How to measure patio furniture for a cover

Take three measurements — width at the widest point, depth at the deepest point, and height from the ground — then buy a cover whose stated size is slightly larger than all three. The mistake that causes most returns is measuring the frame instead of the widest point, which is almost always the outside of the arms or the cushion overhang.

Why fit decides whether a cover works

A cover has two jobs that pull against each other: keep water and debris off, and let moisture underneath escape. Fit is what balances them.

• Too tight and the fabric stretches over corners, abrades at the stress points, pulls the vents flat against the furniture and traps humid air with nowhere to go. Tight covers fail faster than loose ones, and they grow mildew while doing it.
• Too loose and it pools water in the slack, flaps in wind and eventually leaves altogether.
• Right is snug over the top with a few inches of room at the sides, and secured at the bottom.

Our page on whether covers work goes into the condensation problem properly. The short version is that a cover is a ventilation product as much as a waterproofing one, and a tight cover cannot ventilate.

The three measurements

Use a tape rather than estimating, write the numbers down, and take them in this order.

The allowance, and why tight is worse

Add a few inches to width and depth rather than buying an exact match. Two reasons, and both are practical:

Fitting it. You will put this cover on and take it off dozens of times, often alone, sometimes in wind. A cover you have to stretch over the corners will tear at exactly those corners, which is where light-fabric covers wear through first.

Airflow. The vents on a good cover only work if there is air space for them to move. Pulled flat against a cushion, a vent is a hole against fabric and does nothing. Classic Accessories builds vents and padded handles into its Ravenna covers for exactly this reason, and the vents are the part doing the quiet work.

Shapes and what they miss

Cover ranges are organized by shape as well as by dimension, and the shape is the part people skip. The categories exist because the geometry differs:

• Sofa and loveseat covers have a defined back and front. A sectional is not a long sofa, and an L-shape covered by a rectangular cover leaves a face open.
• Round versus square table covers are not interchangeable. A square cover on a round table has four slack corners that collect water.
• Table-and-chairs covers assume the chairs are pushed in. Measure that way or the cover will strain at the corners, which is the failure the one-piece design is prone to.
• Chaise covers depend on back position. Measure in the position you store it.
• Stack covers are tall and narrow, and are usually the cheapest way to protect several chairs at once.

Cover the group, not the pieces

The last decision is strategic rather than dimensional, and it usually saves money. You can cover six dining chairs individually, or stack them and cover the stack, or push them under the table and cover the whole set as one unit. Each option has a different set of measurements and a very different price.

Grouping also reduces the number of covers to fit and remove, which matters more than it sounds: the covers that actually get used are the ones that are quick. If a cover takes two people and ten minutes, it will sit in the garage by February.

Whatever you cover, the furniture has to be dry first and the cushions should come indoors — the full seasonal sequence is on our winter guide, and the cover picks themselves are compared on the covers roundup.