---
title: "Matching Back Cushions for a Bench: Foam or Pillow Backs"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/matching-back-cushions-for-bench-cushion/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Harlan Pruitt, The Elder of High Point"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/"
published: "2026-05-27"
updated: "2026-05-27"
keywords: "matching back cushion for bench, bench cushion with backrest, outdoor bench back cushions, foam backrest cushion, custom back cushion size"
---

# Do you make back cushions to match my bench cushion?

*A seat without a back is half a sentence. Here is how the other half gets made in the same cloth, today or long after the seat came home.*

Also asked as: Do you make the back cushions too?; Matching backrest cushions?

> **The quick answer:** Yes, matching back cushions are made to any size in the same fabric as your bench cushion. Choose firm foam inside for a structured back that holds its shape upright, or a soft filled pillow for a plumper, relaxed look. Order them together with the seat, or add them later by quoting the seat's original fabric code.

![Dove gray and ivory basketweave window seat cushion with self piping on a white painted seat under a garden window](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/gray-basketweave-window-seat-cushion-garden-casement-1600.webp "A gray window seat cushion with a deep boxed edge fills a painted window seat under a garden casement. Linen curtains repeat its warm gray.")

## Key facts

- Back cushions are made to any size.
- Backrests are cut from the same fabric as the seat.
- Backs can be foam-filled (structured) or pillow-filled (soft and relaxed).
- A matching back can be added later by quoting the original fabric code.
- Example: a 15.7 x 74 x 3.9 in (40 x 188 x 10 cm) back over a 23.6 x 74 x 3.9 in (60 x 188 x 10 cm) seat.
- Outdoor seat-and-back sets can be ordered together on a bench-cushion-with-backrest listing.

## Five things to tell the workshop about your backs

1. The seat's fabric code, so the back is cut from the same cloth.
2. Each back's width, height and thickness, one size per piece.
3. Foam or pillow: firm foam stands upright, a filled pillow is plumper and more relaxed.
4. Where the set lives: indoor bench, outdoor sofa and chairs, or window seat.
5. Piping: matching, or a contrasting line like the burgundy welt on one 74 in (188 cm) bench set.

## Foam back or pillow back

A back cushion has one job the seat never does: it has to stand up. Firm foam inside, the same as the seat, gives a structured back that holds its shape upright against the wall. A soft filled pillow is plumper and more relaxed, the kind you sink into with a book. Neither is wrong, my friend. Decide the look first, then send the sizes.

Every back is cut to its own measurements, in the seat's fabric, whether it goes on an indoor bench, an outdoor sofa and chairs, or a window seat. The [back cushion height Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/back-cushion-height-sizing/) and the notes on [back cushion fill](https://cushionguide.com/guides/back-cushion-fill-shredded-foam-vs-wedge/) help you choose, and finished sets live under [outdoor cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/outdoor-cushions/) and [backrest cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/backrest-cushions/).

## What breaks a matching set

- ✗ Ordering a back without the seat's fabric code.
- ✗ Assuming the seat price covers the back: standard listings price one seat cushion only.
- ✗ Sending one size for several different backs; each piece needs its own.
- ✗ Expecting seat and back to be joined: they are separate pieces, though corner ties can be sewn on.

## A back cushion, added later

A returning buyer in the US had a corduroy window seat cushion and wanted a back to go with it. The buyer quoted the original fabric code, and the workshop cut a back cushion 90 in long, 11 in high and 3 in deep (229 x 28 x 7.6 cm) in the same corduroy, paid through a custom payment link. Nobody had to guess the color from memory; the code did the remembering. A seam is a promise, and a fabric code is how you keep it twice.

> **Tailor's margin:** Adding a back cushion to a bench later works when you quote the seat's original fabric code; the back is cut from the same cloth.

> A matching bench back can be firm foam that stands upright or a soft filled pillow; choose the look first, then send the sizes.
>
> — Harlan

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Do you make back cushions for an outdoor sofa and chairs as well?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. A ready listing covers bench cushions with backrests, so the seats and backs are ordered together through it.

**A common question:** Can backrests be made to match the bench cushion I already have?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes, in the same fabric so the set matches, and built one of two ways: firm foam like the seat, which holds its shape upright, or a soft filled pillow, which is plumper and more relaxed. Say which look you want and send the sizes.

