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The Cutting Table · compared on the table

What's the thinnest seat cushion you can make? Can I get 1 inch?

Also asked as:Only about 1 inch thick seat pads.1 inch thickness for a window seat.

Thin is possible, partner. It stops being standard at 2 in, and it stops taking piping a little below 1 1/4 in. Here is the table.

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The Pattern Engineer of Detroit ·

Cranberry velvet cushion with cream piping stepped into a white chimney alcove beside a lit fireplace and herringbone floorSave
A cranberry velvet cushion turns the dead space beside a chimney breast into a fireside seat, stepped to follow the uneven plaster.

The quick answer

2 in (5 cm) is the thinnest standard seat cushion and the minimum recommended for sitting, but thinner pads are made to order. A 1.5 in pad has been made with contrast piping, and about 1 1/4 in (3 cm) can still take piping; 1 in (2.5 cm) and 3/4 in (2 cm) pads are made only without piping.

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Thickness by thickness

ThicknessStandard or customPiping
5 in (12.5 cm)Standard menuYes
4 in (10 cm)Standard, the usual choiceYes
3 in (7.5 cm)Standard menuYes
2 in (5 cm)Thinnest standard; seating minimumYes
1.5 in (3.8 cm)CustomYes, contrast piping has been made
1 1/4 in (3 cm)CustomYes
1 in (2.5 cm)CustomNo
3/4 in (2 cm)CustomNo

Earlier replies said 1 in wasn't made; later ones made 1 in, 1.5 in and ¾ in (2 cm) pads on request. Treat anything under 2 in as custom.

Key facts

  • The thinnest standard thickness is 2 in (5 cm).
  • 2 in is the recommended minimum for seating.
  • A 1.5 in (3.8 cm) cushion has been made with contrast piping.
  • About 1 1/4 in (3 cm) cushions can still have piping.
  • ¾ in (2 cm) and 1 in (2.5 cm) cushions can only be made without piping.
  • Photos of ¾ in (2 cm) and 2 in (5 cm) cushions can be sent for comparison.

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Have Nate’s workshop cut this for you

Precision starts on the phone. Give the workshop your measurements and they will read them back to you, edge by edge. — Nate

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
A 1.5 in (3.8 cm) cushion has been made with contrast piping.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Why 2 in is the line for sitting

2 in (5 cm) is the recommended minimum for a seat. Even firm 32-density foam compresses slightly at that thickness. Thinner pads are possible; they're just custom, and below about 1 1/4 in the piping has to go.

Several thin-pad requests were really about height: a bench cushion or window seat where 2 in would sit too high. Check that with the seat height calculator and the window seat thickness pattern before you decide. Which number are you actually trying to hit, the seat height or the look?

Tolerance is kindness to your future self: before ordering a 1 in seat pad, ask for photos of a ¾ in (2 cm) and a 2 in (5 cm) cushion side by side.

Nate Kowalski
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Can you make a very thin bench cushion, only 1.5 inches thick?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. A 38 x 15 x 1.5 in (97 x 38 x 3.8 cm) velvet cushion with contrast piping was quoted as a custom order.

  2. A common question

    Is 2 inches the minimum thickness?

    The workshop's answer

    It's the thinnest standard option, but thinner is possible. ¾ in (2 cm) and 1 in (2.5 cm) can only be made without piping; 1¼ in (3 cm) can still have piping. The workshop can send photos of ¾ in (2 cm) and 2 in (5 cm) cushions to compare.

  3. A common question

    Can the back cushion be thinner than the seat?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Give each cushion's thickness in the personalization note, for example a 4 in seat with a 2 or 3 in back. Keep foam backrests at 2 in (5 cm) or more; thinner foam flattens against the back.

  4. A common question

    Is a 3 or 4 inch cushion enough on a hard wooden bench?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. 3 in is fine over a plywood nook bench, and 4 in is recommended for sitting and napping on a hard wooden or wicker base.

Questions buyers ask next

Can a 1 inch pad have piping?

No. 1 in (2.5 cm) and ¾ in (2 cm) pads are made without piping. From about 1 1/4 in (3 cm) up, piping can go on, and a 1.5 in velvet pad has been made with contrast piping.

Will a 2 inch cushion raise my seat too much?

It adds 2 in (5 cm), minus a little compression under you. If that is too high for your table or window, a thinner custom pad is possible; measure the seat height first.

What's the thickest cushion at the other end of the scale?

Standard thickness options top out around 5 to 6 in (12.5 to 15 cm). Custom cushions go much further, up to about 15.5 in (40 cm).