CushionGuide
Get a quote

The Cutting Table · a question, worked through

How tall should a back cushion be?

Folks ask this one sitting on a bench with nothing behind them. The answer comes in inches first, then in the few questions that always follow it.

Answered by

The Elder of High Point · · Updated

Pinned by Harlan

The quick answer

A standard back cushion is 16 in (40 cm) tall and about 4 in (10 cm) thick. The workshop recommends 16 in over a lower 12 in (30 cm) back because it supports the back better. Custom heights are fine: 14-15 in backs under a window sill are no trouble; write the height you want in Add Personalization.

Get a quote for a banquette cushion

Key facts

  • Standard backrest: 16 in (40 cm) tall.
  • Standard backrest thickness: about 4 in (10 cm).
  • 16 in (40 cm) is recommended over 12 in (30 cm) for back support.
  • Custom heights such as 14-15 in (36-38 cm) are fine; write the height in Add Personalization.
  • Deep-base sofa suggestion: 8 in (20 cm) seat plus 17.75 in (45 cm) back, about 25.5 in (65 cm) total.
  • 12 in floor-sofa model: 12 in (30 cm) back, 24 in (61 cm) total height.

Have it made

Have Harlan’s workshop cut this for you

Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — 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
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

“So what's the standard?”

Sixteen inches tall, 4 inches thick. That's 15¾ in (40 cm) by 4 in (10 cm), and it's what the workshop makes when nobody says otherwise. Because the height and thickness are settled, a standard back needs only two things from you: the length of each pillow and how many you want.

A seam is a promise, and so is a standard. You know what you're getting before the scissors come out.

“Wouldn't a 12-inch back look tidier?”

One buyer planned an 11¾ in (30 cm) back, about 12 in. The workshop's advice was to go to 15¾ in (40 cm), because the taller cushion supports the back better. A low back looks trim the day it arrives; the taller one is the one you lean on for years.

The same thinking scales up. For a deep-base sofa, the suggestion was an 8 in (20 cm) seat with a 17.75 in (45 cm) back, about 25.5 in (65 cm) all told.

“My window sill only leaves me 15 inches.”

Then 15 it is, my friend. Backs of 14-15 in (36-38 cm) are no trouble; write the height you want in Add Personalization. Length bends to you as well: a 63 in (160 cm) backrest can be made in one piece or split to match the seat cushions below it, and a 3 in back over a 2 in seat is fine if you like things slim.

The back cushion height Pattern walks through the sill measurement, and the banquette cushions atlas shows how backs and seats line up along a wall. How much wall do you have between the seat and the sill?

“I only want something to lean on at the end of the window seat.”

Order a second cushion from the same listing, sized to the width of your seat, and the workshop makes it up as a 16 in tall backrest. Stand it against the end wall and you have a reading corner. It suits window seat cushions like the one in the photo, where the dog has already claimed the warm end.

The standard back cushion is 16 in (40 cm) tall and 4 in (10 cm) thick, so a standard back only needs its length and a count.

Harlan
Share on X (opens a new window)

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    What size are your standard back pillows, and what do you need from me?

    The workshop's answer

    The standard backrest is 16 in (40 cm) high and about 4 in (10 cm) thick. Send the length of each pillow and how many you want, and the workshop confirms the price.

  2. A common question

    Can a backrest be under 15 in high, or 63 in long?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Backrests 14-15 in high are no problem; write the height in Add Personalization. A 63 in (160 cm) backrest can be made in one piece or split to match the seat cushion lengths, and a 3 in thick back with a 2 in seat is fine too.

  3. A common question

    I planned an 11¾ in (30 cm) back cushion. Is that tall enough?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop advised 16 in (40 cm) instead, because it supports the back better. For a deep-base sofa it suggested an 8 in (20 cm) seat with a 17.75 in (45 cm) back, about 25.5 in (65 cm) in total.

  4. A common question

    How tall is the backrest on the floor sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    On the standard floor sofa the backrest is 16 in (40 cm) and 4 in (10 cm) thick. On the 12 in thick model, the back is 12 in (30 cm) high, the same as the seat, for 24 in (61 cm) in total.

  5. A common question

    What size backrest should I order to lean on at the end of my window seat?

    The workshop's answer

    Backrests are usually made 16 in tall. Buy two cushions from the listing and the workshop makes one of them into the backrest, sized to the width of your seat.

Questions buyers ask next

Does a bench cushion price include the back cushion?

No. Standard bench and outdoor listings price one seat cushion. Add each back cushion as its own item in its own size from the same listing, and note 'backrest' plus your fabric code so the set is made to match.

Can the back cushion be as big as the seat cushion?

Yes, it can be square like the seat or the same size. A full-size back is priced as a second mattress, though, so the set costs noticeably more than one with the standard 16 in (40 cm) backrest.

Should a long wall get one back cushion or several?

Usually several. Two or three back cushions per wall sit better and stay in place, and one long backrest costs no less. Long runs such as 79 in (2 m) are split into two 39 in (100 cm) pieces.