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The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

Does a thicker cushion cost more, and is a thinner one cheaper?

Inside the standard range, no. Outside it, foam volume takes over. Below are real quotes turned into ratios, so you can run the arithmetic yourself.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit · · Updated

Pinned by Nate

The quick answer

Within the standard range, a thicker cushion costs the same: 2, 3, 4 and 5 in (5 to 13 cm) are one price, so thinner is not cheaper. Beyond that range, foam volume drives the quote: going from 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) added roughly half on real orders, and 4 to 12 in (10 to 30 cm) roughly doubled one. Confirm shipping with the quote.

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Key facts

  • 2, 3, 4 and 5 in (5, 8, 10 and 13 cm) thicknesses cost the same.
  • A 3 in (8 cm) cushion has the same standard price as a 4 in (10 cm) one.
  • Past the standard range, foam volume drives the price and each quote is individual.
  • Going from 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) added roughly half to real quotes.
  • Going from 4 to 12 in (10 to 30 cm) roughly doubled one quote.
  • A single step, such as 5 to 6 in, added only a little.
  • A thicker cushion makes a bulkier parcel, and the shipping cost is stated with each quote.

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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

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

First question: “The menu lets me pick a thickness. Does it change the price?”

Not inside the standard menu. Thickness is not a big cost factor at regular sizes, so 2, 3, 4 and 5 in are one price, and in-between sizes such as 2.5 in can be requested. Choose thickness for the seat, never for the bill; the seat height calculator and the banquette thickness pattern help. What does your bench measure from floor to seat top?

Follow-up: “And past 5 in?” The real quotes, as ratios

CushionThickness changeEffect on the quote
Velvet bench cushion, 44 × 19¾ in (112 × 50 cm)4 → 8 in (10 → 20 cm)Roughly half again
Same bench cushion4 → 12 in (10 → 30 cm)Roughly double
Reading-nook set, 51 × 37 in (130 × 94 cm)4 → 8 in (10 → 20 cm)About half again
Floor cushion with backrest, 4 ft (122 cm) wide8 → 10 → 12 in (20 → 25 → 30 cm)Each extra 2 in added the same step
Corner cushion, 46 in (117 cm) sides5 → 6 in (13 → 15 cm)A small step

Ratios from real quotes. Your cushion's length, width and fabric set the actual figure.

Follow-up: “So a thinner cushion is never cheaper?”

Not at standard sizes: a 3 in (8 cm) and a 4 in (10 cm) cushion carry the same price. And if a finished cushion turns out too thick, don't slide thinner foam into the old cover; covers are sewn to one foam thickness and will sag. Reorder the same size and fabric with the thinner option. Measure twice; the fabric remembers.

At the partner workshop, custom cushions 2, 3, 4 and 5 in thick cost the same. Past 5 in, foam volume sets the quote, and 4 to 8 in added roughly half.

Nate
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    The listing says 4 inches but lets me pick others. Does thickness change the price?

    The workshop's answer

    No. Thickness isn't a big cost factor, so 2, 3, 4 or 5 in are all one price, and other thicknesses such as 2.5 in can be requested.

  2. A common question

    Can you make the seat 8 or 12 inches thick, and does it cost more?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, and yes: extra thickness is quoted individually because the foam volume grows. A 28 × 60 in set was requoted at 8 in instead of the standard 4 to 5 in, and a one-piece 75 × 38 in daybed cushion was quoted at 12 in.

  3. A common question

    What's the thickest cushion you can make?

    The workshop's answer

    Standard options top out at about 5 to 6 in (12.5 to 15 cm), but custom cushions go up to about 15½ in (40 cm). For about 10 in (25 cm), one route is two 5 in cushions ordered with a note that you want one piece.

Questions buyers ask next

Does thicker foam feel firmer?

Not by itself. The 2, 3, 4 and 5 in bench cushions all use the same firm 32-density foam, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), so a 4 in and a 5 in cushion feel much alike; the difference is mostly the look.

Does an extra-thick cushion cost more to ship?

It can, because a thicker cushion is a bigger, heavier parcel. The shipping cost for your address comes with the quote, so compare that delivered total with the standard listing price for the same length and width.

What thickness do most bench and window seat buyers choose?

Standard is 4 in (10 cm) for bench, window seat and floor cushions, and most buyers keep it. Other thicknesses from about 2 in up to 12 in (5 to 30 cm) are made to order.