September 29, 2026

Porch Swing Cushion Size and Thickness That Actually Fits

Measure the swing seat left to right and front to back, then pick a thickness. Two to three inches is right for sitting. Go thicker only if you lounge on it and the chains still clear. A 52 by 16 by 2 inch pad is a common starting size, not a universal fit.

Measure the swing, not the old pad

The pad you are replacing is a poor pattern. Foam compresses. A five-year-old cushion can read an inch short of the day it arrived, and a new one cut to that number leaves slat edges showing at both ends. It also slides.

Two rules from our measuring guide do most of the work. Measure the frame, not the old cushion. Do not add a seam allowance. Give us the finished size you want to end up with.

Then take three numbers, to the nearest half inch, with a steel tape. Cloth tapes stretch.

Width. Left to right across the seat, where the cushion will actually sit. Stop at the inside of the arm or the chain post, not the outside of the frame.
Depth. Front edge back to the back rail. If there is a rail, measure to it, not past it.
Thickness. How thick you want the finished cushion.

If the seat is an odd shape, use the custom quote form and include a photo of the swing with the tape on it.

52 by 16 by 2 is a starting size

Our Porch Swing Cushion is 52 by 16 by 2 inches, with four fabric ties sewn front and back. That size covers a lot of two-person slatted swings. It is not a fit for a five-foot swing, a deep seat, or a short glider.

If your seat is longer, shorter, or deeper than 52 by 16, skip the stock pad and use the custom form. Square corners suit slatted timber.

Sixteen inches of depth covers the slats on many traditional swings. If your seat is deeper, a 16-inch cushion leaves you sitting on the front rail. Measure front to back on the actual seat. A lot of swings come out at 18 or 20 inches. If you get 18, order 18.

Covers are Sunbrella. Solids such as Navy, Natural, and Canvas hide dirt well on a swing that gets daily use.

Two inches if you still plant your feet

Two inches if you still want to plant your feet and give the swing a push. Three to four inches if the slats hurt and you sit for a long stretch. Check that the chains still hang freely and that your feet reach the floor once the cushion is on. Extra thickness on a dining chair can put the table in your lap. On a swing, it can lift you off the floor and leave the chains with no slack.

Do not buy a puffy fiber pad sold as 4 or 5 inches. Polyester fiber is softer on day one and flattens sooner. It belongs in backs and pillows, not in a seat you use every evening. Those pads also get called 5 inches when the seat and the back are stacked, or they loft in the box and squash under a person.

A swing seat should be foam. Fiber is what you sit through, not on.

Four ties, because a swing moves

A dining pad can get by with two ties at the back. A swing cannot. The seat moves, and a pad with nothing at the front walks forward until you are sitting on wood.

The stock Porch Swing Cushion has four ties, front and back. On a custom cushion, pick four front and back, and tie them to the front rail and the back rail, not to the chains. Chains chew fabric.

A separate back, not a one-piece

A one-piece seat-and-back cushion bunches where the chains attach and folds on itself every time the swing moves. Order the seat, then add a Bench Back Cushion.

If the stock back is not the same length as your seat, cut the back to match on the custom form so the two line up.

If it is a bench, not a swing

A stationary garden bench does not need a swing pad. The Garden Bench Cushion 48in is built for a four-foot park bench with a straight back rail. The Garden Bench Cushion 60in is for a five-foot bench. Other lengths are in Bench Cushions.