Gain is the difference between the conduit actually used in a 90-degree bend and the length the two legs would add up to if they met at a square corner. Because the pipe takes the shortcut around the curve, a run with bends needs less material than its measured legs suggest. Bender charts list the gain for each size, and it matters whenever a piece is cut to length before bending, as in back-to-backs.
Two ninetys in one-inch, that's twice the gain, so cut the stick shorter than the legs add up to.
Also heard as
- bend gain
Do not mix it up with
- Shrink: Shrink is length lost to an offset or saddle; gain is length saved by bending a curve instead of a corner.
Related terms
Back-to-back
Bend layout that sets the outside distance between the backs of two 90-degree bends in one piece of conduit.
Stub-up
Ninety-degree bend that brings conduit straight up from a floor or out from a wall to a set height.
Shrink
Shortening of a conduit run caused by an offset or saddle, which has to be added back when marking bends.