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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

How much do custom chair seat cushions cost, and why are small ones still pricey?

Also asked as:Expensive for such small cushionsI just need one 14 x 14 in pad

A pad the size of a dinner plate takes the same hands, the same thread and the same trip to your door as a big one. That is most of the answer.

Answered by

The Elder of High Point · · Updated

Four dusty blue bouclé chair pads with matching ties on oak Windsor chairs around a round pedestal table with lavenderSave
One color across four chairs: dusty blue bouclé pads tied to honey oak spindle backs.

The quick answer

Custom chair seat cushions are quoted by size and thickness, and even a small pad carries a baseline price. Shipping comes with the quote and can be the main cost on small pieces, and each pad is cut and sewn by hand. One or two pads have rarely been discounted; sets have. One set of four seat cushions took 7-9 days to make plus 3-5 days' delivery.

Get a quote for a chair cushion with ties

Key facts

  • Chair pads are quoted by size and thickness.
  • Shipping is stated in the quote and is the main cost driver on small cushions.
  • One or two cushions have rarely been discounted; multi-piece sets have been.
  • Small goodwill reductions have been given on a small pair.
  • Chair patterns are checked with the craftsmen before quoting, as for four piped 2 in (5 cm) dining pads in printed chenille.
  • Medium-firm foam is available.
  • A set of four seat cushions took 7-9 days to make plus 3-5 days' delivery.

Have it made

Have Harlan’s workshop cut this for you

The best cushions I have known began with somebody asking one more question. Ask yours here. — Harlan

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
Chair patterns are checked with the craftsmen before quoting, as for four piped 2 in (5…
Foam
Medium-firm foam is available.
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

Why a 10-inch pad isn't a tenth of the price

Folks are often surprised that a small chair pad costs what it does. Pads are quoted by size and thickness, from a 10 x 13 in (25 x 33 cm) pad 2 in (5 cm) thick up to 26 x 30 in (66 x 76 cm) lounge seats. But the price doesn't fall in step with the size.

Two things don't shrink with the cushion. The trip to your door is part of what you pay for, and on a small pad it's the biggest single cost. And the hands are the same: each pad is still cut, sewn and closed by hand. Buy the cushion once, cry once.

For dining chair cushions, the chair matters too. When a buyer asked for four piped 2 in (5 cm) pads in a printed chenille, the chair pattern went to the craftsmen before any figure was given.

What to send for a chair pad quote

  • Width and depth of the seat, measured on the chair, in inches
  • The thickness you want; it's priced right alongside the size
  • A photo of the chair, so the pattern can be checked before quoting
  • Piping or a plain edge
  • Fabric and color code from the chart
  • Foam feel; medium-firm is available
  • How many chairs, since sets have been priced better than single pads
A real project

Two small pads and a set of four

A buyer messaged the workshop needing two small seat pads, 10 x 13 in (25 x 33 cm) and 2 in (5 cm) thick, in a beige from the color chart. For a pair that small the listed price is usually the best there is, but the workshop trimmed the quote twice as a goodwill gesture.

A buyer in the US asked about four lounge seat cushions, three at 26 x 30 in (66 x 76 cm) and one at 30 x 30 in (76 x 76 cm), in black or charcoal. The set was quoted as one total and took 7-9 days to make and 3-5 days to arrive. How many chairs sit around your table, my friend? Measure them with the dining chair pad Pattern, or try sizes in the chair cushion builder.

A small chair pad keeps a base price, because delivery to your door and the hand sewing don't shrink with the cushion.

Harlan
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Why is a single 14 x 14 in (35 x 35 cm) seat cushion still fairly expensive? Can I get a discount?

    The workshop's answer

    The price is driven mostly by shipping, which doesn't shrink with the cushion, so even small sizes come at a certain price. For one or two cushions the listed price was the best available; several pieces have gotten a small discount, and better prices were offered for future multi-piece design projects.

  2. A common question

    Could you make four thick dining chair cushions with piping in a printed fabric?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. After checking the chair pattern with the craftsmen, the workshop quoted a set of four 2 in (5 cm) piped cushions in a printed chenille and sent a custom payment link.

  3. A common question

    What would a medium-firm seat pad of about 24 x 23 in (61 x 58 cm), 2 3/4 in (7 cm) thick, cost?

    The workshop's answer

    It was quoted as a single price for that size and thickness, with delivery included. Medium-firm foam is available; name it when you ask.

  4. A common question

    How is a seat cushion with a matching back cushion priced?

    The workshop's answer

    Each piece is priced by its own size, so check both on the listing and order them together. On long benches the back cushion ran about half to two-thirds of the seat price; a larger back can cost more than the seat.

Questions buyers ask next

Is delivery charged on top of a custom chair cushion?

Not as a surprise: the shipping cost is stated with the quote, and past chair-pad quotes came as one total with delivery in it. That's also why a very small pad doesn't cost proportionally less: shipping is the biggest single part of its price, and it doesn't shrink with the cushion.

Does a thicker chair pad cost more?

Yes. Thickness is quoted along with size, and thicker foam costs more, so a 2 in (5 cm) pad and a thicker one in the same footprint are priced differently. Name the thickness you want, and mention medium-firm foam if that's the feel you're after.

How long does a set of custom chair pads take to arrive?

One set of four seat cushions took 7-9 days in the workshop and 3-5 days in transit. The chair pattern is checked with the craftsmen before the quote, so send a photo of the chair along with your measurements.