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Electrical Calculator

Conduit Bending Calculator

Where to put the marks for any bend, how much the pipe shrinks, and a 3D view of the bend you specced, on verified bender profiles.

Field brief

Every bend familyoffsets, rolling offsets, 3- and 4-point saddles, 90-degree stubs, back-to-back 90s, kicks with 90s, parallel and matching bends, segmented 90s, compound 90s around an obstruction, and whole sticks of many bends on one conduit, on verified bender profiles (1/2"–1-1/4" EMT, 1/2"–1" IMC, RMC).EMT · IMC · RMC

30° offsetthe most common bend: a 4-inch offset at 30 degrees in 1/2" EMT marks 8 inches apart with 1 inch of shrink (multiplier 2, shrink 1/4" per inch).8 in apart

See it in 3Dpick a bend type for the exact marks, then spin the bend you specced as an interactive 3D pipe with a flat diagram alongside.3D + diagram

Intry VerifiedA worked default reading, traceable end to end: what it was calculated from, what it was run with, how it was checked, and who has final say.

Marks 8" apart, 1" shrink

Where this number comes fromIntry Verified

Calculated from

Offset multiplier geometry (1/sin θ). Marks and shrink from the bender-chart constants where a manufacturer prints the angle (offset multiplier, 3-point saddle multiplier and shrink per inch) and from bend geometry elsewhere (offset 1/sin, saddle depth/sin(half-angle), kick travel); take-up from the EMT bender profile for your conduit size, or the deduct you entered (the only take-up carried for IMC and RMC), and gain from that conduit's own radius and outside diameter. See the full receipt ↓

Run with

BendOffset
Setup4" offset @ 30°

Checked

Every figure an Intry calculator computes comes from a locked source module, not hand-typed. 28790 automated checks re-derive and source-check the numbers against the bender chart or geometry it was computed from and the NEC Chapter 9 Table 2 radius before each deploy. This is our own deterministic gate, not a third-party audit.

Final say

Field-verify against the actual bend. Bender take-up varies by tool and shoe.

What Intry Verified means

Intry Verified · Build CAA0BB9 · 2026-09-11

01Source
receipt

Where these bending numbers come from

The marks, the shrink, and the developed length the calculator returns are computed by the locked bending engine from pure bend geometry and the bender constants below, re-derived on every build. The 30-degree case quoted in the field brief above repeats that same engine's output for one worked example. The offset multiplier, the 3-point saddle multiplier and the shrink per inch are the bender-chart constants wherever a manufacturer prints the angle, applied on one basis, with the exact geometry shown beside them; every other angle is worked from geometry and says so. Before it prints a mark, the engine checks that straight conduit survives between every pair of bend arcs at the size's NEC Chapter 9, Table 2 one-shot radius; a bend whose arcs would overlap is refused, with the limiting leg, the overlap and the smallest depth that works named, and no mark is printed for it.

