How to Find the Angle of an Existing Kick
Quick answer
To match an existing kick, measure how far it moves the stub and the distance from the back of the 90 to the middle of the kick bend, then solve for the angle. By the multiplier method that distance = kick ÷ sin(angle). A 4" kick whose bend center is 8" from the back of the 90 comes out at 31.4° on a 1/2" EMT hand bender.
To copy a kick that is already bent, measure how far it moves the stub and how far its bend sits from the 90. The calculator works out the angle it was bent to, and gives the mark for bending a matching kick.
What to measure
- Back of 90 to bend center: along the conduit, from the back of the 90 to the middle of the kick bend.
- Kick: how far the kick moves the stub sideways, center to center.
How to bend it
- Enter both measurements and read the Bend angle, to 0.1°.
- On the new conduit, bend the 90 first.
- Mark the Kick mark from the back of the 90, put it on the arrow with the hook facing the 90, and bend the kick to that angle, a quarter turn from the 90, as on the Kick screen.
Where the numbers come from
back of 90 to bend center = kick ÷ sin(angle) − setback + R·angle/2 + OD/2The kick mark is shorter than your measurement because, for the arrow, it sits the start of bend plus half the bend’s arc before the bend’s center.
- Back of 90 to bend center
- 8"
- Kick
- 4"
- Bend angle
- 31.4°
- Shrink
- 1 1/16"
- Kick mark
- 6 3/8"
If it turns orange or red
Red with no numbers means no angle up to 90° fits the measurements. Otherwise the colors are the Kick screen’s at the solved angle: red means this shoe can’t bend a matching kick, because the kick bend would run into the 90, and orange that it would leave too little straight between them.
Get the marks for your bender
BendMate works this out from your bender’s radius and deduct, flags a bend that won’t work, and shows you every mark.
Common questions
Why is the kick mark shorter than my measurement?
For the arrow, the mark sits the start of bend plus half the bend’s arc before the bend’s center. For a 4" kick whose bend center is 8" from the back of the 90, on a 1/2" EMT hand bender, the kick mark is 6 3/8".
How do you bend a matching kick?
Bend the 90 first, then measure the kick mark from the back of the 90, put it on the arrow with the hook facing the 90, and bend the kick to the solved angle, a quarter turn from the 90.
Where do you measure from when matching a kick by the multiplier method?
From the center of the stub instead of its back, because the multiplier method doesn’t know the conduit’s size. Measure along the conduit to the middle of the kick bend.