Kick Bend Calculator

A kick bend is a single-angle offset used to raise or lower a conduit run a short distance to clear an obstruction such as a beam, duct, or box without running a full offset. The layout problem is always the same: given a required rise and a chosen bend angle, where on the conduit does the bender mark go, and where does the second obstruction edge mark fall relative to it. This calculator produces those two marks plus the multiplier and shrink values a bender operator needs before making the bend.

Inputs and What They Represent

Kick or rise height is the clear vertical (or lateral) distance between the original conduit run and the finished kicked run, measured in inches. This value must include clearance if the obstruction requires standoff beyond its physical edge — the calculator treats it strictly as the input rise, not as the obstruction’s physical thickness.

Bend angle is the angle used at the bender shoe, in degrees. Smaller angles stretch the layout distance and the kick multiplier; larger angles shorten it but increase the physical arc the conduit sweeps through. The angle marked on this calculator must match the angle stamped or set on the actual bender shoe, since bender gain and mark spacing are shoe-specific and not calculated here.

Reference mark from conduit end is the distance from the cut end of the conduit to the bend layout mark. Both the bend mark and the obstruction edge mark use this same end reference, so field measurements stay consistent when transferring marks to the actual conduit.

Bend Mark and Obstruction Edge Mark

The bend mark equals the reference mark from the conduit end — in this example, 24 in. This is the point where the first kick bend is made.

The obstruction edge mark from conduit end is the bend mark plus the mark-to-obstruction distance:

$$\text{Obstruction Edge Mark} = \text{Bend Mark} + \text{Mark-to-Obstruction Distance}$$

With a 24 in bend mark and a 6.9282 in mark-to-obstruction distance, the obstruction edge mark lands at 30.9282 in from the conduit end. This is where the second bend of the kick is made to bring the conduit back parallel to the original run.

Kick Multiplier and Mark-to-Obstruction Distance

The kick multiplier is the cotangent of the bend angle:

$$\text{Kick Multiplier} = \cot\theta$$

At 30°, cot(30°) = 1.7321. This multiplier converts the rise into the horizontal (in-line) distance the layout requires:

$$\text{Mark-to-Obstruction Distance} = \text{Rise} \times \cot\theta$$

For a 4 in rise at 30°: 4 × 1.7321 = 6.9282 in. As the bend angle decreases toward 0°, cot θ grows without bound and the layout distance stretches accordingly; as the angle increases toward 90°, the multiplier approaches zero and the kick becomes a near-perpendicular jog. This is why shallow kicks (10°–22.5°) require noticeably more conduit length than steep kicks (45°) for the same rise.

Estimated Shrink

Shrink is the amount the conduit’s overall end-to-end length appears to shorten once the kick is bent, relative to a straight run of the same total layout distance. It is calculated as:

$$\text{Shrink} = \text{Rise} \times (\csc(\text{Bend angle}) - \cot(\text{Bend angle}))$$

At 30°: csc(30°) = 2.0000, cot(30°) = 1.7321, so shrink = 4 × (2.0000 − 1.7321) = 1.0718 in. This value is added back to the take-out measurement when cutting conduit to length so the finished run lands at the intended total length after both bends are made, not short of it.

Calculation Example

The sequence for field use: mark the bend point at 24 in from the conduit end, make the first bend at 30°, measure 6.9282 in further along the conduit to reach the obstruction edge mark at 30.9282 in, make the second bend at 30° in the opposite rotation, and add 1.0718 in of shrink to the overall cut length before starting the layout.

Field Verification and Bend-Radius Limits

The arithmetic above assumes an ideal centerline bend with no allowance for bender gain, shoe-specific deduct, or conduit spring-back — those corrections are shoe- and material-dependent and must be verified against the bender manufacturer’s data before cutting. Separately, the minimum bend radius for the conduit type in use is governed by NEC Article 342 (Intermediate Metal Conduit), Article 344 (Rigid Metal Conduit), and Article 358 (Electrical Metallic Tubing). These articles set minimum radii based on conduit trade size and whether the run contains a cable with a lead sheath; a kick bend angle and mark spacing that produce a radius tighter than the applicable table value is a code violation regardless of what the layout math shows. Confirm bend radius compliance, support spacing near the kick, and any AHJ-specific field requirements independently of the mark and shrink values this calculator returns.