Bender-manufacturer offset multiplier table: Distance between the two offset marks = offset depth x the multiplier: 6.0 at 10 degrees, 2.6 at 22.5, 2.0 at 30, 1.4 at 45, 1.2 at 60. Printed as a constant beside the shrink column, under the heading 'applies to any size conduit', in the Greenlee Offset Table (Hand Bender Instruction Manual IM 1071 REV 4 5/98), in the Greenlee SITE-RITE Hand Benders manual, and in the Gardner Bender 960-Series How to Bend guide; all three agree cell for cell on the values (Gardner Bender's angle column misprints 22-1/2 as 21-1/2; its own instructions on the same page say 22-1/2), and Klein's Zip Guide distance-between-bends table is computed with the same constants (8 inches of depth at 60 degrees prints 9-5/8 inches, which is 8 x 1.2 to the nearest eighth). Each constant is 1/sin(angle) taken to a tape-measure value: four of the five are the cosecant to one decimal (2.61, 2.00, 1.41 and 1.15 unrounded) and 10 degrees is rounded up from 5.76 to 6.0, and the calculator applies the chart value at a charted angle so its marks match the table cast on the bender. At any other angle it applies the exact 1/sin and says so.
Bend geometry (trigonometry): Where no chart row exists the engine works from geometry: the offset multiplier is 1/sin(angle), the three-point saddle center-to-outer distance is depth/sin(half the center angle) at a center no held saddle table prints, a kick's travel is kick height/sin(kick angle), and a rolling offset is the Pythagorean combination of the rise and the roll. No held document prints a kick constant, so the kick is geometry alone: the kick mark sits kick height/sin(kick angle) past the 90 mark, and that mark distance is the bend the engine checks and the 3D draws. The receipt names which basis produced each answer.
Bender-manufacturer 3-point saddle table: Distance from the center mark to each outer mark = saddle depth x 2.5 for a 45 degree center (22.5 degree outer bends), printed as a saddle table in four held documents that agree cell for cell: the Greenlee Hand Bender Instruction Manual IM 1071 REV 4 5/98 ('Table for 45 degree Saddles', 1 in -> 2-1/2 in, 2 in -> 5 in, 3 in -> 7-1/2 in, 4 in -> 10 in, 5 in -> 12-1/2 in, 6 in -> 15 in, 'for each additional inch add 2-1/2 in', under 'applies to any size conduit'), the Greenlee SITE-RITE Hand Benders manual (the same table), the Gardner Bender 960-Series How to Bend guide ('outer bend marks at a distance of 2-1/2 in x the object size') and the Klein Tools Conduit Bender and Angle Setter Guide (MKT200815 Rev. 09/20 A) Zip Guide for Saddles (the 45 degree column). Klein's 60 degree column (30 degree outer bends) prints 2 in per inch of depth: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. The calculator applies the table value at those two center angles so its marks match the table on the bender; exact 1/sin of the outer angle is 2.61 at a 45 degree center (the table is that value rounded for a tape measure, and the marks at the table spacing lay out a sharp-corner peak 4.3 percent below the requested depth, before the bend radius rounds the top) and exactly 2.00 at 60, and both are shown beside the applied value. The peak the calculator and its 3D report is the centerline height once the center arc is laid at the NEC Chapter 9, Table 2 radius, which sits R x (sec(outer angle) minus 1) below that sharp corner; pure geometry, no sourced constant. One printed cell is refused rather than matched: Klein's 1 inch row at a 60 degree center (2 inches from center) cannot be bent in any EMT size this calculator carries, because the 30 degree outer arc and the 60 degree center arc on the Table 2 radius overlap before the marks are 2 inches apart, and the calculator says so instead of printing it. No held document prints a saddle row for a 30 or 22.5 degree center, so those saddles apply the exact 1/sin and say so. The saddle shrink is the offset chart's shrink at the outer angle, which is also what the same tables print in their shrink column.
Bender-manufacturer shrink-per-inch table: Shrink per inch of offset: 1/16 in at 10 degrees, 3/16 in at 22.5, 1/4 in at 30, 3/8 in at 45, 1/2 in at 60. Fetched from three bender-manufacturer guides that agree cell for cell: the Greenlee Offset Table (Hand Bender Instruction Manual IM 1071 REV 4 5/98), the Gardner Bender 960-Series How to Bend guide, and the Klein Tools Conduit Bender and Angle Setter Guide (MKT200815 Rev. 09/20 A). Greenlee and Klein additionally print the same absolute shrink-per-depth table as each other, cell for cell, including a shared rounding anomaly at 22.5 degrees and 9 inches of depth where both print 1-3/4 inch against a pattern value of 1-11/16. Two documents carrying one anomaly is a common convention, not independent confirmation, so treat the three guides as corroborating the trade standard rather than as three separate derivations of it. The 15 degree row is the one value none of the three publishes, and it is marked as unsourced rather than attributed. This is the field table. It does not equal tan(half the bend angle), and that difference is published beside it on the shrink chart rather than smoothed over: tan(half-angle) is the shrink of a bend modelled as a sharp corner with no radius, so it runs above the chart, while a real bender lays an arc and shrinks slightly less than the sharp-corner figure. We apply the manufacturer chart wherever one exists, and fall back to the sharp-corner geometry only for angles no manufacturer publishes, which is what lets the calculator answer any angle.
Hand-bender take-up (EMT) and gain (every type): Take-up is the distance from your mark to the start of the bend. Two held guides print the same three EMT values and both match this engine exactly, 1/2 in at 5 in, 3/4 in at 6 in and 1 in at 8 in: the Klein Tools Conduit Bender and Angle Setter Guide (MKT200815 Rev. 09/20 A) in its Bender Take Up Table, and the Gardner Bender 960-Series How to Bend Guide in its deduct chart. Both of those tables stop at 1 in, so the 1-1/4 in take-up is covered by neither, is carried as a field value, and is marked as unconfirmed everywhere it is printed. Greenlee is deliberately not cited for take-up: both Greenlee manuals we hold publish no take-up or deduct value at all and instruct the electrician to read the deduct off the bender casting, which is why the calculator also accepts a deduct you enter from your own tool. A deduct you enter replaces the take-up and nothing else, because it does not tell us your shoe's radius, and the answer says which of the two produced it. The field gain the engine subtracts from leg lengths is derived from the radius and the outside diameter, never hand-typed, so the two gain references cannot be mixed up.

