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Cushion Sizes, Fabric Weight and Compression: A Buyer Guide
A cushion order is usually reduced to a shape, a size and a price, yet those entries decide what happens after delivery: whether the piece sits squarely on the frame, whether it looks hollow after a week of use, and whether it recovers when somebody sits on it. Size governs how a cushion is cut, filled and stitched; fabric governs how it wears and cleans. Both are fixed before production starts and are costly to change once panels are cut.
Describe a cushion by separate measurements rather than by a market name: finished width and height in centimetres, depth at the centre, and the construction of the cover. Names such as scatter, T-square or lumbar describe shape families only, and a T-square cushion sized for one chair often looks small on a chair with a shallower platform.
Three shape families cover most home-textile orders. The square cushion is the default for dining chairs and styling pieces. The rectangular or box-edge cushion is deeper, with vertical side walls, and suits a bench or a larger seat platform. The lumbar cushion is a long, low rectangle used against the lower back.
Cushions are described by width times height, both in the same unit. Because finished dimensions depend on the seam allowance and on how far the cover is drawn over the insert, ask whether the quoted size is the finished external size or the shell before filling. A tolerance of one to two centimetres on a nominal size is normal and belongs in the written specification.
| Shape family | Typical size (cm) | Fill depth | Common use | Main sizing risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 40 x 40, 45 x 45 | 10 to 12 cm | Dining chair, scatter, window seat | Undersized on a wide platform |
| Rectangular, box edge | 45 x 30, 50 x 35 | 12 to 15 cm | Bench, window seat, sofa base | Depth exceeds the frame rebate |
| T-square, knife edge | 45 x 45, two long flaps | 8 to 10 cm | Armchair, occasional chair | Flaps fall short of the arm panel |
| Long rectangular, bench | 60 x 30, 90 x 30 | 10 to 12 cm | Bench, daybed, wide sofa | Overhangs a narrow frame |
| Lumbar | 50 x 30, 60 x 30 | 8 to 10 cm | Sofa, chaise, bed bolster | Too soft to hold a lumbar curve |
The correct size is derived from the seat, not from the room. Measure the platform width, the gap between arms and the seat depth. A seat cushion should sit inside the arms with a small clearance, and a back cushion should overlap the seat cushion by about a quarter of its height so no gap opens under load. For a dining chair, order to the platform width minus the internal frame thickness.
Fabric weight in grams per square metre is the most portable figure on a home-textiles specification sheet, because it does not depend on thread count or weave style. It proxies how much material is in the cover, and therefore how the face feels and how it drapes over the filling. Quote weight with composition and state a tolerance, since a nominal 220 gsm fabric may measure 200 to 240 gsm.
Composition tells the buyer how the cover will be cleaned and how it ages. Synthetic-dominant covers give stable dimensions and the widest colour range; natural-fibre covers give a distinctive hand but move with humidity; blends sit between the two. Weight alone does not settle the question, because two fabrics of identical weight can behave very differently under rubbing and cleaning.
| Cover fabric | Weight (gsm) | Character | Abrasion | Care note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polyester plain weave | 180 to 260 | Smooth, colourfast | Very good, low pilling | Machine washable |
| Cotton blend canvas | 200 to 320 | Firm, matte | Moderate; abrades at seams | Shrinks if not pre-shrunk |
| Linen-look blend | 220 to 300 | Crisp, slubbed | Moderate, softens with use | Cold wash or dry clean |
| Velvet or flocked cover | 250 to 400 | Soft pile, directional | Pile crushes under load | Brush with the nap |
| Heavy chenille | 280 to 450 | Textured, bulky | Good, resists snagging | Spot clean only |
Abrasion expectations should follow the traffic the cushion actually sees. A dining chair cover is laundered and replaced regularly; a sofa seat cover is abraded continuously by clothing fibres, belts and jewellery. A fabric rated for seating but carrying a pile direction is a poor choice for a back cushion, because crushed pile shows as light and dark banding where somebody leans. Ask for an abrasion figure with the test method named, since ratings from different methods are not comparable.
Seams carry the load of a filled cushion, so they deserve more attention than the decorative face. The failure points are the stitch termination at a corner, the point where the panel changes direction, and any inserted piping. Consistent stitch length, an even allowance, no puckering and no skipped stitches are the baseline. A pulled thread lets the filling migrate and the cover distort there.
Fill evenness is judged by profile and by feel, not by weight alone. Lay the cushion on a flat surface and view it from the side: the centre should be the highest point, the edges level, and the four corners matching within a few millimetres. A cushion flat in the middle but hard along the seams has been under-filled, and its cover will look slack once stretched over the frame.
Compression makes cushion freight economical and, when it is not managed, is the most common cause of complaints on arrival. A vacuum-packed cushion holds a fixed volume of filling at reduced pressure; once the seal is broken the filling expands to its designed volume. Recovery is fastest for loose fibre and slowest for dense foam, so the method must be matched to the filling.
A fully sealed vacuum pack removes 60 to 75 per cent of the volume and needs 24 to 48 hours to recover for a fibre fill. A limited seal removes 35 to 50 per cent and recovers in 12 to 24 hours, though corners sometimes stay flat. Rolling and banding removes 25 to 40 per cent with a recovery of 6 to 12 hours, but square corners are often distorted by the roll. Folding and bagging removes only 10 to 20 per cent and recovers immediately.
Agree the recovery window per filling type and size, and print it on the packing instruction so the receiving team knows when the product may be judged. Where goods are opened in a showroom rather than a warehouse, choose a lighter compression, since a compressed piece needs hours of standing before display.
The inspection is most efficient when it follows the order: dimensions first, then fabric, then workmanship, then packaging. Measuring before unpacking avoids arguments about the cause of a discrepancy, since a compressed cushion can be made to fit almost any template. Keep a sealed standard sample and the approved swatch to hand so colour is judged against the agreed reference.
Recurring complaints have clear physical causes, and each is cheaper to prevent at the specification stage than to rework in finished stock. A cushion that looks flat in the middle usually means the filling was pushed toward the corners during packing, often because the fill was checked after the cover was closed.
A cover that pulls away from the seam at one corner is usually a tension issue: the pattern was not matched to the finished size, so surplus fabric gathers there. A seam that splits under load is normally a stitch-length or thread-choice problem, and the fix is a stronger thread and a shorter stitch. A cushion that recovers slowly after unpacking is a filling issue compounded by excessive compression, solved by reducing the compression ratio.
Uneven colour across a batch is normally a shade-band issue between dye lots, so the order should require dye-lot continuity within a shipment and state a tolerance for shade variation between panels. Fading of a light cover after sunlight is a lightfastness question, and the specification should name the requirement.
Measure the seat platform inside the frame and subtract the internal frame thickness on both sides, then order the cover to that finished width within the stated tolerance. A cushion slightly narrower than the platform sits loose and creases under load, while a wider one is pushed up at the front edge.
Weight changes how the cover drapes over the filling and how much body it holds, but it must be chosen together with composition and weave. A heavier fabric adds structure and hides stitching, while a lighter one gives a softer face and needs tighter stitching to stay flat.
Fibre-filled cushions normally need 24 to 48 hours, foam-based pieces 12 to 24 hours, and lightly compressed fibre 6 to 12 hours. State the recovery window on the packing instruction and judge the shape only after it has passed, since an early inspection understates the loft of every unit.
Lay the cushion on a flat surface and view it from the side. The centre should be the highest point, the edges level, and the four corners matching within a few millimetres. Then feel along the seams, since hardness at the seam and slack in the centre shows that the filling has migrated.
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