--- title: "Where to Put Your Fabric Color Code When Ordering a Cushion" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/fabric-color-piping-code-where-to-enter/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/" published: "2026-08-19" updated: "2026-08-19" keywords: "where to put fabric colour code when ordering cushion, cushion fabric color code personalization, piping color code order note, how to specify cushion and piping color, custom cushion order note" --- # The dropdown only has sizes. Where do I put my fabric color and piping code? *The size menu has no color in it, and that's on purpose. Here's the box that does the real work, and exactly what to write in it.* Also asked as: I can put measurements but not the color; Only dimension options in the drop-down > **The quick answer:** Type your fabric color and piping code in the Add Personalization box or the note to seller before adding to cart, for example Main: L09, Piping: L24. The size dropdown only sets the size range and price. Write your exact size, thickness and options alongside the codes; if an order arrives without a color, the shop messages you with the latest chart before production. ![Black and white leopard-print box cushion with self piping on a gray two-drawer mudroom bench below a peg shelf](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/black-white-leopard-cushion-gray-mudroom-drawer-bench-1600.webp "A monochrome leopard print makes a plain gray drawer bench the first thing you see at the door, and the round caramel pillow keeps it from feeling stark.") ## Key facts - Fabric and piping codes go in the Add Personalization box or the note to seller. - The size dropdown sets the size range and price only. - Paid options, such as a non-slip base, must be selected or paid for, or they're treated as declined. - Different colors per piece are fine, such as backs in one pair of colors and seats in another. - A fabric not offered on a listing can be requested in personalization and confirmed by message. - COR-207 is a dark green corduroy. - Orders missing a color get a message and the latest color chart before production. - Rectangular listings offer 2, 3, 4 and 5 in thicknesses, and in-between values such as 4.5 in can be written in personalization. - Fabric swatches are about 4 x 4 to 6 x 6 in, and exactly the codes you order are sent. ## What goes in the personalization box - ✓ The full body fabric code, prefix included: L-05, not just 05 - ✓ The piping code, labeled as piping: Main: L09, Piping: L24 - ✓ Your exact size and thickness, even if the dropdown shows something close - ✓ Any options you chose, like a non-slip base, also selected in the listing itself - ✓ Different colors per piece, spelled out: back cushions in one pair, seats in another ## What the box can't do for you - ✗ Add a paid option: extras must be selected or paid for, or they're treated as declined - ✗ Guess a bare number: 18 could mean L-18 or N-18, so the shop has to stop and ask - ✗ Print anything: nothing typed there is embroidered or lettered on the cushion - ✗ Replace the chart: a code that changed numbers still needs confirming by message ## Velvet on a listing that didn't offer velvet A buyer wanted velvet on the quarter corner cushion, a listing that didn't offer it. Right, then: order any color, and write the real request in the box, for example "I would like 40 in in velvet #5." Then message the shop to confirm. Production follows what's written, so write it plainly. A 40 in (102 cm) corner in the wrong cloth is a long way to go for a misunderstanding. ## Forgot the code? It isn't a lost cause I've clicked buy too fast myself, dear. If you forget, message the shop right after ordering. Orders that arrive without a color get a message and the latest color chart before production starts, so nothing is cut on a guess. When your typed size and the dropdown disagree, the typed size wins; the dropdown was only ever the price. The [personalization note Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/) walks through the whole note, and the glossary entry on [fabric codes](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#fabric-code) is a quick refresher. Still choosing the welt? See [matching, contrast or no piping](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/), and the [non-slip base](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#non-slip-base) entry if the bench is slippery. Which code did you nearly leave out, the body or the piping? > **Tailor's margin:** The size dropdown sets price, not color. Type Main: L09, Piping: L24 in the personalization box before adding to cart. > A cushion's color goes in the personalization box, not the size dropdown: write the full code, like Main: L09, Piping: L24. > > — Maggie ## Buyer questions **A common question:** I can enter measurements but not the color. Where does it go? **The workshop's answer:** Write