These are geometry and published field-chart values, computed and applied by the engine, not a laboratory measurement. Bender take-up varies by tool and shoe, so field-verify the first bend of a new setup against the actual conduit. The bender in your hand has the final say.

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How to Use This Calculator

Choose your bend type by clicking one of the bend tabs above the calculator. Each tab shows the inputs relevant to that specific bend.
Select your conduit type and size from the two dropdowns (EMT, IMC or RMC, then the trade size). The calculator loads the radius and gain for that conduit, and the EMT take-up; on IMC or RMC you enter the deduct off your bender.
Enter your measurements: the offset height, stub length, saddle depth, or other values for your bend. Use the angle dropdown to pick standard bending angles.
Read your results in the right panel, which shows an SVG diagram of the bend with mark positions, key measurements, shrink, and developed length. All values update instantly as you change inputs.
Check the math by clicking “Show the math” to see the formula and step-by-step calculation for every result.

How to Calculate Conduit Bends

Conduit bending is one of the most hands-on skills in the electrical trade. Whether you are a first-year apprentice learning to make your first offset or a journeyman running complex stub-and-kick combinations, the underlying math is the same. Every bend starts with trigonometry: the relationship between angles, heights, and the travel distance along the conduit. A hand bender applies mechanical force at a specific radius to create a smooth arc in the EMT. The bender shoe is designed so that the mark on the conduit (aligned with the arrow on the shoe) produces a predictable result when you apply the correct technique.

Four mechanical constants define every hand bender: take-up, radius, gain, and deduct. Take-up is the distance from the bender's arrow to the back of a completed 90-degree bend. Radius is the centerline bend radius, which determines how tight the curve is. Gain is the material saved by bending instead of using a fitting: a 90-degree bend shortens the conduit run compared to two straight pieces joined at a right angle. Deduct (equal to take-up for standard benders) is what you subtract from the stub height to find the mark position. These values vary by conduit size and manufacturer, but the standard EMT hand bender values taught in trade schools and published in manufacturer bending guides are published identically by Klein and Gardner Bender. Greenlee publishes no take-up table and tells you to read the deduct off the bender casting, so deducts are not standard across makes: trust the figure stamped on yours and enter it in the calculator above if it differs. The NEC does not set take-up or gain; it sets the minimum bend radius in Chapter 9, Table 2.

Offset Bends

An offset bend moves the conduit path from one plane to a parallel plane at a specified distance. This is the most common bend in commercial and residential work. You need offsets to clear obstructions, transition from surface-mount to recessed runs, or navigate around structural members. An offset consists of two equal bends in opposite directions, separated by a calculated distance called the travel.

The math is straightforward. The travel (distance between marks) equals the offset height divided by the sine of the bend angle: Travel = Height / sin(Angle). For the most common 30-degree offset, sin(30°) = 0.5, so the multiplier is 1/0.5 = 2.0. Multiply the offset height by 2 and that is your mark spacing. A 4-inch offset at 30 degrees means your marks are 8 inches apart.

