The best conduit bending app: how to choose
By Andrew ·
Quick answer
The best conduit bending app is the one whose marks match your bender when you bend. Look for numbers based on your bender’s real radius and deduct, a way to correct them, offline use, a fair one-time price and support for your phone. BendMate is a web app that offers all of these, but test any app on a scrap first.
Six things that matter
- Accuracy. Does it model the bend on a radius, or only treat it as a sharp corner like a multiplier chart? Both are valid; know which you are getting.
- Your bender’s numbers. Is your bender and shoe in it, and can you edit the deduct if yours bends long or short?
- Checks. Does it warn you when bends overlap or run off the end of the conduit?
- Offline. Basements and new builds have no signal. Does it work once loaded?
- Price model. One payment, a subscription or ads? Compare the real cost over a year.
- Platform and language. Does it run on your phone, tablet and computer, in the language your crew uses?
A ten-minute test for any app
- Pick a bend you have already made: say a 6" offset at 30° on 1/2" EMT.
- Enter your bender and shoe, and your real measurements.
- Compare the marks and the shrink with your finished bend.
- Switch on airplane mode and open the app again.
- Look for a way to correct the deduct if the app runs long or short.
- Bend
- 6" offset at 30°
- Multiplier method
- 12" between bends
- Radius-based method
- A little less than the chart, because a shoe bends on a radius
- What to do
- Trust the one that matches your bender on a scrap
The options
- Native app-store calculators. QuickBend: Conduit Bending, by Bret Hardman, is a long-established paid app for iOS and Android, about $6.99 one-time at last check, with a large bender library.
- Web calculators. BendMate is one: it runs in any browser and installs to your home screen.
- Charts and your bender’s own markings. Multiplier tables and the deduct cast on the bender need no battery, but only cover what is printed on them.
- Other apps and spreadsheets. More exist. Judge each one with the six criteria, not by its store rating alone.
How BendMate measures up
| Criterion | BendMate |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | Marks from your bender’s centerline radius and deduct; a multiplier method is there too |
| Your bender | 34 benders, 400 shoes, or enter your own deduct and gain |
| Checks | Red or orange flags for overlapping or impossible bends |
| Offline | Works with no signal once loaded |
| Price | $5.99, one-time, no subscription or ads |
| Platform | Any phone, tablet or computer; English and Spanish |
When another app may be the better pick
If you already own an app-store calculator such as QuickBend and its marks match your bender, there is no reason to change. Pick on your own test, not on a ranking, including this one. BendMate is independent and not affiliated with QuickBend or its maker; names are used only to identify what people search for.
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
What is the best conduit bending app?
The one whose marks match your bender on a test piece. Compare accuracy, your bender’s numbers, offline use, price and platform rather than relying on ratings alone.
Is a conduit bending app more accurate than a chart?
It can be, if it works from your bender’s real centerline radius and deduct. A multiplier chart treats each bend as a sharp corner, so its numbers run slightly larger than a real shoe produces.
Are there free conduit bending apps?
Free options may exist; judge any of them by the same criteria, including whether it works from your bender’s real numbers. BendMate is $5.99 once, with no subscription or ads.
BendMate is independent and not affiliated with QuickBend or its maker. Product names are used only to identify what people search for.