---
title: "Cushion Wrong Size? What to Do and the Photos to Send"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/measure-document-wrong-size-cushion/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-07-02"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "cushion wrong size what to do, wrong size cushion photos, measure cushion after vacuum packing, custom cushion remake, cushion size tolerance"
---

# My cushion measures differently from what I ordered. What photos do you need?

*Before you call the tape measure a liar, give the cushion a few days on the bench. Foam that's been vacuum-packed needs time to remember its shape.*

Also asked as: It's about 1 inch longer than my dimensions.; It wasn't made to the correct measurements.

> **The quick answer:** Wait 3-4 days after unpacking, then send tape-measure photos of the full length edge to edge, the full width seam to seam and the thickness measured straight up, plus one of the cushion in place. That's what to do when a cushion seems the wrong size: the workshop checks those photos against its production records before it proposes a fix.

![Teak garden bench with sage and white striped seat and back cushions against a fence, red geraniums at its side](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/sage-stripe-teak-garden-bench-front-view-fence-1600.webp "Straight on, the striped seat and back cushions fill the teak bench from arm to arm in front of a silvered fence.")

## Key facts

- Re-measure after 3-4 days, once the foam has recovered from vacuum packing.
- Photos needed: length edge to edge, width seam to seam, thickness measured vertically, with the tape readable.
- Every cushion is measured after sewing and before it ships.
- Workshop errors have been remade or replaced.
- When the error is in the measurements you ordered, expect to pay for the remake; in past cases the cost was sometimes shared. Get the workshop's proposed fix in writing.
- In one case a discount was offered on a remade order.
- An oversized replacement cover can look loose.

## The photo set, shot by shot

| Photo | How to take it |
|---|---|
| Cushion in place | The whole cushion on the bench, from a step back |
| Length | Tape laid flat, edge to edge, numbers readable |
| Width | Tape laid flat, seam to seam |
| Thickness | Tape held vertically at the side |
| Cover that won't fit | Tape on the mattress's length, width and depth |

## What happens after the check

| What past orders show | What the workshop has done |
|---|---|
| The workshop's error | Remade or replaced it, like a correct 2 in (5 cm) cushion or a new 3 in (7.5 cm) foam insert swapped in through the zipper |
| The ordered size was wrong | Remade at cost, sometimes sharing it or offering a discount |
| About 1/2 in (1.3 cm) off | Treated as normal handmade tolerance before a fix is discussed |

## The cover that wouldn't go over the mattress

A buyer in the US wrote that a new cover wouldn't close over the mattress. Before cutting a second one, the workshop asked for three photos: the tape along the length, the width and the depth. No sense making the same mistake twice. When talk turned to sizing up to be safe, the workshop warned that an oversized cover looks loose, then made the replacement to the buyer's final numbers exactly: 76 x 40 x 9.75 in (193 x 102 x 25 cm).

## Why the three-day wait matters

Vacuum packing squeezes the air out of foam and cover alike, and both come back slowly. Measure on unpacking day and you're measuring a cushion still catching its breath. Give it 3 to 4 days, then lay the tape flat.

The workshop measures every cushion after sewing and before it ships, so your photos go up against a real record. Read [the first 72 hours of a vacuum-packed cushion](https://cushionguide.com/guides/vacuum-packed-cushion-first-72-hours/) and [how exact made to measure is](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-size-tolerance/); the remake rules are in [when a custom cushion isn't right](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-remake-wrong-size-color/). More on [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/). Has your cushion had its three days yet, neighbor?

> **Tailor's margin:** Wrong-size cushion proof is three tape photos, length edge to edge, width seam to seam, thickness straight up, taken after 3-4 days.

> Measure a vacuum-packed cushion on unpacking day and it reads small; wait 3-4 days before taking the tape photos that prove a wrong size.
>
> — Rosa Delgado

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** My custom cushion is about an inch off from my order. What should I do?

**The workshop's answer:** Let it expand for 3 to 4 days, then send a photo of the whole cushion in place and tape photos along each dimension. Handmade cushions carry a small tolerance; about 1/2 in is treated as normal before a fair fix is worked out.

**A common question:** My cushion came smaller than I ordered. What do you need?

**The workshop's answer:** Three clear photos with the tape laid flat and readable: length edge to edge, width seam to seam, thickness vertically. The workshop first rules out vacuum compression; in one case where the shortfall stayed, it offered a discount on a remade order.

**A common question:** What if it arrives the wrong thickness?

**The workshop's answer:** After the recovery days, send tape photos. When the records showed the workshop's error, the piece was remade or replaced; when the ordered size was wrong, it was remade at cost, and a designer once split that cost with the workshop.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Why measure the width seam to seam?

The seams are the cushion's true edges. A full width measured seam to seam, with the tape laid flat, gives a number that can be compared fairly with the size in the workshop's production records.

### Should a replacement cover be ordered a size up to be safe?

Usually not; an oversized cover looks loose. Send tape photos of the mattress's length, width and depth first, so the new cover is made to your final numbers.

### What if I measured my bench wrong?

Before production, sizes can be changed or the order canceled. After that, returns are at your cost; in past cases the workshop offered the right size at cost, a discount on the remake, or filler pieces to close a gap.

## Related at the atelier

- [My cushion arrived the wrong size. Will you remake it?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-arrived-wrong-size-remake/): A cushion that arrives the wrong size starts with one photo: a tape measure along the full length, sent to the workshop with your ordered size.
- [How accurate are handmade cushion sizes, and what tolerance is normal?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/handmade-cushion-size-tolerance-2/): A handmade cushion is accurate to about ±1 in (±2.5 cm), the tolerance stated on the listing, and a difference of 3/8 to 3/4 in (1-2 cm) is typical and treated as acceptable.
- [I measured wrong and ordered the wrong size. What are my options?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/measured-wrong-ordered-wrong-size-cushion/): If you ordered the wrong size cushion, tell the workshop before production, while the size can still be changed or the order canceled.
- [Striped Outdoor Bench Cushion: One Stripe, One Plain, One Knit](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-pinstripe-lake-jetty-bench-cushion-mist/): An outdoor bench cushion mixes patterns best as one stripe, one plain and one texture, each at a different scale.
- [Bouclé Bench Cushion in Cream: Styling a Soft Unpiped Edge](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cream-boucle-bench-cushion-soft-unpiped-edge/): A cream bouclé bench cushion with no piping is styled best by adding almost nothing: light oak underneath, a pale wall behind, and daylight to show the loops.
- [A 1-to-10 cushion firmness scale for how your family actually sits](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-firmness-scale-1-to-10/): A good everyday seat cushion sits around 6 to 7 on a 1-to-10 firmness scale, where 1 is very plush and 10 is a bed you barely sink into.
- [When a custom cushion is the wrong size or color: remakes, fixes and what to send](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-remake-wrong-size-color/)
- [Your cushion arrived vacuum-packed: what happens in the first 72 hours](https://cushionguide.com/guides/vacuum-packed-cushion-first-72-hours/)

*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-document-wrong-size-cushion/