Shrink is the hidden cost of every offset. When you bend the conduit into an offset, the overall length from start to end becomes shorter than a straight piece would be. You must account for shrink when measuring from a reference point. The shrink per inch of offset height depends on the angle: 1/4 inch per inch at 30 degrees, 3/8 inch per inch at 45 degrees. For that 4-inch offset at 30 degrees, shrink = 4 × 1/4" = 1 inch. If your obstruction is 24 inches from the end of the conduit, your first mark goes at 24 − 1 = 23 inches.

The angle choice involves trade-offs. Smaller angles (10°, 15°) produce gentler bends with less shrink but require much more space between marks. A 4-inch offset at 10 degrees requires 23 inches of travel, compared to 8 inches at 30 degrees. Larger angles (45°, 60°) pack tight but increase shrink and make wire pulling harder. The 30-degree offset is the industry standard because it balances compact spacing, manageable shrink, and easy math.

Saddle Bends

Saddle bends let conduit pass over an obstruction (like another conduit, a pipe, or a structural beam) and return to the original plane. There are two types: 3-point saddles and 4-point saddles.

A 3-point saddle uses three bends: a center bend at the full angle and two outer bends at half the center angle. The center bend pushes the conduit up over the obstruction, and the two outer bends bring it back down. The most common configuration is a 45-degree center bend with 22.5-degree outer bends. The spacing from the center mark to each outer mark equals the saddle depth times a multiplier for the center angle: Spacing = Depth × Saddle Multiplier. Bender saddle tables print 2.5 per inch of depth for a 45-degree center, and that is what this calculator applies: a 3-inch saddle puts the outer marks 3 × 2.5 = 7.5 inches from center. Exact 1/sin(22.5°) is 2.61, which would give 7.84 inches; the table is that value rounded for a tape measure, and the calculator shows both.

A 4-point saddle uses four bends of equal angle to create a trapezoidal profile. This is preferred when you need to maintain the elevated path for some distance, for example when passing over a wide obstruction. The conduit rises, travels flat at the elevated height, and then descends. Four-point saddles are more complex to execute but produce a cleaner result when the obstruction is wider than about 4 inches.

90-Degree Stubs and Back-to-Back 90s

The 90-degree stub-up is the foundational bend. You use it to transition from a horizontal run along the floor or ceiling to a vertical run going up or down into a box, panel, or junction. The calculation is the simplest of all bends: mark the conduit at the stub height minus the bender's take-up. For a 12-inch stub with a 1/2" EMT bender (take-up = 5 inches), your mark goes at 12 − 5 = 7 inches from the end of the conduit.

The deduct method is how most electricians think about 90-degree bends. Deduct equals the take-up. Measure from the end of the conduit, subtract the deduct (take-up), and place your mark at that point. The end of the conduit becomes the stub, and the mark aligns with the bender arrow. The key concept that makes this work is gain. A 90-degree bend creates a shorter path than two straight pieces meeting at a right angle. The gain for 1/2" EMT is 2.42 inches measured to the outside corner. When calculating developed length (total conduit needed), add the run dimensions measured to the outside corner and subtract the gain for each 90.

Back-to-back 90s are two 90-degree bends facing each other, creating a U-shape. They are used for stub-ups into parallel junction boxes, conduit runs that need to reverse direction, or mounts that need two vertical drops at a set distance. The first bend is straightforward: stub minus take-up. For the second bend, you flip the conduit, measure the distance from the back of the first bend, and align the star point there. Expressed from the end, that mark is First Stub + Distance − Gain. The gain deduction is critical. Failing to subtract the gain for each bend is the number-one error apprentices make on back-to-back 90s, and it produces a conduit that is consistently too long. See the back-to-back 90 page for the star-point method step by step and marks by size.

Kick with 90

A kick with 90 (sometimes called a “kick 90”) combines a standard 90-degree stub-up with a second, small-angle bend laid out kick travel past the 90 mark. This is the most popular advanced bend in commercial electrical work. You use it when a conduit needs a 90 and a small offset in the same stick, to align with a box, panel, or another conduit rack that is not on the run's line.

