Chart · Offsets

Pipe offset multiplier chart for every angle

Short answer

Travel multiplier = 1 ÷ sin(angle). Run multiplier = 1 ÷ tan(angle). For the common fittings: 45° is 1.414 and 1.000, 30° is 2.000 and 1.732, 60° is 1.155 and 0.577, 22.5° is 2.613 and 2.414, and 11.25° is 5.126 and 5.027. Multiply the offset by the first number for the travel and by the second for the run.

An offset multiplier is the trigonometry done ahead of time: one number per fitting angle that turns the offset you measured into the travel or the run. The third column goes the other way, from a known travel back to the offset.

Offset multipliers for common fitting angles, with a 10 inch offset worked out (center to center, before take-outs)
Angle	Travel ×	Run ×	Offset from travel ×	Travel, 10" offset	Run, 10" offset
11.25°	5.126	5.027	0.195	51 1/4"	50 1/4"
22.5°	2.613	2.414	0.383	26 1/8"	24 1/8"
30°	2.000	1.732	0.500	20"	17 5/16"
45°	1.414	1.000	0.707	14 1/8"	10"
60°	1.155	0.577	0.866	11 9/16"	5 3/4"

The two most asked about have their own guides: the 1.414 rule for 45s and the 60 degree offset formula (1.155 and 0.577).

Where the numbers come from

The offset, the run, and the travel form a right triangle with the fitting angle at one corner. The offset is opposite the angle and the travel is the hypotenuse, so travel = offset ÷ sin. The run is next to the angle, so run = offset ÷ tan. A multiplier is just that division done once ahead of time. At 30 degrees, sin is exactly 0.5, which is why the travel multiplier is a clean 2.000.

Multipliers from 5 to 85 degrees

For a 90 cut down to an odd angle, or a setback that forces one, here is every 5 degrees plus the standard fitting angles:

Travel multiplier (1 ÷ sin) and run multiplier (1 ÷ tan) from 5 to 85 degrees. Common fitting angles in green.
Angle	Travel ×	Run ×
5°	11.474	11.430
10°	5.759	5.671
11.25°	5.126	5.027
15°	3.864	3.732
20°	2.924	2.747
22.5°	2.613	2.414
25°	2.366	2.145
30°	2.000	1.732
35°	1.743	1.428
40°	1.556	1.192
45°	1.414	1.000
50°	1.305	0.839
55°	1.221	0.700
60°	1.155	0.577
65°	1.103	0.466
70°	1.064	0.364
72°	1.051	0.325
75°	1.035	0.268
80°	1.015	0.176
85°	1.004	0.087

For an angle not listed, type it into the pipe offset calculator under Other; it shows the two multipliers to three places with the answer.

How to use a multiplier

Pick the row for your fitting angle
22.5s, for example: 2.613 and 2.414.
Offset × travel multiplier = travel
A 12 inch offset: 12 × 2.613 = 31.36 inches, center to center.
Offset × run multiplier = run
12 × 2.414 = 28.97 inches along the line.
Take off the fittings and gaps
Two take-outs and two gaps give the cut length. See take-outs and cut length.

Small angles punish small errors

The travel multiplier is also how much any error in the offset grows. Measure the offset 1/16 inch wrong and the travel is off by 1/16 × the multiplier: about 3/32 inch with 45s, but 5/16 inch with 11.25s, because 5.126 × 1/16 = 0.32. The same goes for rounding: an 11.25 degree multiplier rounded to 5.1 loses 0.026 inch per inch of offset, more than 1/4 inch over a 10 inch offset. With shallow fittings, measure carefully and keep three decimals.

Are these the same numbers as conduit multipliers?

The travel multiplier is the same trigonometry an electrician uses for the distance between bends, so a conduit chart's 1.4 for 45 and 2.0 for 30 match. The difference is what comes next. Conduit is bent in one piece, so the electrician worries about shrink. Pipe is joined with fittings, so the fitter subtracts take-outs and gaps. A pipe cut length needs the second step.

Common mistakes

Using the travel multiplier for the run. They match only at 45 degrees.
Using a two-place multiplier on a long offset. 1.41 instead of 1.414 is 3/16 short on a 48 inch offset.
Reading the angle off the wrong side. The fitting angle is between the travel and the run. A 60 degree fitting makes a steep offset with a short run (0.577 × the offset); a 30 makes a long one (1.732 ×).

Questions about offset multipliers

What is an offset multiplier?

The number you multiply an offset by to get the travel (or the run) for a given fitting angle. The travel multiplier is 1 ÷ sin(angle) and the run multiplier is 1 ÷ tan(angle). They let you size an offset with one multiplication instead of a triangle.

What is the multiplier for a 22.5 degree offset?

2.613 for the travel and 2.414 for the run. A 12 inch offset with 22.5s has a travel of 31.357 inches and a run of 28.971 inches, center to center.

Why is the 30 degree multiplier exactly 2?

Because sin 30° is exactly 0.5, and 1 ÷ 0.5 = 2. The run multiplier at 30 degrees is 1.732, the square root of 3.

What is the multiplier for a 60 degree offset?

1.155 for the travel and 0.577 for the run. The 60 degree offset formula guide explains where they come from and works cut lengths.

How do I go from the travel back to the offset?

Multiply the travel by the sine of the angle: 0.7071 at 45 degrees, 0.3827 at 22.5, 0.5 at 30, 0.8660 at 60, and 0.1951 at 11.25. That is the same as dividing by the travel multiplier.

Does the pipe size change the multiplier?

No. The multiplier depends only on the angle, so it is the same for 1/2 inch copper and 12 inch steel. What changes with the pipe size is the take-out of the fittings, which comes off after you have the travel.