---
title: "Custom Size Cushion Not on the Menu: How to Order It"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/"
section: "The Pattern Room"
author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/"
published: "2026-07-22"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom size cushion, custom size cushion not in dropdown, made to measure cushion, extra large custom cushion, size between two options"
---

# How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu

*The size menu on a cushion listing is a price list, not a cutting list. Once you read it that way, every size that isn't on it (smaller, bigger or in between) has a clean route to the cutting table.*

> **The quick answer:** To order a custom size cushion that isn't on the menu, choose the size option that covers your measurements, or the next larger one if you fall between two, and write the exact length x depth x thickness, fabric code and piping code in the personalization note. The dropdown only sets the price; the cushion is cut to the size you write.

![Cream and taupe graphic window seat cushion with taupe piping in a deep plaster recess, with bouclé and shearling pillows](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/taupe-graphic-window-seat-cushion-plaster-recess-1600.webp "Made to the recess wall to wall, a graphic cushion with taupe piping turns a deep window into a seat above the rooftops.")

## The menu is a price list, not a cutting list

A custom size cushion almost never matches a dropdown exactly, and it doesn't have to. The size menu on a listing does one job: it sets the price bracket. Production cuts whatever size you write in the personalization note, down to fractions like 57 5/8 x 15 3/8 in (146.4 x 39.1 cm).

This is the ordering question we hear most, in more wordings than I can count: my size isn't listed, I'm between two, mine's bigger than your biggest. Underneath, they're one question with three branches, plus a fourth for shapes that aren't rectangles. Tolerance is kindness to your future self, so let's lay the branches out and put numbers on them.

## Real sizes, real menu picks

| Your cushion | Pick on the menu | What gets cut |
|---|---|---|
| 17 x 52 in (43 x 132 cm) | 18 x 52 in | 17 x 52 in, at the 18 x 52 price |
| 22.5 x 36 in (57 x 91 cm) | 24 x 36 in | 22.5 x 36 in |
| Two seats: 17.75 x 59 x 3 in and 17.75 x 35 x 3 in | 18 x 59 in and 18 x 36 in, one cart line each | Both at their exact sizes |
| Two mats at 21 x 52.25 in (53 x 133 cm) | 20 x 52 in, the nearest option | 21 x 52.25 in; the small overage was absorbed |
| A seat 11 in (28 cm) wide on a list starting at 12 in | The smallest option | 11 in; the price stays at the smallest option |
| 20 x 94 in (51 x 239 cm) | 20 x 92 in, the largest | 20 x 94 in, cut to the note |
| A 154.5 x 22 in (392 x 56 cm) window seat | Two lines at the closest size | Two identical 77.25 x 22 in cushions |
| A bay seat 104 in (264 cm) on its widest side | The custom-shape route | Made from a lettered drawing through a custom link |

## Eight steps from tape measure to checkout

1. **Write three numbers, in order**: Length x depth x thickness. Length runs along the wall, depth runs front to back, thickness is how tall the cushion stands. Label them, because buyers use 'depth' for both seat depth and thickness. Inches, centimeters, millimeters and fractions are all accepted. If thickness is a guess, 4 in (10 cm) is the standard for seats and window seats, and 3 in (7.5 cm) gives a lower, neater profile. The [measurements guide](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-measurements-length-depth-thickness/) has the lettered diagram.
2. **Find the bracket that contains you**: Choose the option that contains your longest and your deepest measurement. Between two, take the larger: 23.5 in wide goes under the 24 to 26 in range, and 17 x 36 x 4 in goes under 18 x 36 in. The pick changes the price, never the cut.
3. **Smaller than the smallest? Pick the smallest**: Select the smallest option and write your real size: an 11 in width when the list starts at 12, or 8.5 in under a 10 to 16 in range. If only one side is too small, select the width and length ranges the other way round, 16.5 in as the width range and 50 in as the length, at the same price. The price won't go below the smallest option.
4. **Bigger than the biggest? Three routes**: Pick the largest option and write your real measurements, or message your size and ask for it to be added as a new option (refresh the page to see it) or a private 'Custom for you' listing. A very long cushion can be priced as two range units and still sewn as one piece if you write *make as one piece*. Or split it into equal pieces, the way a 154.5 in seat became two 77.25 in cushions; the [one piece or two guide](https://cushionguide.com/guides/long-bench-cushion-one-piece-or-two/) weighs the join.
5. **Not a rectangle? Take the shape route**: Trapezoids, bays and angled seats go through the custom-shape listing. Enter the longest edge as the length and upload a drawing with every edge lettered and measured, drawn top side up. The [trapezoid calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/trapezoid-cushion-calculator/) and [bay window calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bay-window-calculator/) help you check the geometry before you send it.
6. **Write the note like a spec sheet**: One line, nothing ambiguous: *36 x 11.5 x 2 in, Main: 111, Piping: 133*. Give the main fabric code and the piping code separately, because neighboring numbers on a color chart can differ only in tone. A backrest is its own cart item with its own size and the word *backrest* in its note. More on wording in the [personalization note guide](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/).
7. **One cushion per cart line, then count**: Each cushion gets its own cart line and its own exact size. Check that the quantity matches the number of pieces and that no line carries two sizes. Production cuts the typed size, so a typo is made exactly as written.
8. **Confirm after checkout**: Message the workshop after you pay if you'd like the details double-checked, and put any deadline in the note up front. If the size you wrote sits well outside the bracket you paid for, expect a short pause and a top-up link, not a surprise.

