Offset Bend Calculator
Quickly calculate conduit offset bend spacing and shrink for common bend angles.
Distance Between Bends
Shrinkage
How Offset Bending Works
An offset bend is created by making two equal bends in opposite directions in a piece of conduit. This allows electricians to route conduit around obstacles such as pipes, beams, or other building components while keeping the conduit run parallel to the original path. The distance between the bends depends on the height of the offset and the bend angle used. Electricians commonly use bend angles such as 10°, 22.5°, 30°, or 45°. Each bend angle has a corresponding multiplier used to determine the spacing between the bends.
Offset Bend Formula
Distance Between Bends = Offset Height × Multiplier
Multiplers:
10° = 6.0 multiplier
22.5° = 2.6 multiplier
30° = 2.0 multiplier
45° = 1.4 multiplier
60° = 1.2 multiplier
Offset Bend Example
Example:
Offset Height = 4 inches
Bend Angle = 30°
Multiplier for 30° bends = 2.0
Distance Between Bends = 4 × 2.0
Distance Between Bends = 8 inches
The two bends should be placed 8 inches apart.
Conduit Shrink
When making an offset bend, the conduit run becomes slightly shorter. This reduction in length is called conduit shrink. Shrink occurs because the bends change the straight-line path of the conduit. Electricians typically account for this by adding extra length before making the bends. A common rule of thumb for 30° bends is that shrink is approximately one-quarter of the offset height.