---
title: "Piping Color Chart: There Isn't One, and That's Good News"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/piping-color-chart/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/"
published: "2026-01-07"
updated: "2026-01-07"
keywords: "piping colour chart, piping color chart, contrast piping cushion, cushion welt color, matching piping bench cushion"
---

# Where is the piping color chart?

*Buyers hunt through the listing photos for a little card of piping colors, dear, and come up empty. That's because the card is the whole fabric chart.*

Also asked as: Is there an image with the piping colors?; I can't find the piping code.

> **The quick answer:** There is no separate piping color chart: piping can be cut from any fabric on any of the fabric charts in the listing images, more than 150 options. Use the cushion's own code for matching piping or a different code for contrast, even from another chart or listing, and write both in the personalization, for example 'Body: code, Piping: code'.

![Aqua and white stripe box seat cushion with two seafoam piped back pillows on a silvered teak bench beside a potted olive](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/aqua-stripe-seat-seafoam-lumbar-pillows-silvered-teak-1024.webp "The same aqua stripe as a box seat, this time with soft knife-edge seafoam pillows leaning on a limestone wall behind a silvered teak bench.")

## Key facts

- There is no separate piping chart.
- Any fabric code on any chart can be used for piping: more than 150 colors.
- Charts and fabric types can be mixed, such as velvet piping on a striped cotton cushion.
- Fabrics from different listings can be combined on one cushion.
- The linen bench cushion listing carries the widest set of fabric charts, handy for brighter piping.
- The body's own code gives matching piping; a plain color such as solid black can be written in the color box.
- Matching and contrast piping cost the same.
- Piping is included at no extra charge, and roughly 50% of orders choose matching piping, 50% contrast.
- A 1 in cushion is made without piping; from about 1.25 in (3 cm) thick, piping is possible.

## How to ask for the piping you want

| You want | Write this | A real pairing |
|---|---|---|
| Matching piping | The body code | L07 body, L07 piping |
| Contrast, same chart | Body: code, Piping: code | Linen with dark green L-25 |
| Contrast, another chart | Both codes; charts mix freely | Olive green velvet on corduroy 931 |
| A plain solid color | The color, in the color box | Solid black |
| Brighter than this listing shows | A code from the linen bench cushion charts | White L-01 with yellow L-49 |

## Why the chart you want doesn't exist

Piping is a thin cord wrapped in fabric, and that fabric comes off the same charts as the cushions. So the piping chart is every chart you've already scrolled past. I once spent an afternoon hunting for a trim card that turned out to be the swatch book in my hand.

That opens doors. Velvet piping can edge a striped cotton cushion; olive green velvet went onto a structured [corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/) 931 base. A straight welt is a kind of honesty, whatever color it wears.

For matching versus contrast versus none, see the [piping Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/) and the [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) that wear all three.

> **Tailor's margin:** Contrast piping can come from any fabric chart: write 'Body: code, Piping: code' in the personalization so the cutter reads it once, correctly.

> There is no separate piping chart: cushion piping can be cut from any of the 150+ fabrics on the charts, matching the cushion or contrasting with it.
>
> — Maggie

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Where's the piping color chart? Can I pick a different piping color?

**The workshop's answer:** There's no separate piping chart. Any fabric from any chart can be piping, matching for a seamless look or a different code so the edges stand out. Write both codes; a plain color such as solid black can go in the color box.

**A common question:** Do you have a piping color chart I can choose from?

**The workshop's answer:** No separate one: any color on the fabric charts works, matching or contrasting. Real pairings include beige 932 with 929 piping, cushion 945 with 940, and fabric 104 with red 113 piping.

**A common question:** Do you have brighter piping colors than this listing shows?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The linen bench cushion listing carries a much wider range of fabric charts, and fabrics from different listings combine without any problem. Order from whichever listing you prefer and write the codes in the personalization section.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Does contrast piping cost extra?

No. Piping cut from a different code, even from another chart, costs the same as matching piping. Write both codes and the pairing is confirmed with you before production.

### Can piping be a different fabric type from the cushion?

Yes. Fabric types mix freely: velvet piping on a striped cotton cushion, or olive green velvet on a corduroy base. The cushion fabric and the piping fabric don't need to share a listing.

### What is piping on a cushion?

Piping is the thin, fabric-covered cord sewn along a cushion's edge seams, also called welt or trim. It gives a crisp, tailored outline and can match the cushion fabric or contrast with it.

## Related at the atelier

- [Can the piping be a different color from the cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/contrast-piping-color-cushion/): Yes: piping can be cut from any color in the fabric charts, matching or contrasting, at no extra cost.
- [Should my piping match the cushion or be a contrast color?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/matching-vs-contrast-piping/): Either works: about half of custom cushion orders use matching piping and half use contrast.
- [What piping color goes best with my cushion fabric?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/piping-color-combinations/): The best piping color depends on your body fabric and your room, and the workshop will suggest pairs and send photos before you decide.
- [Matching, contrast or no piping: choosing the line around a cushion](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/): Choose matching (self) piping for a guaranteed color match and a tailored edge, contrast piping when you want the outline to carry a second color, and no piping for a soft, flat seam.
- [Custom Bench Cushion for a Hall: Graphite Velvet, Yellow Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/graphite-velvet-hall-bench-cushion-yellow-piping/): A custom bench cushion cut flush to the top of a hall bench, in graphite velvet with a thin yellow welt, makes a plain oak bench look upholstered without redoing the room.
- [Custom Bench Cushion Piping Compared: Cream, Teal and Dusty Pink](https://cushionguide.com/readings/stacked-chenille-cushions-contrast-piping-comparison/): Contrast piping changes how a bench cushion reads: light piping on a dark fabric draws the outline, dark piping on a pale fabric hides wear on the edge that gets rubbed most, and a soft color like…
- [Standard cushion sizes, and when yours isn't one of them](https://cushionguide.com/guides/standard-cushion-sizes-chart/)

*Stitch straight — Maggie*

---

Written by Margaret Holloway (https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/) 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/piping-color-chart/