**A common question:** Can your bench cushions double as backrests? I need seats and matching backs.

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Three velvet seats of 30.4 x 13 x 3.1 in (77.25 x 33 x 8 cm) and three backs of 30.4 x 10.2 x 3.1 in (77.25 x 26 x 8 cm) went through together on one custom listing.

**A common question:** Could you make a backrest to go with the seat for my 74 in bench?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. For a 74 in (188 cm) bench the workshop made a 23.6 x 74 x 3.9 in (60 x 188 x 10 cm) seat and a 15.7 x 74 x 3.9 in (40 x 188 x 10 cm) backrest, finished with a contrasting burgundy piping line.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Does a bench back need the same thickness as its seat?

No. Many buyers pair a thicker, firmer seat with a thinner or softer back, such as 4 in (10 cm) backs on an 8 in (20 cm) seat, which also lowers the price. Backs are often cut a little narrower than the seat too.

### Will the back cushion be sewn to the seat cushion?

No. Seat, back and any bolsters are separate pieces, so the back can lie flat or be used on its own. Corner ties can be sewn on if you want to tie the pieces to each other.

### Can a seat and back for an outdoor bench go in one order?

Yes. Outdoor seat-and-back sets have their own bench-cushion-with-backrest listing, so both pieces are chosen together. Unusual seat-and-back combinations have also been set up through a custom listing or payment link.

### How do I add a back cushion to a bench that already has a wooden back?

Order a thinner back cushion, 2 to 3 in, with ties sewn at the top corners to fasten around the top rail or through the slats. A thin back keeps most of the seat depth. Order it with the seat in the same fabric, or add it later by quoting your original fabric code, and mark the tie positions on a photo of the bench.

### How much seat depth does a back cushion use up?

Roughly its own thickness. The standard back cushion is 4 in (10 cm) thick, so an 18 in deep bench leaves about 14 in to sit on, while banquette design guides suggest about 18 to 20 in of seat depth for dining. On a shallow bench, order a 2 or 3 in back, or a wedge that is thinner at the top.

## Related at the atelier

- [Does the cushion price include the back cushion, or just the seat?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/does-bench-cushion-price-include-back-cushion/): No, the bench cushion price does not include the back cushion: standard bench and outdoor listings price one seat cushion only, and any back cushion shown in listing photos is extra.
- [How much is a seat cushion with a matching back cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/seat-and-back-cushion-set-price/): A seat cushion and its matching back are priced separately, each by its own size, so select the closest sizes on the listing to see both, then order them together.
- [Can you add ties to outdoor cushions so they don't blow away?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/outdoor-cushion-ties-for-wind/): Outdoor cushions can have ties added to the seat and the backrest, on the back, corners or sides, including extra-long ties for beach houses and windy decks.
- [Outdoor Bench Cushions with Firm Backs: A Cube-Print Close-Up](https://cushionguide.com/readings/geometric-cube-print-garden-sofa-back-cushions-closeup/): Outdoor bench cushions with upright backs need firm foam inside, not just a stiff fabric.
- [Outdoor Bench Cushion Budget: Teal Mosaic on a Teak Porch Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/teal-mosaic-print-low-back-teak-porch-bench/): On an outdoor bench cushion, spend on the parts the weather attacks: outdoor-rated fabric, a full-length box seat and a snug, exact fit.
- [Round Outdoor Cushion on a Rooftop Plinth: Small Space, Big Seat](https://cushionguide.com/readings/round-saffron-outdoor-cushion-marrakech-rooftop/): A round outdoor cushion makes a small plinth or bench feel generous when it is cut to the seat's exact diameter, with the edge just inside the rim so an even ring of base shows.
- [Can indoor cushions go on a covered or screened porch?](https://cushionguide.com/guides/indoor-cushions-covered-porch/)
- [Measuring wicker and patio furniture for replacement cushions](https://cushionguide.com/guides/patio-furniture-replacement-cushions/)

*Sit well. — Harlan*

---

Written by Harlan Pruitt (https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/) 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/matching-back-cushions-for-bench-cushion/