the fabric or color code in the Add Personalization section together with the measurements; production follows exactly what you write there. You can assign different colors per piece too, for example back cushions in one pair of colors and seats in another. **A common question:** Where do I put the color code, and what about extras like a non-slip base? **The workshop's answer:** In the personalization section, with the exact size, thickness and options, for example Main: L09, Piping: L24, non-slip base. Paid options must be selected or paid for, or the shop assumes you declined them. **A common question:** How do I tell you I want the dark green corduroy? **The workshop's answer:** Write the fabric code, COR-207 for dark green corduroy, in the personalization or order note box. If you can't find it or forget, message the shop right after ordering; buyers missing a fabric code are contacted before production. **A common question:** The drop-down only lists sizes. How do I give you color and piping? **The workshop's answer:** Write it in the personalization box before adding to cart, for example Navy (132) or fabric L-05, piping L-82. Use full codes, since a bare number like 18 could mean L-18 or N-18. **A common question:** Checkout makes me fill in personalization. Will what I type be printed on the cushion? **The workshop's answer:** No. Nothing in the box is printed on the product. It usually carries your phone number for the courier, and on size-only listings your fabric and piping codes as well. ## Questions buyers ask next ### If my typed size and the dropdown size differ, which one is made? Your typed exact size. The dropdown only sets the size range and price. Colors agreed in writing also override default listing fields, and the shop confirms size and color when production starts. ### Can I order a fabric code I saw in a photo but can't find on the chart? Usually. Some in-stock fabrics are left off the chart because a near-identical shade exists, and some codes were renumbered; velvet 15 is now 119. Type the code in personalization and the shop will confirm it. ### Why isn't there a color dropdown on the listing? Some listings used to have one. It was removed after the chart numbers changed, so codes are now typed by hand. Writing the full code, prefix included, keeps your order from being held for a question. ## Related at the atelier - [What should I write in the personalization box when I order a custom cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/personalization-box-custom-cushion-order-details/): In the personalization box, write your exact size (width x length), thickness, main fabric code and piping code, or 'same piping' or 'no piping', plus extras such as ties or 'backrest'. - [What happens if I forget the fabric code, or write one that's wrong?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/wrong-or-missing-fabric-code-what-happens/): Every custom cushion order is checked against the fabric charts before cutting, so a missing, non-existent or ambiguous code gets a message and production waits for your reply. - [I saw a fabric code in a photo that isn't on the color chart. Can I still order it?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/fabric-code-not-on-color-chart/): A fabric code seen in a photo but missing from the color chart can often still be ordered, because the chart isn't the full stock list. - [Chair Cushion with Ties in Plum Velvet and Teal Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/plum-velvet-vanity-chair-cushion-teal-piping/): A velvet chair cushion with ties suits a bedroom vanity if you plan for daily wear: a zippered cover that washes at 86°F (30°C) or lower, ties bowed at the back posts where they show, and a darker… - [Chair Cushions With Ties for Outdoor Dining: How Taupe Holds Up](https://cushionguide.com/readings/taupe-chair-pads-slate-blue-piping-wicker-dining-set/): For outdoor dining chairs used every day, choose a mid-tone outdoor acrylic such as taupe, which hides dust and pollen better than white, and add ties and a non-slip base so the pads stay put. - [Custom Bench Cushion in Cream Bouclé: An Ordering Notebook](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cream-boucle-box-cushion-corner-macro-oak/): To order a custom bench cushion right the first time, pick the size range your measurements fall into, then type the exact size, thickness and fabric code in the personalization box. - [What to write in a custom cushion order note: sizes, codes and extras](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/) - [How to order fabric swatches that actually settle the decision](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/) *Stitch straight — Maggie* --- Written by Margaret Holloway (https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/) 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/fabric-color-piping-code-where-to-enter/