How to measure your sofa and choose the right cover size

Measuring properly is the first step to avoiding an exchange and getting a cover in the right size. Whether you call it a sofa or a settee, you don’t need to be a DIY expert: a soft tape measure and ten minutes are all it takes. And just one measurement decides the size.

The measurement that counts: arm to arm

For a sofa cover, the figure that sets the size is the measurement from one arm to the other, following the shape of the sofa, arms included. Place the end of the tape on the outer edge of one arm, at the top. Go over the arm, down onto the seat and across it, then back up and over the other arm: read the figure at its outer edge. The cover wraps around that whole path.

Two precautions make all the difference: include the arms, from one outer edge to the other, and keep the tape flat against the fabric all the way. Measuring between the arms, or pulling the tape straight across, gives a size that’s too small: it’s by far the most common mistake.

Check the depth too: from the top of the back to the front edge of the seat, following the fabric, it should stay under 140 cm. It doesn’t change the size to order, but beyond that the cover won’t fit as well.

The size chart, sofa by sofa

• 1-seater: 90 to 140 cm (36 to 55 in)
• 2-seater: 145 to 185 cm (58 to 72 in)
• 3-seater: 190 to 230 cm (75 to 90 in)
• 4-seater: 235 to 300 cm (93 to 118 in)

These ranges are designed around the fabric: the knit gives a little either way. If your measurement falls right between two sizes, choose the larger one. The extra tucks in between the cushions, whereas a size that’s too tight pulls on the seams and rides up as soon as someone sits down. It doesn’t work the other way round: a knit can’t be made longer.

Our stretch sofa covers come in all four sizes, in every colour.

Other furniture is measured differently

Armchairs and dining chairs: one size, measurements to check

Armchair covers and dining chair covers come in one size, but each shape has its own measurements. A classic armchair measures 90 to 140 cm from one arm to the other, measured like a sofa, arms included; a tub chair and a wingback chair have their own cut and their own measurements, shown on each product page. For a dining chair, the back should be 40 to 50 cm wide and 45 to 60 cm high. On each product page, the ‘Check my measurements’ button checks them one by one.

Click-clack and fold-out sofa beds: the length of the seat

Measure the sofa bed closed, in sofa position, from one end of the seat to the other: a click-clack usually has no arms. There are two sizes: S from 150 to 190 cm (60 to 74 in) and L from 190 to 210 cm (75 to 82 in); the faux leather cover comes in three, from 120 to 210 cm. If your click-clack has arms, cover it like a straight sofa. Choose a cover designed for the mechanism: our click-clack sofa bed covers leave the opening free, which a standard sofa cover doesn’t.

Seat cushions: the dimensions, not a letter

Sofa cushion covers are chosen by the actual dimensions of the cushion, width then length, not by a letter. Measure a cushion lying flat, without squashing it. Sizes range from a small seat cushion of 50-65 × 50-65 cm to an extra long one of 65-95 × 165-200 cm, and there is a separate back cushion size. Allow one cover per cushion.

Scatter cushions, on the other hand, come in the standard 45 × 45 cm size.

Special shapes

Corner sofas

A corner sofa, or L-shaped sofa, is made up of two sections, and each cover dresses one section, so you need two. For a U-shaped sofa, allow three. Measure each part separately, following its shape, with the tape flat against the fabric: it starts at the outer edge of the arm, goes over it and stops at the gap; a middle section runs from one gap to the other. The parts are rarely the same length: order the matching size for each one. The sections must be separate, even slightly: without a gap, the covers can’t be fitted. This topic has its own guide: how many covers for a corner sofa.

Chaise end

A chaise end is measured from the top of the back to the end of the seat, following the fabric: place the tape at the top of the back, run it down the back, then follow the seat to its end. Read the figure in the same size chart.

Sofa beds

Measure it closed. If you open the bed every night, a click-clack sofa bed cover will be more practical than a sofa cover, which has to come off every time.

The four mistakes to avoid

• Measuring the seat alone, without the arms
• Measuring inside the arms
• Choosing the smaller size in the hope of a snugger fit
• Ordering a single cover for a corner sofa

Before you order

Note down your measurement, compare it with the chart, then reread the page of the cover you like: compatibility, fabric, care. If you’re still torn between two fabrics, our guide to choosing your sofa cover fabric compares them one by one, and our cover finder recommends a cover in three questions.

If in doubt, email a photo of your sofa to contact@thesofacoverhouse.com: we’ll confirm the size before you buy. And if it still isn’t right, you have 30 days from delivery to exchange it (subject to availability) or send it back; return postage is at your own cost.