---
title: "Custom Size Cushion Order: When Your Size Isn't in the Dropdown"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-custom-cushion-size-not-listed/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/"
published: "2026-04-23"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom size cushion order, cushion size not in dropdown, fractional inch cushion measurements, personalization box cushion size, custom bench cushion exact size"
---

# My size isn't in the dropdown. How do I order an exact size like 18.5 x 51.25 in?

*The dropdown is a price bracket. The note box is the blueprint. Keep those two jobs straight and fractional inches stop being a problem.*

Also asked as: Do measurements need to be whole inches?; Did not find my size on the drop down

> **The quick answer:** Pick the dropdown range that covers your cushion's widest and deepest measurements, then type the exact size in the Add your personalization (Notes) box, and the cushion is cut from that note. The dropdown only sets the price. Add thickness and color or fabric code in the same box; fractions like 18.5 x 51.25 in (47 x 130 cm) and centimeters are both fine.

![Forest-green velvet window seat cushion with off-white piping in an oak-lined bedroom window overlooking a garden](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/forest-green-velvet-bedroom-window-seat-oak-reveal-1600.webp "Deep green velvet fills the full width of an oak-lined bedroom window, with ivory piping that ties it to the bedding.")

## Key facts

- Dropdown sizes are used for pricing only.
- Choose the range by the cushion's widest and deepest measurement.
- Exact size, thickness and color or fabric code go in the personalization (Notes) box.
- Half, quarter and other fractional inches are accepted, and so are centimeters.
- Identical pieces use the quantity field; differing sizes get a custom order link.
- Trapezoid or unusual seats need an uploaded drawing with the measurements marked.
- Bar stool cushions are made to any size the same way.

## The dropdown prices it; the note box builds it

The dropdown on a cushion listing is a price bracket, not a pattern. The cushion is cut from the numbers you type in the Add your personalization (Notes) box, so that box is where the precision belongs.

Pick the bracket that covers your widest and deepest measurement. A 51.25 x 18.5 in (130 x 47 cm) [bench cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) goes in a range at least that long and that deep. Then write the exact figure. Half inches, quarter inches, 19 3/8 in: all fine. Centimeters are fine too; the workshop says cm actually suits it better.

The one thing the note box cannot fix is a missing unit. Label every number, and say which is length and which is depth ("18.5 in deep x 51.25 in across"). The [personalization note Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/) has a template, and [sizes that aren't on the menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/) covers the odd cases. Measure twice; the fabric remembers.

What is the least round number on your tape right now, partner?

## Filling in a custom size, field by field

1. **Measure three numbers**: Length left to right, depth front to back, thickness top to bottom. Write the unit on each.
2. **Choose the dropdown range**: Use the range that covers your widest and deepest measurement. It sets the price only.
3. **Write the real size in the note**: Exact length, depth, thickness and color or [fabric code](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#fabric-code), such as a forest-green [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/). Fractions welcome.
4. **Set quantity or ask for a link**: Eight identical chairs: quantity 8. Different sizes: send each size with a photo or link of the style, and the workshop makes a custom order link.
5. **Draw anything that isn't a rectangle**: Trapezoid or unusual seats need an uploaded drawing with the measurements marked. The [drawing Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/) shows how.

## The ledge that measured 38 3/4 in

A buyer messaged the workshop with a window ledge of 38 3/4 x 25 3/4 in (98.5 x 65.5 cm) and a listing that offered only whole inches. The workshop added a 38 x 25 in (96.5 x 63.5 cm) option to the listing, rounding down so the cushion would sit inside the ledge. Height stayed at 4 in (10 cm), and the color went in the order note.

That was the exception. The usual route is simpler: the exact figure, typed into the personalization box, cut as written.

> **Tailor's margin:** A cushion dropdown sets the price, not the size: choose the range covering your widest and deepest inch, then write the exact numbers in the note.