The calculation treats the two bends independently. First, calculate the 90-degree mark just like a standard stub-up: stub height minus take-up. Then calculate the kick bend using the offset formula: kick travel = kick height / sin(kick angle). The kick mark goes at the 90-degree mark plus the kick travel. The most common kick angles are 10, 15, and 22.5 degrees: just enough offset to clear an obstruction without adding excessive degrees to the conduit run.

The trick with kick 90s is bending order. Always make the kick (the smaller bend) first, then flip the conduit and make the 90-degree bend. If you make the 90 first, it becomes very difficult to get the kick angle in the right orientation. Experienced benders also account for the kick's shrink when positioning the overall conduit, though at small angles (10–15 degrees) the shrink is minimal.

Anti-Dog Math: The 360-Degree Rule

NEC Section 358.26 (for EMT), 342.26 (for IMC), and 344.26 (for RMC) all state the same rule: conduit runs between pull points shall not contain more than the equivalent of 360 degrees of total bends. This is the “anti-dog-leg” rule. It prevents conduit runs that are so twisted that pulling wire becomes impractical or risks damaging conductor insulation.

Every bend in a run counts toward the 360-degree total, in any direction. A 90-degree stub uses 90 degrees. An offset at 30 degrees uses 60 degrees (two 30-degree bends). A 3-point saddle at 45 degrees center uses 90 degrees total (45 + 22.5 + 22.5). A kick 90 with a 22.5-degree kick uses 112.5 degrees (90 + 22.5). Four standard 90-degree bends in a single run exactly reach the 360-degree limit.

Practical planning requires tracking your bend budget as you lay out a run. A common commercial run might include an offset (60°), two 90s (180°), and a saddle (90°). That is 330 degrees, just under the limit. If you need to add another offset, you must install a pull box to create a new pull point. Good conduit layout minimizes total bends, uses the shortest paths, and places pull boxes strategically to stay within the 360-degree limit while keeping wire-pulling tension manageable.

Everything in the Conduit Bending Family

30 pages on one engine and the same verified bender profiles as the calculator above: a page per bend family, per EMT size and per charted angle, the charts behind the marks, and the rules a run has to meet.

Bend calculators

One page per bend family, on the same engine and the same verified bender profiles as the calculator above.

Offset bend calculator

Two bends to move a run sideways: marks, multiplier and shrink at any angle.

Rolling offset calculator

An offset that moves the run over and up at once: the true offset and its marks.

Saddle bend calculator

3-point and 4-point saddles over a pipe or a duct, with the peak the marks reach.

Back-to-back 90 calculator

Two 90s a set distance apart, laid out by the star-point method.

Kick calculator

A kick past a 90 into a panel or a box: the 90 mark, the kick mark and the travel.

Parallel and matching bends

A rack of conduits through one offset or kick, every conduit's marks and the shift between them.

Segmented 90 calculator

A large-radius 90 bent as equal shots: the marks, the shot angle and the drawn radius.

Compound 90 calculator

Two bends around an obstruction in a corner, with the clearance the marks give.

Stick builder

Many bends on one length of conduit: every mark from end A, the cut length and the picture.

By conduit size

The calculator pre-set to one EMT size, with that size's take-up, deduct and gain.

1/2" EMT bending

Take-up 5", gain 2.42" and the stub marks for 1/2 inch pipe.

3/4" EMT bending

Take-up 6", gain 2.85" and the stub marks for 3/4 inch pipe.

1" EMT bending

Take-up 8", gain 3.63" and the stub marks for 1 inch pipe.

1-1/4" EMT bending

Take-up 11", gain 4.62" and the stub marks for 1-1/4 inch pipe.

By bend angle

One page per charted offset angle and per saddle center angle, with that angle's multiplier and marks.

10 degree offset

Multiplier 6.0 (exact 1/sin 5.76), marks and shrink at 10 degrees.

22.5 degree offset

Multiplier 2.6 (exact 1/sin 2.61), marks and shrink at 22.5 degrees.

30 degree offset

Multiplier 2.0 (exact 1/sin 2.00), marks and shrink at 30 degrees.

45 degree offset

Multiplier 1.4 (exact 1/sin 1.41), marks and shrink at 45 degrees.

60 degree offset

Multiplier 1.2 (exact 1/sin 1.15), marks and shrink at 60 degrees.