## What a bracket absorbs, and what it doesn't

Think of each size option as a tolerance band. Inside it, small differences cost nothing: a few inches over the selected option isn't charged. Past it, the difference is settled with a top-up or 'extra fee for customization' link, or with a size added to the listing at the agreed price. Custom links stay active, can be re-sent if they lapse and show sold out once paid; they can't be combined with coupon codes.

Smaller never means cheaper. A custom size is extra work rather than less, and cutting, sewing and the zipper are a fixed part of every cushion, so a smaller custom size costs the same as the option you select. The same arithmetic runs the other way, partner: a cushion with about twice the surface area of another usually costs well under twice as much.

One more trap. A 'Custom for…' option you spot in a size menu was made for a previous buyer. Don't buy it; ask for your own.

## The 104 in bay seat that ran past the menu

A buyer in the US had a bay seat measuring 104 in (264 cm) along its widest side. No dropdown on a window seat listing went that far, and a bay isn't a rectangle anyway, so this was a job for the shape route.

They sent a lettered drawing: A 4, B 4, C 104, D 57, E 31, F 31, G 24.5 in. Seven edges, seven numbers, nothing left to interpret. Their only other question was how the piping color gets chosen. The first attachment didn't come through, so the workshop asked for the drawing again rather than guess, then quoted the cushion in a linen-look fabric and sent a custom link for exactly that shape.

Label every edge with a letter and a length, and the quote can be exact the first time. The [large bay window sketches](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/large-bay-window-cushions/) show more seats of this size.

## Common mistakes between the menu and the note

- ✗ Paying for one size and typing another far outside it. Production cuts the typed size, and a larger size isn't covered by the price paid.
- ✗ Putting two cushions' sizes on a one-cushion order. One cart line per cushion, each with its own size.
- ✗ Ordering half the pieces you need. Check the quantity against your drawing before you pay.
- ✗ Buying a 'Custom for…' option made for someone else. Ask for your own quote.
- ✗ Resizing through notes when you're far off the menu. Ask for a custom link instead.
- ✗ Cutting a cushion exactly to a shallow window seat and adding nothing. With nothing to grip, it can slide; add a non-slip base or ties, as in [stopping a cushion sliding](https://cushionguide.com/guides/stop-bench-cushion-sliding-ties-nonslip/).
- ✗ Leaving the deadline out. Put your earliest delivery date in the order note.
- ✗ Assuming 'linen' means natural fiber. Many linen ranges are a polyester [linen-look](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/); ask the fiber content of the exact code.

## Size it in the builder before you touch the menu

If you'd rather see the cushion before you commit, rough it out in the [bench cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bench-cushion-builder/) with your length, depth and thickness, then carry those three numbers straight into the note. Weighing 3 in against 4 in? The [seat height calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/seat-height-calculator/) helps with that choice. For shapes, the [custom-shape drawing guide](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/) and [what to send for a custom quote](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-quote-what-to-send/) cover the paperwork, and [custom cushion size tolerance](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-size-tolerance/) covers how close is close enough. Finished shapes live under [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) and [window seat cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/window-seat-cushions/).

> **Tailor's margin:** Between two sizes on a cushion menu, pick the larger option and type your exact length x depth x thickness in the note; the note is what gets cut.

> A cushion size menu sets the price bracket, not the cut: a 17 x 52 in seat ordered through the 18 x 52 in option is sewn at 17 x 52 in.
>
> — Nate Kowalski

## Buyer questions: sizes the menu forgot

**A common question:** My bench is an odd size that isn't in the dropdown. How do I order it?

**The workshop's answer:** Pick the option your measurements fall into, or the closest one (usually the next size up), because the dropdown only sets the price. Then type your exact dimensions, thickness, fabric code and piping code into the personalization box, for example 36 x 11.5 x 2 in, Main: 111, Piping: 133. The workshop cuts to the size written there, and fractions are fine. For several cushions, add each size as its own cart item.

