A Conduit Bending Guide On How To Bend

An Offset
What is an offset bend?
One of the more common bends made in electrical conduit is the offset bend - a technique used
to move a run of conduit a set distance to one side, or up or down. It is very rare that conduit can
be placed in a straight line the entire distance needed; there will usually be small projections in
the way, other equipment that must be gone around, or other reasons to move the conduit over
some distance.

While bending conduit, one of the more important things to consider is the total number of
degrees of bend between pull boxes. The NEC (national electric code) limits this number to
360º, and some job specifications limits it even further. Fewer degrees of bend also results in an
easier pull when it comes time to pull wire into the conduit - always a good thing. While
bending an offset may be inevitable and necessary, the degree of the bend is variable, depending
on circumstances and the electrician doing the work.

An offset consists of two bends, the first to change the direction the connduit is going, and the
second to reverse that direction change. The end result is a rather "Z" shaped piece of conduit, as
shown in the pictures below. The most common bend used is a 30º bend, followed by another of
the same, resulting in a total bend of 60º, but this is not necessary in most cases. Bends of 10º,
22º and occasionally 45º or even 60º are marked on all hand benders and should be used when
appropriate. The difference is in the multiplier, as discussed below.

Common multipliers for bending conduit

Degrees of bendMultiplier
10 6.0
22 2.6
30 2.0
45 1.4
60 1.2

Decimal Equivalents
FractionsDecimals
1/8 .125
2/8 (1/4) .250
3/8 .375
4/8 (1/2) .500
5/8 .625
6/8 (3/4) .750
FractionsDecimals
7/8 .875

Using the multiplier when bending an offset

The multilplier is a number that the measured distance of the offset is multiplied by to obtain the
distance between the two bends, and should be memorized for the common bends of 10, 22, 30
and 45 degrees. Many benders have the multiplier permanently stamped on the reverse side of
the bender - a useful option for the beginning electrician. These numbers are also shown in the
chart to the right.

Once the offset distance is measured that measurement is to be multiplied by the appropriate
multiplier from the chart. These figures are all in decimals, while most people will use a tape
measure marked in fractions of inch - the decimals must be converted to fractions to be useful.
Few electricians will try to mark and bend conduit in increments of less than 1/8" (the bending
process just isn't all that accurate, anyway), so the number to be used needs to be converted to
just such a fraction. Decimal equivalents of fractional values of multiples of 1/8" are given in the
next table; you probably already recognize half of them - the other half is easily memorized.
Don't be afraid to round off your numbers - 1/1000" of an inch just isn't enough to worry about!

For example, let's suppose that the distance needed is 3½", and that we want to use a 22º bend.
The multiplier for 22º is 2.6, and 3½" is 3.5" in decimal notation. Using a calculator, we find that
2.6 times 3.5 equals 9.1". Now 9.1" is very close to 9.125" (the difference is .025"), which we
can see from the chart is 9 1/8". The difference between 9.1 and 9.125 is less than 1/32" - that's
probably double the width of the sharpie line you will draw on the conduit! Don't worry about it,
just use the 9 1/8" figure.

From the multiplier chart we can see that the multiplier for a 30º bend is exactly 2. That's why
many electricians will bend nothing except 30º offsets; the math needed is simple and easy. It
also results in unnecessarily sharp bends, harder wire pulls and often additional junction boxes. It
can add time and money to the job, and cause additional work during wire pulls. Don't fall into
that trap; nearly everyone carries a cell phone with a calculator in it nowdays, and even if you
don't you can still multiply two numbers. Do it right - use a bend appropriate to the task. A large
offset of 3 feet will probably need 45º bends, while a small one of a few inches can usually get
by with 22º or even 10º bends. It is true that 10º bends can be difficult to get perfect and that the
math for 22º or 45º offsets takes a moment of effort, but neither is an excuse for shoddy
workmanship.

A last word of multipliers - when bending large conduit an angle finder is generally used to
measure the precise angle being bent as the angle marks used on a hand bender are not stamped
onto benders for large conduit. This raises an interesting possibility in that any angle desired
may be used if the correct multiplier is known. The page on the math behind bending conduit
includes a description of how to find any multiplier needed and explains where these numbers
come from.
Measuring the offset

Measuring straight between the original, bottom, and temporary, top conduit the distance is
exactly 3 1/8"

Bending the second offset bend. Not the foot and leg position, holding the bender handle firmly
in place.

Lining up the second bend with the 22 degree mark

If bent in this position, the completed offset bend will have a dogleg in it. Make sure the conduit
is straight in the bender

Completed offset, The left bending mark is barely visible on the top of the conduit, while the
right mark was made clear around the conduit to make lining it up on the bender easier.

