How to Bend Conduit with a Hand Bender

By Blissom · Updated 2026-10-23

Layout values: check them against your own bender, on scrap first.

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Tools you need

• A hand bender sized for the conduit (1/2", 3/4", 1" or 1-1/4" EMT). The size is cast in the shoe; a 3/4" EMT shoe rated for it also bends 1/2" rigid.
• A tape measure and a fine marker or pencil. Mark all the way around the pipe so you can see it from any side.
• A torpedo level to check 90s and angles, and optionally a protractor or angle finder.
• A hard, flat floor. Bending on soft ground or a rough slab lets the conduit wander.

Know the marks on your bender

• Arrow: used for stubs, offsets and kicks. For a stub, the arrow goes on the mark with the hook facing the end.
• Teardrop / rim notch: on many benders, the middle of a bend; used for the center bend of a 3-point saddle.
• Star point: on benders that have one, the back of a 90; used for back-to-back bends with the bender reversed.
• Degree marks: sight lines, commonly for 10°, 22.5°, 30°, 45° and 60°; markings vary by model. The bend has reached that angle when the conduit lines up with the mark.
• Take-up (deduct): the number cast in the shoe, for example 5" on a 1/2" EMT bender. See the deduct chart.

Bending technique

1. Lay the conduit on the floor and hook it in the bender with your mark lined up.
2. For a floor bend on the smaller sizes, put one foot on the heel of the bender and keep steady pressure on it the whole time, which keeps the conduit in the groove. Some makers specify other techniques for larger sizes; follow your bender's instructions.
3. Keep firm, continuous foot pressure on the heel and guide the handle smoothly as the conduit rolls through the bend, rather than relying mainly on handle leverage. Follow your bender maker's instructions.
4. Bend to the angle you want, release and check it with a level or the degree marks. If the conduit springs back, make a small correction as your bender's instructions describe; how much varies with the shoe and the material.

Bend a 90° stub

The first bend everyone learns. Stub height minus take-up is the mark; arrow on the mark; hook toward the end; bend to 90°.

Example: a 12" stub on 1/2" EMT is marked at 12 − 5 = 7". Use the stub-up calculator for other sizes.

Bend an offset

Two equal bends that move the run over an obstruction or off a surface. Distance between the marks is depth × multiplier (30° = 2); when the offset must be finished by a fixed point, the shrink (30° ≈ 1/4" per inch) moves the marks, so enter that point in the offset calculator. Bend the first mark, rotate the conduit exactly 180°, and bend the second.

1. Find the depth: how far the conduit's centerline has to move, measured square to the run, with your clearance included.
2. Space the marks: depth × multiplier for your angle (30° = 2). A 4" offset at 30° has marks 8" apart.
3. Place the marks: if the offset has to be complete by a fixed point, put the second mark at that point plus the shrink (4" × 1/4" = 1") and the first mark one spacing before it; if it starts at a fixed point, put the first mark there.
4. Bend 1: arrow on the first mark, bend to the angle.
5. Bend 2: rotate the conduit exactly 180°, arrow on the second mark, bend to the same angle so the run comes back parallel.
6. Check: sight down the conduit for a dog-leg and measure the depth before installing.

These are field values; check the first offset against your bender. The offset calculator does the marks at six common angles from 10° to 60°.

Bend a 3-point saddle

To hop over a pipe. Center mark = distance to the center of the pipe + 3/16" per inch of depth (45° saddle). Outer marks 2.5 × depth either side. Bend 45° on the center with the center-of-bend mark, then roll the conduit 180° and bend 22.5° on each outer mark with the arrow.

1. Find the depth: the rise the conduit centerline needs over the pipe, clearance included (3" in this example).
2. Center mark: measure from the conduit end to the center of the pipe and add 3/16" per inch of depth: 3" adds 9/16".
3. Outer marks: 2.5 × depth either side of the center mark: 7-1/2" each way.
4. Center bend: center-of-bend mark on the center mark, bend 45°.
5. Outer bends: roll the conduit 180°, arrow on each outer mark in turn, bend 22.5° so the run comes back to its original line. Hook direction differs by maker, so follow your bender's guide.
6. Check that the three bends are in one plane and the hump clears the pipe.

For a wide obstruction like a duct, use a 4-point saddle instead.

Bend back-to-back 90s

A U with a target width. Bend the first 90 as a stub, measure the width from its back, and either put the star point on that mark (bender reversed) or, for a tight U where the bender will not fit that way, subtract the take-up and use the arrow with the hook facing the first 90. With the arrow method the first stub swings toward you as the second 90 forms, so keep your body clear of it.

Bend a kick

A single bend to angle the conduit off a surface.

1. Measure the rise: the square distance from the conduit's original centerline to where its centerline must be at the target.
2. Choose the angle (or find it from the rise and the run with atan(rise ÷ run)).
3. Work out the theoretical travel: rise ÷ sin(angle), close to rise × the offset multiplier (30° = 2). For a 3" rise at 30° the straight inclined travel is 6". This is a geometric reference, not automatically the distance from the target to the bender's arrow.
4. Set the actual mark from your bender's reference marks and the finished dimensions you need, since the bend radius and shoe geometry move where the kick ends up. Make a test bend, measure the rise and run you got, and adjust before bending the final piece.

For a kicked 90, bend the 90 first, then roll the conduit 90° and bend the kick in a plane at right angles to it, so the stub stays plumb while the run angles off the wall. The kick calculator gives travel, run and shrink, or the angle from rise and run.

Code rules to remember

• 360° maximum of bends between pull points (NEC 2023 358.24(B) for EMT (358.26 in the 2020 and earlier editions); the same rule applies to rigid, IMC and PVC).
• No damage: bends must not damage the tubing or effectively reduce its internal diameter (358.24), so no kinks or flattening.
• Minimum radius: Chapter 9, Table 2 sets the minimum bend radius for each trade size. Use a bender rated for the conduit type and size, and check finished bends for flattening.

Fixing a bad bend

• Over-bent 90: put the stub over the bender handle or into the hook and pull it back gently.
• Dog-leg offset (bends not in one plane): usually recut. Prevent it by sighting down the conduit before the second bend.
• Kinked or flattened: cut it out. A damaged bend is a code violation and can strip wire insulation during the pull.

Sources: NEC 2023 358.24 and Chapter 9, Table 2; Klein Tools Conduit Bender Guide (stub take-up, offset multipliers and shrink, saddles). Method.

Questions electricians ask

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