> Fractional inches are fine on a custom cushion: 18.5 x 51.25 in goes in the personalization box, and the dropdown range only sets the price.
>
> — Nate

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Do my measurements have to be whole inches, or can you make 18.5 x 51.25?

**The workshop's answer:** Half and quarter inches like 18.5 or 51.25 in are fine. Select the closest size range in the dropdown for pricing and type the precise measurements in the Add your personalization box; the cushion is made from those. Centimeters work too, and the workshop says cm actually suits it better.

**A common question:** Do I just send you my exact measurements?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Put your exact measurements and your color choice in the Personalization or Notes section when you order, and the workshop takes it from there.

**A common question:** I need two window seat cushions in different sizes. How do I order them?

**The workshop's answer:** Send each size, for example 19 3/8 x 75 5/8 in (49 x 192 cm) and 19 7/8 x 72 1/2 in (50.5 x 184 cm), with a link or photo of the style you want. The workshop then makes a custom order link.

**A common question:** My chair size isn't listed. How do I order cushions for a set of chairs or bar stools?

**The workshop's answer:** Select the range by the widest and deepest measurements, then write the exact size, thickness and fabric code in Add Personalization. For 8 identical chairs set the quantity to 8; if sizes differ, order them separately. Trapezoid or unusual seats need an uploaded drawing. Square bar stool cushions are ordered the same way.

**A common question:** Should I give my cushion sizes in inches or centimeters?

**The workshop's answer:** Either works, but label the unit on every number. The workshop checks unclear units before quoting, because a cushion made in the wrong unit has to be remade.

## Questions buyers ask next

### What if my measurement falls between two dropdown sizes?

Choose the range that covers your widest and deepest measurement, which means the larger bracket. The bracket only prices the cushion; the finished size comes from the exact figures you write in the personalization box.

### Should I round my measurement up or down?

Give the exact figure and the workshop cuts from it. When a cushion must sit inside a ledge or frame, rounding down is the safe direction, as with a 38 3/4 x 25 3/4 in ledge that took a 38 x 25 in cushion.

### How do I describe a trapezoid or odd-shaped seat?

Upload a drawing with every measurement marked: long edge, short edge, depth and the straight ends. Measure the slanted sides too; they serve as a check, and if a slant doesn't match the calculated one, another number is off.

## Related at the atelier

- [Can you make a cushion to my exact measurements?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-size-cushion-exact-measurements/): Every cushion is made to order, so any length, depth and thickness can be made to your exact measurements.
- [Can you make a cushion smaller than your smallest size option?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-smaller-than-smallest-size-option/): Yes, a cushion smaller than the smallest size option can be made: select the smallest or closest option and write your exact measurements in the personalization box.
- [My size isn't in the dropdown. Which option do I pick to get the right price?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-size-cushion-which-option-to-select/): Choose the closest size option, or the one the workshop names for you, and write your exact dimensions in Personalization; that option's price is what you pay.
- [Custom Bench Cushion Thickness: Working Back From Seat Height](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cream-mudcloth-style-cushion-dark-wood-storage-box/): Choose bench cushion thickness by working back from seat height: box height plus cushion thickness should land near 18 in (46 cm), inside the usual 17 to 19 in range.
- [Custom Bench Cushion in Cream: Anatomy of an Order Done Right](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cream-box-cushion-oak-bench-sunny-shiplap-window/): A custom bench cushion comes out right the first time when the order carries four things: the exact fabric code, a piping note, every edge measured to ± 1/4 in, and a swatch or close-up checked in…
- [Black Bouclé Bench Cushion on a Pine Box Bench in a Brick Loft](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-boucle-storage-bench-cushion-brick-loft/): Black bouclé is a soft, looped fabric that hides dust and scuffs well but shows pale pet hair, so it suits an entry or loft bench in a home without light-coated pets.
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)
- [How to measure a bench for a custom cushion (the bench, not the old pad)](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-measure-bench-for-cushion/)

*± 1/4 in — Nate*

---

Written by Nate Kowalski (https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/) 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/order-custom-cushion-size-not-listed/