Bending Reference

Conduit Bending Cheat Sheet

Every EMT hand-bender constant you use on the job, on one page. Offset multipliers, take-up and deduct, shrink per inch, saddle and kick math, and the NEC 360-degree rule. Print it, save the PDF, or download the image for your phone. Free, no login.

Quick answer: Offset multipliers are 6.0 at 10°, 2.6 at 22.5°, 2.0 at 30°, 1.4 at 45°, and 1.2 at 60°, the bender-chart constants the calculator applies (15° has no chart row and uses the exact 1/sin, 3.86). Multiply the offset height by the multiplier to get the distance between marks. EMT take-up (deduct) is 5" for 1/2", 6" for 3/4", 8" for 1", 11" for 1-1/4" (unconfirmed); a 90° stub mark is stub height minus take-up. Shrink per inch runs 1/16" at 10° up to 1/2" at 60°. NEC 358.26 caps a run at 360° of total bends between pull points.

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EMT Hand Bender · Field Reference

Conduit Bending

The One-Page Cheat Sheet

intrysys.com
Free · No login
Bender marks
Tip / Rim90° stubs
Arrowoffsets & saddles
Starback-to-back 90s
Teardrop3-point saddle center

Offset Multipliers

× height = travel
Offset multiplier and shrink per inch by bend angle
AngleMult1/sinShrink/in
10°6.05.761/16"
15°3.863.860.132
22.5°2.62.613/16"
30°2.02.001/4"
45°1.41.413/8"
60°1.21.151/2"
travelh

The charted multiplier & shrink/in are the same for every conduit size. Multipliers shown are the bender-manufacturer chart values (6.0 at 10°, 2.6 at 22.5°, 2.0 at 30°, 1.4 at 45°, and 1.2 at 60°), the rounded 1/sin, and they are what the calculator applies; 15° has no chart row, so it shows the exact 1/sin. Shrink shown is the bender-manufacturer chart value, which is what the calculator applies. Working it from the angle alone (height × tan(½ angle)) gives a higher number, because that treats the bend as a square corner with no radius; at 60° it runs about a third high against a real bend. Use the chart.

90° Stub · Take-Up

EMT
EMT hand bender take-up (deduct) by conduit size
SizeTake-up / Deduct
1/2"5"
3/4"6"
1"8"
1¼"11"
markstubtip

Mark = stub − take-up, measured to the back of the bend (not the floor). Deduct = take-up. Gain (outside corner, for developed length & back-to-back 90s): 1/2"=2.42" · 3/4"=2.85" · 1"=3.63" · 1¼"=4.62".

Core Formulas

Offset travel
height × multiplier
Offset shrink
height × shrink/in
90° stub mark
stub − take-up
Back-to-back 90
1st stub + gap − gain (from end, star mark)
Kick travel
kick ht × 1/sin(angle) (the 1/sin column, not Mult)

3-Point Saddle

over obstruction
Three point saddle center and outer angles with center-to-outer multiplier
CenterOutersMult1/sin
45°22.5°2.52.61
30°15°3.863.86
60°30°2.02.00

Center-to-outer = depth × mult (the bender saddle table at 45° and 60°; exact 1/sin elsewhere). Bend center first, then outers each way. A 45° saddle shrinks the center ~3/16"/in of depth, so recenter after.

Read this

The offset multiplier is the same for every conduit size. It is set by the angle, not the pipe. Take-up, deduct & gain change with size, and so does whether a bend can be made at all: the size's bend radius sets the smallest offset, saddle or kick.

Verify

Deducts here are Klein and Gardner Bender's published values for 1/2", 3/4", 1", and an unconfirmed field value for 1-1/4". They can vary slightly by model, so always trust the figure stamped on your own bender, or pull one test bend.

360°Max total bends between pull points. Every offset, saddle, 90 & kick counts.NEC 358.26 (EMT)
Sources: NEC §358.26 · NEC Ch.9 Table 2 radii · standard EMT hand-bender constantsintrysys.com · interactive calculator + SVG diagrams

Go deeper on any bend

The sheet is the quick reference. Each page below has the full chart, a live calculator, and worked examples for that bend.