Bending the offset in EMT

The actual bending process begins with measurements. The distance the conduit run is to move
must be measured as closely as possible; a good way to do this is by temporarily laying a conduit
where the run is to end up, but projecting out and next to the existing run. In the photo to the
right the conduit coming from the right is to continue on, but the obstruction prevents it from
doing so. The upper conduit is where the run is to end up, and is laid there only to take a
measurement. Measure directly from one conduit to the other, at right angles. Do not attempt to
take a measurement along the path the offset will take. In this case the measurement is taken
straight up from the bottom conduit to the top one, making sure that if the measurement is from
the bottom of one conduit it is to the bottom of the other. Center to center, or top to top
measurements are just as acceptable as long as the same point on each conduit is used. In the
photo, the measurement is 3 1/8". The example will use a 22º bend so the calculated distance
between bends is 3.125" times 2.6, which equals 8.125", or 8 1/8". The photo shows the original,
bottom, conduit against the obstruction; it is actually back 36" with a temporary extender added
simply to take measurements. Mark the new conduit at 36", then again back 8 1/8" from the first
mark at 27 7/8".

Most offset bends are made "in the air", with the bender used upside down with the handle on the
ground and the bending foot in the air. Insert the conduit into the bender with the 38" mark
positioned at the arrow normally used to bend a 90 (any mark on the bender may be used here, as
long as it is used for both bends and the very toe of the bender is often more convenient for
offsets intended to begin close to the end of the conduit). The bender handle is likely to kick out
when bending in this manner; use a foot or foot and leg to keep it in one place on the floor (see
photo of the bending process). Slowly bend the conduit, keeping pressure as close to the bender
as possible - although it is easier with more leverage if pressure is applied several feet back from
the bender it will result in an unsatisfactory bend. Bend the conduit until the conduit lines up
with the desired mark (22º in this case) stamped onto the bender.

Rotate the conduit 180º and sight down it to make sure it is exactly 180º, slide it forward in the
bender until the second mark lines up at the same point on the bender used for the first bend, and
repeat the conduit bending process. Check that the conduit is still flat; lay it on the floor and
make sure that both ends lay flat. A slight dogleg (caused by improper rotation between bends)
can sometimes be worked out, but often the pipe will need to be discarded and a new one bent.

At this point, the finished offset is completed a short distance from the obstruction. This is due to
the "shrinkage" of the pipe and is inevitable when bending offsets. If this is not acceptable the
first mark should be made a few inches too far, the second (in the example) the same 8.125" back
from the first mark, and the completed bend test fit, marked and cut off to fit. While it is possible
to calculate the shrinkage (see the page on the math behind bending conduit) it is seldom worth
the effort to do so.

A rolling offset

Measuring for a rolling offset.

Completed rolling offset, moving both up and to the right.

Bending a rolling offset

In the example above, the offset was built to angle the conduit run straight up, but what if we
needed to not only go up, but to one side as well? It is possible to build two complete offset
bends, one after the other, but it also results in a greater number of degrees - not a good idea
unless absolutely necessary. Instead a "rolling" offset may be built, taking the conduit run both
up and to one side in one bend. Learn to think three dimensionally and make your bends
accomplish more than one task at a time whenever possible. A "kick 90" is another example of
this, and is described on the page on bending a 90.

The measurement and procedure for bending a rolling offset is identical to the method listed
above, but taking the actual measurement may perhaps need a little more description. When
taking the measurement for a rolling offset the tape measure is again placed from one conduit to
the other, at right angles to the conduit and a measurement taken from one point on the first
conduit to the same, equivalent, point on the second. This usually means measuring from one
side instead from the top of bottom, to the same side on the other. Make sure you don't measure
from, say, the left side on one conduit to the right side on the other - this will result in an offset
that is too long or too short.

As an an example, consider the same offset used above, except that the top conduit is moved
some 6" to one side as well as 3 1/8" up. The photo to the right shows taking the correct
measurement between the original conduit and the temporary one, and shows that the total
measurement is 7¼". Note how the tape measure is hooked over the side of the bottom conduit,
and placed in a straight line to the second conduit regardless of the angle it might be at compared
to a wall, floor, or anything else. It is then read at the same point on the upper conduit as it
begins at on the lower one With this distance, the length of the total offset when using 22º bends
is a little long, so lets make this one using 30º bends. The multiplier for 30º is 2, so we need a
distance of 14½" between marks.

The bending procedure is also the same as in the above example, and results in the pictured
conduit with a long enough offset that it can be "rolled" to one side to just fit into the corner of
the second obstruction while keeping the same 3 1/8" vertical distance change. This offset
contains a total of 60º of bend; compared to two 22º offsets it saves 28º of bend and will be much
easier to pull wire through.

Other pages for electricians

As well as this page on bending an offset, several more articles are available, making up a
conduit bending guide for electricians. The link will take you to a "Title Page", where each other
page is very briefly described and a link given to it, as well as a handful of other pages that a
professional electrician may find of value.

This set of articles is still a work in progress; pages will be added as they are written. If you
don't find what you want, leave a comment and it will be considered for addition to the set.