**A common question:** Can a cushion be made to my exact measurements, whatever they are?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Every cushion is made to order, so any length, width and thickness can be made, in inches, centimeters or millimeters, including lengths over 79 in (200 cm). Send the length, depth and thickness, plus a drawing for anything that isn't a rectangle, and the workshop replies with a quote. You then order the nearest size with your exact size in the note, or the size is added to the listing or sent as a private custom link.

**A common question:** Can you add my size to the listing? And what's the 'Custom for…' option I keep seeing?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Message your exact size and it can be added as a new size option so you check out normally; refresh the page to see it. Sizes added this way include 20 x 38 in, 18.5 x 11.5 in, 36 x 72 in and 40 x 138 in. A 'Custom for…' option already in the menu was made for a previous buyer, so ask for your own quote instead of buying it.

**A common question:** The corner floor cushion only comes in set sizes. Can I get one in between?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Order the next standard size up and write your size in the note: a 35 x 35 in, 10 in high corduroy corner, for instance, went under the 39 x 39 in option. Smaller, rectangular and taller versions have all been made. The price stays the same as the size you select, because a custom size is extra work rather than less. Message after ordering so the size can be confirmed.

**A common question:** How is the price worked out for a custom-size bench cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** By size. Choose the size range that covers your length and width, plus your thickness, and the exact price appears on the listing; check the shipping line for your address before you pay. The low 'from' price is for the smallest sizes. Price climbs with surface area but not one-for-one, because cutting, sewing and the zipper are a fixed part of the work. For several cushions, a seat plus back, or odd shapes, send the sizes and the workshop replies with one total and a custom payment link.

## Menu sizes, answered to the quarter inch

### If my cushion is a couple of inches bigger than the option I chose, will I pay more?

Not for small differences. A few inches over the selected option is absorbed within the bracket. Larger upsizes are settled before cutting, either with a top-up link for the difference or with your size added to the listing at the agreed price.

### Is a smaller-than-listed cushion cheaper?

No. A size below the smallest option costs the same as that option, and an in-between size costs the same as the option you select. A custom size is extra work rather than less, since cutting, sewing and the zipper are a fixed part of every cushion.

### Can a very long cushion still be made in one piece?

Yes. It can be priced as two range units and still sewn as one piece if you write 'make as one piece' in the order. If handling or storage matters more, split it into equal pieces, the way a 154.5 in window seat became two 77.25 x 22 in cushions.

### What happens if the size I paid for doesn't match the size I typed?

The workshop cuts the typed size, so when a note falls far outside the bracket paid for, it pauses production to ask, then sends a balance link or asks for a second order. Where a typed size had already been cut as written, a refund of the difference, credit or a free extra pad has been offered.

### Can I give my measurements in centimeters or fractions?

Yes. Inches, centimeters and millimeters are all accepted, and fractions such as 57 5/8 x 15 3/8 in are fine. Use one unit for the whole note, label length, depth and thickness, and type the numbers out rather than sending a photo of a tape measure.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom Bench Cushion for a Blanket Chest: Ties, Base or Zipper](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-botanical-cushion-walnut-end-of-bed-chest/): For a custom bench cushion on an end-of-bed blanket chest, choose a non-slip base over ties: a solid box has nothing to tie to, and the base stops the cushion creeping when you sit.
- [Custom Bench Cushion at the Foot of the Bed: A Daily-Wear Test](https://cushionguide.com/readings/charcoal-geometric-end-of-bed-bench-cushion/): A custom bench cushion at the foot of a bed ages well when the foam springs back, the print hides lint, and the cushion sits flush on the lid.
- [Bench Cushion in Tiger Fur Print: Mixing Patterns on Dusty Blue](https://cushionguide.com/readings/tiger-fur-print-bench-cushion-dusty-blue-wall-rattan/): To mix patterns around a printed bench cushion, pair one wavy print with one straight-line pattern and let three plain pillows step down in size and value between them.
- [My size isn't in the dropdown. How do I order a custom size?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-custom-size-not-in-dropdown/): To order a custom size cushion not in the dropdown, choose the size range your measurements fall into and type your exact size in the Add Personalization box.
- [Can you add my size to the listing, and what is the 'Custom for...' option?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/add-custom-size-option-to-listing/): A custom size can be added to the listing on request: message your exact size, refresh the page, and the new option appears so you can check out normally.
- [How exact is a made-to-measure cushion? Handmade tolerance explained](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-size-tolerance/): A made-to-measure cushion is cut to the exact size you write, but the finished piece can land within about 1/2 to 1 in (1.3 to 2.5 cm) of it.
- [One long cushion or two? Splitting a long bench or window seat](https://cushionguide.com/guides/long-bench-cushion-one-piece-or-two/)
- [What to write in a custom cushion order note: sizes, codes and extras](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/)

*± 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/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/