---
title: "How to Read Cushion Dimensions: What 28 x 52 in Means"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-size-numbers-meaning-depth-by-length/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/"
published: "2026-08-03"
updated: "2026-08-03"
keywords: "how to read cushion dimensions, cushion size width vs length, what does 28 x 52 mean cushion, seat depth measurement, custom cushion size labels"
---

# What do the numbers in cushion sizes mean, like 28 x 52 inches?

*How to read cushion dimensions comes down to two numbers and one habit. The table settles the numbers; the habit makes the table unnecessary.*

Also asked as: First number is the width of the seat?; Does that mean 28 depth and 52 length?

> **The quick answer:** 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. Every listed size is the finished cushion, not the wall or the space around it. When you write your own size, label each number.

![Slate blue linen-look floor sofa with a two-layer base, three back cushions and block arms below a framed kilim panel](https://cushionguide.com/media/modular-floor-sofas/slate-blue-linen-look-floor-sofa-block-arms-1600.webp "A low floor sofa built from stacked box cushions, back cushions and block arms, with no frame at all.")

## Key facts

- Listed sizes are written width x length.
- Width means seat depth, measured front to back.
- 28 x 52 in (71 x 132 cm) means 28 in deep and 52 in long.
- A 28 x 52 in seat works as a small two-person loveseat.
- Listed dimensions are the finished cushion, not the surrounding space.
- Cushions are made to the size the customer gives.

## 28 x 52 in, number by number

| On the listing | What it means | How it's measured |
|---|---|---|
| 28 in (71 cm), first | Width, which is the seat depth | Front edge to back edge |
| 52 in (132 cm), second | Length | Left to right, along the long side |
| A third number, if given | Thickness | Top to bottom, the cushion's height |

## Why the order trips people up

Here's the wrinkle, partner. On the listings the first number is width, meaning depth front to back. Across our replies, though, sizes haven't always been written in that order; some came length first, then width, then thickness. Read backward, the same two numbers describe a very different cushion.

So the numbers are only half a size. The other half is the word beside each one. Every cushion is made to the size you give, which makes your note the drawing the workshop cuts from. The [length, depth and thickness Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-measurements-length-depth-thickness/) shows where each tape goes, the glossary defines [seat depth](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#seat-depth), and the same labels work for a [floor cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/floor-cushions/) or a sofa seat.

What does your seat measure, front to back?

## Cushion size, not room size

| What buyers ask | What the numbers describe |
|---|---|
| Is the width measured from the wall? | No. It's the cushion itself, front edge to back edge. |
| Does the size include the space around the cushion? | No. Listed sizes are the finished cushion. |
| Does a floor cushion's size include its backrest? | It depends on the listing. On the meditation set a 4 in (10 cm) backrest adds to a 20 in (51 cm) seat, about 24 in (61 cm) in total; on sets sold with a backrest, the size is the whole footprint. |

## Write your size so nobody has to guess

- ✓ Put a word beside every number: 20 in deep x 60 in across, not 20 x 60.
- ✓ Depth runs front to back, length left to right, thickness top to bottom.
- ✓ Describe the finished cushion you want, not the wall or the gap around it.
- ✓ State the thickness every time, even when it seems obvious.
- ✓ Add a photo of the seat or furniture you measured.

> **Tailor's margin:** On these listings the first number is seat depth, front to back: 28 x 52 in means 28 in deep and 52 in long.

> Label every cushion number with a word: 28 in deep x 52 in long can't be misread, but 28 x 52 can.
>
> — Nate

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Which of your listed numbers is the width and which is the length?

**The workshop's answer:** The first number is the width, meaning the seat depth, and the second is the length.

**A common question:** What does a size like 28 x 52 inches actually mean?

**The workshop's answer:** The first number is the depth, front to back, and the second is the length: 28 in (71 cm) deep and 52 in (132 cm) long. A seat that size works as a small two-person loveseat.

**A common question:** On the tufted floor cushion, is the width measured from the back of the cushion or from the wall?

**The workshop's answer:** All dimensions are the cushion itself, not the space around it, and each cushion is made to the size you give.

**A common question:** Which side of a cushion is the length and which is the width?

**The workshop's answer:** Length is the long side, left to right; width is the short side, front to back, which is the seat depth; thickness is the cushion's height. If unsure, label your numbers, for example 20 in deep x 60 in across.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Is a 28 x 52 in cushion big enough for two people?

Yes, as a small two-person loveseat. At 28 in (71 cm) deep and 52 in (132 cm) long, that is how the workshop describes the seat. Label your numbers when ordering so depth and length are never swapped.

### Where does the thickness go in a cushion size?

Thickness is the cushion's height, top to bottom. It is often written last, as in 79 x 31.5 x 8.75 in (200 x 80 x 22 cm), but because the order varies, write the word beside it every time.

### How do I give sizes for a cushion with rounded corners?

Give each edge as if the corners were square, then note where each curve starts along both edges. For a curved end, add the curve's span and depth, or trace it on paper beside a tape measure.

## Related at the atelier

- [Cushion measurements explained: length, depth, thickness and units](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-measurements-length-depth-thickness/): Every cushion size is three numbers: length (A), measured side to side along the front; depth (D), from the front edge back to the wall; and thickness (T), how tall the cushion stands.
- [Can you work out the cushion size from a photo of my space?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-size-from-photo-or-measurements/): 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.
- [Which side of a cushion is the length and which is the width?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-length-vs-width-which-side-is-which/): On a cushion, length is the long side, measured left to right across the front, and width is the short side, measured from the front edge to the back edge, the same as seat depth.
- [Does the listed size of a floor cushion include the backrest?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/floor-cushion-size-with-backrest-total-depth/): Whether a floor cushion size includes the backrest depends on the listing: on the meditation set it covers the seat only, while on cushion-with-backrest sets it is the total footprint.
- [Bay Window Cushion, Curved and Black, in a Green Library](https://cushionguide.com/readings/curved-black-bay-seat-green-library-tuxedo-cat/): On a bay window seat cushion, thickness and depth trade against each other: each inch of cushion raises the seat an inch, and each back pillow takes its own thickness out of the depth.
- [L-Shaped Bench Cushion in Oxblood Faux Leather: Finishing Notes](https://cushionguide.com/readings/oxblood-brown-l-shaped-corner-bench-gallery-wall/): An L-shaped bench cushion is best made as two pieces that butt together at the corner, with the piping lined up across the joint.
- [Window seat dimensions and the cushion sizes that fit them](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-dimensions/)

*± 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-numbers-meaning-depth-by-length/