45 degree center saddle

A 3-point saddle with a 45 degree center and 22.5 degree outers.

30 degree center saddle

A 3-point saddle with a 30 degree center and 15 degree outers.

60 degree center saddle

A 3-point saddle with a 60 degree center and 30 degree outers.

22.5 degree center saddle

A 3-point saddle with a 22.5 degree center and 11.25 degree outers.

Charts and references

The tables behind the marks, each on its own page so it can be the one you pull up.

Offset multiplier chart

Multiplier and shrink per inch for 10 through 60 degrees, with the exact value beside the chart's.

90 degree deduction chart

Take-up and deduct by conduit size, with the source each value comes from.

Conduit gain chart

How much pipe a 90 saves, by size, and why the cut length is shorter than the sum of the legs.

Conduit shrink calculator

Shrink per inch of offset by angle, and the total shrink of a run.

Bend radius and developed length

The NEC Chapter 9 Table 2 centerline radius by size and the arc length it lays out.

Conduit bending cheat sheet

The multipliers, take-ups, deducts and gains on one printable page, PDF and PNG.

Learn and check

The rules a run has to meet and the questions the exam asks.

How many bends in a conduit run

The 360 degree rule between pull points, and how each family counts against it.

Conduit bending exam questions

Worked answers to the questions apprentices are asked, on the same engine.

Worked Examples

Example 1: 4-Inch Offset at 30 Degrees in 1/2" EMT

Given: You need to offset conduit 4 inches to clear an obstruction. Using 1/2" EMT with a 30-degree bend angle.

Step 1: Calculate travel. Travel = Height × Multiplier = 4 × 2.00 = 8.00 inches between marks.

Step 2: Calculate shrink. Shrink = Height × Shrink/inch = 4 × 1/4" = 1.00 inch. If measuring from a reference point, subtract 1 inch from your starting measurement.

Step 3: Mark the conduit. Place your first mark at the reference point (adjusted for shrink). Place the second mark 8 inches from the first mark. Align the first mark with the bender arrow, bend 30 degrees, flip the conduit, align the second mark, and bend 30 degrees in the opposite direction.

Result: Two marks 8" apart, 1" shrink, ~8" developed length for the offset section.

Example 2: 12-Inch Stub-Up in 3/4" EMT

Given: You need a 12-inch stub-up using 3/4" EMT. The bender take-up for 3/4" is 6 inches and the gain is 2.85 inches.

Step 1: Calculate mark position. Mark = Stub Height − Take-up = 12 − 6 = 6 inches from the end of the conduit.

Step 2: Calculate developed length. Total conduit = Stub Height + Horizontal run − Gain = 12 + (horizontal as needed) − 2.85. The gain means you need 2.85 inches less conduit than the two legs measured to the outside corner.

Result: Place your mark at 6" from the end. Align with the bender arrow, foot on the bender, pull to 90 degrees using the level vial on the bender handle.

Example 3: 12-Inch Stub with an 8-Inch Kick at 22.5 Degrees in 1/2" EMT

Given: You need a 12-inch stub-up whose run, past the 90, kicks over 8 inches at a 22.5-degree angle. Using 1/2" EMT (take-up = 5.00", gain = 2.42").

Step 1: Calculate the 90-degree mark. Mark = 12 − 5.00 = 7.00 inches from the end.

Step 2: Calculate kick travel. Kick Travel = Kick Height / sin(Kick Angle) = 8 / sin(22.5°) = 8 / 0.3827 = 20.91 inches.

Step 3: Calculate the kick mark. Kick Mark = 90° Mark + Kick Travel = 7.00 + 20.91 = 27.91 inches from the end.

Step 4: Bend in the right order. Make the kick bend (22.5°) first at the 27.91" mark. Then flip the conduit and make the 90-degree bend at the 7.00" mark. Bending the kick first ensures correct orientation.

Result: Mark 1 (90°) at 7.00", Mark 2 (kick) at 27.91". Kick shrink = 1.50". Total developed length = 12 + 20.91 − 2.42 (gain) = 30.49".

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate a conduit bend?

