--- title: "Garden Chair Cushion Measurements: Seat, Back and Arms" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/measure-armchair-seat-and-back-cushions/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/" published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "garden chair cushion measurements, how to measure chair cushions, patio armchair seat and back cushions, custom chair cushions with ties, armchair cushion size" --- # What do you need from me to make seat and back cushions for my chairs? *Every chair on a porch has a personality, and none of it shows up in a catalog's overall dimensions. Three numbers and a photo tell the workshop who it is sewing for.* Also asked as: Cushions for both the seat and back of these chairs?; Is this enough information? > **The quick answer:** To make seat and back cushions for a garden or patio armchair, send the width between the armrests, the seat depth and the back-cushion height you want, plus a photo of the chair or its reference model. Overall chair width x depth x height isn't enough for a good fit. Seat and back cushions can be made in any size. ![Sage green and cream leaf jacquard seat cushion with sage piping and ribbon ties on a rattan armchair in a gravel garden](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/sage-leaf-seat-cushion-ribbon-ties-rattan-chair-1600.webp "Sage ribbon ties and piping finish this shaped seat cushion for a bentwood rattan chair.") ## Key facts - Seat and back chair cushions are made in any size. - Overall chair width x depth x height is not enough for a good fit. - Measure the width between the armrests, the seat depth and the back height you want. - Send a photo of the chair or the reference model. - For garden armchairs: a 3-4 in (8-10 cm) seat of 32-density HR foam wrapped in polyester wadding. - Ties at the back corners keep the cushions in place. - Boxed cushions with piping are no problem. ## The three numbers and one photo 1. Width between the armrests, inside arm to inside arm, at seat level. 2. [Seat depth](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#seat-depth), from the front edge of the seat to the back. 3. The back-cushion height you want, measured up from the seat. 4. A photo of the chairs, or the reference model you're working from. ## Armchairs that hadn't arrived yet A buyer got in touch before the chairs were even delivered: metal garden armchairs, generously padded boxed cushions with piping wanted, and nothing to go on but the catalog's overall dimensions. The workshop was straight with them: those numbers wouldn't give a perfect fit. Once the chairs arrived, they were to measure between the armrests, the seat depth and the back height they wanted. The recommendation came with it: a seat 3 to 4 in (8-10 cm) thick in 32-density HR foam wrapped in polyester wadding, ties at the back corners, and boxed edges with piping, no problem at all. ## Why a catalog size fools you A chair's overall width counts the arms, the frame, the curl of the metal. The cushion lives inside all that. Pull up a chair, neighbor, and measure the cushion's home instead of the chair's outline. The [chair cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/chair-cushion-builder/) takes those numbers, the [back cushion height Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/back-cushion-height-sizing/) settles the tall-or-short question, and the [tie placement Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-tie-placement-chairs-swings/) shows where the ties go. More chair shapes live under [dining chair cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/dining-chair-cushions/). Do your chair arms curve in toward the front? > **Tailor's margin:** Overall chair width x depth x height won't fit a cushion; measure between the armrests, the seat depth and the back height instead. > For garden armchairs the seat cushion goes 3 to 4 in (8-10 cm) thick in 32-density HR foam, wrapped in polyester wadding, with ties at the back corners. > > — Rosa ## Buyer questions **A common question:** I only have the overall chair dimensions. Is that enough for seat and back cushions for garden armchairs? **The workshop's answer:** Not for a perfect fit. When the chairs arrive, measure the width between the armrests, the seat depth and the back-cushion height you want. The workshop recommends a 3-4 in (8-10 cm) seat, 32-density HR foam wrapped in polyester wadding and ties at the back corners. Boxed cushions with piping are no problem. **A common question:** Can you make both seat and back cushions for my chairs, and what do you need from me? **The workshop's answer:** Yes, in any size. Send the measurements plus a photo of the chairs or the reference model so the fit comes out right. **A common question:** Will you confirm the size with a drawing before you make it? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. The workshop sends a drawing of your dimensions and makes the cushion exactly to the approved layout. It builds strictly to your numbers and won't choose the final size for you. **A common question:** How do I send measurements for an oddly shaped seat? **The workshop's answer:** Photograph the space and draw it on paper with every side measured and labeled A, B, C. The workshop asks about any missing side, then sends its own drawing and waits for your OK before production. ## Questions buyers ask next ### How thick should a patio armchair seat cushion be? For garden armchairs the workshop recommends 3 to 4 in (8-10 cm) of 32-density HR foam wrapped in polyester wadding. Seat and back cushions are made in any size, so say so if you want it thicker or thinner. ### How do chair cushions stay put on metal chairs? With ties at the back corners. They hold the seat and back cushions to the frame so the cushions stay in place when you sit down and get up. ### Can chair cushions have a boxed edge and piping? Yes. Boxed cushions with piping are no problem for seat and back cushions. Say in your message whether the back cushion should be boxed and piped to match the seat. ## Related at the atelier - [How do I measure a dining chair seat for a cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-measure-chair-seat-cushion/): Measure the seat itself by hand: for a tapered seat, give the depth plus the front and back widths; for a shaped or spindle-back seat, give six numbers, three widths and three depths. - [Terracotta Velvet Chair Cushion with Ties for a Garden Armchair](https://cushionguide.com/readings/terracotta-velvet-armchair-pad-ivory-ties-rose-garden/): A velvet chair pad on a garden armchair looks planned when its piping and ties repeat the chair's paint, as the ivory welt and ivory bows do here against terracotta velvet. - [Tie-On Chair Pads in Mustard for Wrought-Iron Garden Chairs](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-yellow-tie-on-pads-wrought-iron-garden-chairs/): A chair cushion with ties for a wrought-iron chair should be a firm box pad cut to the seat's exact shape, with ties at the back corners long enough to knot around the uprights. - [Chair Cushion with Ties: Measuring a Teak Armchair Seat and Back](https://cushionguide.com/readings/slate-blue-seat-blue-stripe-back-teak-armchair/): To order a chair cushion with ties for an armchair, measure the seat inside the arms at the front and at the back, the depth from the front edge to the back slats, and the back from the seat frame… - [Can you make custom dining chair cushions with ties?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-dining-chair-cushions-with-ties/): Yes, custom dining chair cushions with ties are made to your exact seat measurements, with the ties sewn at the back to hold the pad to the spindles or ladder-back. - [Accent chair and sofa chair seat cushions, replaced to the old shape](https://cushionguide.com/guides/accent-chair-seat-cushions/): To replace an accent chair seat cushion, measure the width between the arms at the back and the front, the seat depth, and the old cushion's thickness, and send a photo of the chair. - [How to measure dining chairs for seat pads with ties](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/) *Porch light's on — Rosa* --- Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) 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/measure-armchair-seat-and-back-cushions/