## Key facts - The workshop does not estimate sizes from photos. - An exact size needs your own measurements. - Typed numbers are preferred over photos of a tape measure. - Inches or centimeters are both accepted. - Odd shapes need a paper sketch with every side labeled. - Unreadable or incomplete drawings are sent back for a clearer one. - A template with your figures beside each edge comes back for you to verify before the quote. ## Send these, typed out - ✓ Front width, with the unit written after it. - ✓ Back width, even if you think it matches the front. - ✓ Depth, from the front edge to the back wall. - ✓ The thickness you want. - ✓ For any shape that isn't a plain rectangle: a paper sketch with every side labeled, photographed and sent. - ✓ Photos of the space, to show the shape. ## What can't be sized - ✗ A photo of the space with no numbers. - ✗ A tape measure in a photo instead of typed figures. - ✗ A drawing with unreadable numbers or missing edges. - ✗ A number with no unit beside it. ## Why the tape in your photo isn't enough A camera sees the tape at an angle, and a tape at an angle reads wrong. Across a whole bench, small misreads add up to a cushion that almost fits. Typed numbers win. The method is laid out in [what to send for a custom cushion quote](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-quote-what-to-send/) and [drawing a custom shape](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/). For a plain bench, try your numbers in the [bench cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bench-cushion-builder/). ## The buyer who photographed the tape A buyer sent photos, each with a tape measure stretched across the seat. Helpful, not enough: exact numbers can't be read reliably from a picture. The workshop asked for them typed out, then drew templates with each figure beside its edge. The buyer checked every line before the quote. > **Tailor's margin:** A photo of a bench shows its shape, never its size: type the front width, back width, depth and thickness, each with its unit. ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Can you work the sizes out from my photos, or should I write the measurements down? **The workshop's answer:** Write out the exact measurements, please. Sizes aren't worked out from photos because that leads to mistakes. The clearest option is a simple paper drawing with every edge measured; if numbers are unreadable or edges are missing, you'll be asked for a new one. **A common question:** How do I measure a corner floor cushion? **The workshop's answer:** By the two straight sides along the walls that meet at the right angle, for example 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm). Measure along each wall from the back corner, not diagonally and not along the curved front edge. **A common question:** What if my measurements don't add up because my walls aren't square? **The workshop's answer:** Your cushion is drawn to scale and checked to see that it closes. If it doesn't, you'll be asked to re-measure, check both diagonals or fill in a lettered outline. A gap within 1/4 in is accepted, and nothing is cut until you confirm. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Should custom cushion measurements be in inches or centimeters? Either works. Label the unit on every number, because unclear units are checked before quoting and an order made in the wrong unit has to be remade. ### Is a photo of the seat useful at all? Yes, for the shape: where posts stand, which corners are angled, how the seat meets the wall. The sizes themselves must arrive as typed numbers or a labeled sketch. ### Will I see a drawing before the quote? For shaped cushions, yes. A template with your figures beside each edge comes back for you to verify first, so a misread number is caught on paper. ## Related at the atelier - [Should I give my cushion measurements in inches or centimeters?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-measurements-inches-or-centimeters/): Give cushion measurements in inches or centimeters, whichever you measured in, but write the unit after every number. - [How to draw a custom-shaped cushion so it isn't made mirror-image](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/): A good custom shape cushion drawing shows the seat from above as you stand in the room, with a letter and a typed measurement on every edge, short returns included, the wall and front edges marked… - [What do the numbers in cushion sizes mean, like 28 x 52 inches?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-size-numbers-meaning-depth-by-length/): On these listings the first number is the width, meaning seat depth from front to back, and the second is the length, so 28 x 52 in (71 x 132 cm) means 28 in deep and 52 in long. - [Do I need to make a paper template for a custom cushion, and should I mail it?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/paper-template-custom-cushion-needed/): No, a paper template isn't required: a simple drawing with every edge measured, or photos plus measurements, is enough for an angled cushion. - [Cushions for understairs benches, stair landings and foyer curves](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/understairs-and-stair-landing-bench-cushions/): An understairs bench cushion is a trapezoid: three straight edges and one side cut to the angle of the stairs. - [Bay Window Cushion in Mustard: 5 Mistakes This Photo Avoids](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-trapezoid-bay-seat-terracotta-piping-arched-windows/): A bay window cushion fits when it is cut as a true trapezoid: a long front, a shorter back against the wall, and two angled ends measured one at a time. - [How to measure a window seat cushion when the walls aren't square](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-measure-window-seat-cushion/) *± 1/4 in — Nate* --- Written by Nate Kowalski (https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/) 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/cushion-size-from-photo-or-measurements/