Calculate a bend by working the geometry for its type. For an offset, distance between the two bends equals offset height times the multiplier for your angle, so a 6-inch offset at 30 degrees uses a 2.0 multiplier for 12 inches between marks. For a 90-degree stub-up, subtract the bender's take-up (about 5 inches for 1/2-inch EMT, 6 inches for 3/4-inch) from your desired stub height to find the mark to line up with the arrow. Correct an offset for shrink, the amount the bends pull the conduit back, by adding roughly 1/4 inch per inch of offset height at 30 degrees (about 1-1/2 inches on a 6-inch offset) to the distance to your first bend, and account for gain, the material a 90 saves versus a square corner. The offset multipliers are the bender-chart constants where a manufacturer prints the angle (6.0, 2.6, 2.0, 1.4, 1.2), and the exact 1/sin elsewhere. The shrink factors are the bender-manufacturer field table, printed identically by Greenlee, Gardner Bender and Klein. The take-ups are Klein's and Gardner Bender's, which publish the same three values; Greenlee publishes no take-up table at all and tells you to read the deduct off the bender casting. Every EMT run must stay within the 360-degree total-bend limit between pull points required by NEC 358.26.

What is the difference between a kick and a 90 in conduit bending?

Bend count is the difference: a 90 is one bend that turns the conduit a full 90 degrees (a stub-up out of a floor or wall), while a kick is also a single bend but at less than 90 degrees, used to nudge the run to one side or clear an obstruction. Both are single bends, which sets them apart from an offset (two bends that shift the run sideways and bring it back parallel to the original line). You lay out a 90 by its take-up/deduct figure and a kick by its chosen bend angle; the offset multiplier math applies only to two-bend offsets, not to a single kick. Minimum bend radius for each conduit size and type comes from NEC Chapter 9, Table 2.

How do I bend a back-to-back 90?

Make the first 90-degree stub normally (mark = stub height minus take-up). For the second 90, flip the conduit around and measure the distance between stubs from the back of the first bend, then align the star point there and bend. Expressed from the end of the conduit, the second mark = first stub height + distance between stubs − gain. Gain is the material the bend saves measured to the outside corner (1/2" EMT = 2.42", 3/4" = 2.85", 1" = 3.63", 1-1/4" = 4.62"). Failing to deduct gain is the most common error and results in a conduit that is too long between the stubs.

What is the 360-degree rule for conduit?

NEC Section 358.26 (for EMT) limits the total number of bends between pull points to 360 degrees. This includes all bends in any direction: offsets, saddles, 90s, and kicks all count. A single offset uses two bends (for example, two 30-degree bends = 60 degrees total). A 90-degree stub uses 90 degrees. Four 90-degree bends in a run would hit the 360-degree limit. Beyond 360 degrees, pulling wire becomes extremely difficult and risks damaging conductor insulation. Plan your runs and install pull boxes to stay under the limit.

Can I bend rigid conduit with a hand bender?

Yes, in the small sizes. Greenlee's SITE-RITE hand-bender manual rates the same benders for 1/2" through 1-1/4" EMT and 1/2" through 1" rigid and IMC, and its older IM 1071 manual says 1/2" through 1" rigid; larger rigid needs a mechanical or hydraulic bender. This calculator carries IMC and RMC in 1/2", 3/4" and 1" (1-1/4" is not carried in IMC or RMC: no held bender document bends it by hand): the bend radius is NEC Chapter 9 Table 2 by trade size for every raceway (342.24(A) and 344.24(A) both point at Table 2), and the pictures draw each type's own outside diameter and wall. What it does NOT carry is a rigid take-up: no rigid size has two held primaries that agree: Klein prints 6" and 8" for 1/2" and 3/4" rigid on its 3/4" and 1" EMT benders, and Gardner Bender's rigid column prints 3-3/4", 7" and an unusable 38-1/2" under a "Conduit Size" row key its document never defines, so the two cannot even be lined up. For a stub, back-to-back, kick or stick in IMC or RMC, enter the deduct cast on your bender, which is what both hand-bender manuals we hold tell you to do in any size.

Marks made, but will the wire actually fit?

Before you commit the run, check the conductor count against NEC Chapter 9 with the conduit fill calculator, and keep the 360-degree bend budget in mind between pull points.

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