How to measure
for curtains
Three numbers and a tape measure. Ten minutes now saves a panel that hangs two inches short forever.
The width we need is the finished width of one panel — not the width of your window, and not the width of your rod. Step 4 turns one into the other.
The two numbers we ask for
Every panel we make is described by two measurements — and neither of them is the size of your window.
- Width. Measured flat across the panel, edge to edge, before it gathers or pleats. Steps 2 and 4 turn your rod into this number.
- Length. The drop, from the top edge of the panel straight down to the hem. Step 3 is where you decide it.
A panel is almost always wider than the space it covers. That is not a mistake, it is the gather — and how much wider depends on the header, which is step 4.
The four steps below take you from a rod on a wall to these two numbers. If you already have them, the worksheet at the bottom does the arithmetic for you.
What you need
- A steel tape measure. Fabric tapes stretch, and a stretched tape is how a panel ends up short.
- A step ladder, if the rod is already up.
- Paper and pencil. Measure every window separately, even the ones that look identical — in most houses they are not.
Work to the nearest quarter inch, or half centimetre.
Decide where the rod goes
If the rod is already up, skip to step 2. If it is not, mark it before you measure anything — every other number depends on this one.
- Height is a proportion, not a fixed number. Put the rod roughly two thirds of the way up the wall between the top of the window and the ceiling. An eight-foot ceiling and a twelve-foot ceiling do not want the same inches.
- 6–12 in past the frame on each side. This is where the open panel stacks, so the glass stays uncovered in the daytime. Less than six and the panel sits on the glass all day.
Three exceptions: a low ceiling wants the rod at the ceiling; crown moulding wants it just underneath; a cathedral ceiling wants 8–10 in above the frame and no higher.
Measure the rod, not the window
Run the tape along the rod or track from end to end. Two things people get wrong here:
- Leave the finials out. The decorative ends are not hanging space — the rings stop before them.
- Measure the rod even if you measured the window. The rod is wider on purpose, and the rod is what the fabric has to cross.
Write this number down. It is the input for step 4.
Where the open curtain goes: stack back
An open panel does not disappear. It concertinas into a bundle at the end of the rod — that bundle is the stack back, and it is why the rod runs 6–12 in past the frame on each side. Those inches are where the fabric parks in the daytime.
- Too little rod past the frame and the stack sits on the glass, so the window never fully clears and the room stays dim.
- Fuller headers stack deeper. A triple pleat parks in a fatter bundle than a grommet panel of the same width — if daylight matters more than the look, give the rod the wider end of the range.
- One panel stacks on one side only. All of the bundle lands at a single end, so that end needs the full allowance.
Wall too short for the rod to run past the frame — a corner, a bookcase, a door frame? Tell us before you order; that is a case where the panel count, not the width, is the fix.
Choose the drop
Measure from the eye of the ring — or the top of the rod for a rod pocket — straight down to where you want the hem to stop.
| Finish | Hem stops | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Sill | at the sill | practical — kitchens, radiators |
| Below sill | 4–6 in under | softer, still short |
| Floor | ½ in above | the one most people want |
Floors are rarely level. Measure at both ends of the rod and use the shorter number.
Turn rod width into panel width
A curtain exactly as wide as the rod hangs flat and looks like a bedsheet. Fabric has to be wider than the space it covers so it can gather. How much wider depends on who does the gathering — the rod, or the stitching.
| Header | Total panel width | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rod pocket | rod × 1.5 – 2 | the rod gathers it |
| Grommet | rod × 1.5 – 2 | the rod gathers it |
| Back tab | rod × 1.5 – 2 | the rod gathers it |
| Back tape | rod × 2 | arrives pleated — the pleats take the cloth in to about half |
| Pinch pleat — double | rod × 2 | arrives flat; you draw the cords to pleat it |
| Pinch pleat — triple | rod × 2.5 | arrives flat; you draw the cords to pleat it |
Then divide by the number of panels.
- Grommet, 60 in rod, two panels. 60 × 2 = 120, ÷ 2 = 60 in per panel.
- Triple pinch pleat, 60 in rod, two panels. 60 × 2.5 = 150, ÷ 2 = 75 in per panel — or three panels of 50 in.
Every width you order is the flat cloth, whichever header you choose. Pleats take that cloth in: about half for back tape and double pinch pleat, about two fifths for triple. So a pleated header needs the same generous width as a gathered one — order it at rod width and it will only cover half the window.
The six headers
How the panel attaches changes two things: the way the top sits, and the width you have to order. The first three gather on the rod. Back tape arrives pleated. The two pinch pleats arrive flat with a corded tape, and you draw the cords to set the pleats. All six need extra width, because the width you order is always the flat cloth.
Rod pocket
A sewn channel at the top. The rod slides straight through it and the fabric bunches along the pole. Quiet and traditional, but it does not slide well — best where you do not draw the curtain every day.
Total: rod × 1.5–2
÷ number of panels
Grommet
Metal rings set into the top edge, rod through the rings. The folds space themselves evenly and it slides with one hand — the easiest of the six to live with.
Total: rod × 1.5–2
÷ number of panels
Back tab
Loops sewn on the back carry the rod, so the front stays flat with no hardware showing. The softest top of the three, and the rod disappears behind the fabric.
Total: rod × 1.5–2
÷ number of panels
Back tape
A stitched tape across the back, hung from rings. It leaves the room-side face uninterrupted and falls in even waves. Ours ships pleated — the width you order is the flat cloth, and the pleats take it in to about half.
Total: rod × 2
÷ number of panels
Pinch pleat — double
Pleats of two folds, hung from rings. The panel ships flat at the full width you order, with a corded tape across the back: draw the cords and it gathers into tailored double pleats, as full or as relaxed as you like.
Total: rod × 2
÷ number of panels
Pinch pleat — triple
Three folds per pleat. The deepest, most formal top we make, and the one that uses the most cloth. It ships flat with a corded tape; draw the cords to set the pleats.
Total: rod × 2.5
÷ number of panels
Both numbers above are totals for the whole window. Divide by the number of panels to get the width of one panel — and one panel is what you order. A 60 in rod with grommet panels: 60 × 2 = 120 total, ÷ 2 panels = 60 in each. The same rod with a double pinch pleat: 60 × 2 = 120 total, ÷ 2 = 60 in each; with a triple, 60 × 2.5 = 150, ÷ 2 = 75 in each.
The width you order is always flat cloth. Pleated headers fold that cloth in, so they need the same extra width as gathered ones — a pinch pleat ordered at rod width would close to about half the window.
One panel, or a pair
Step 4 gives you a total width. What you divide it by is this decision.
- A pair. Two panels meeting in the middle, opening to either side. This is the usual answer for a window: it looks symmetrical, and each side stacks in its own corner. Divide the total width by two.
- A single panel. One panel drawn to one side. Right for narrow windows, doors, and any window that is off-centre in the wall — a pair on a 30 in window gives you two thin strips. Do not divide at all: the total width is the panel.
A single panel needs its whole stack on one end of the rod, so give that end the wider side of the 6–12 in allowance.
Wide windows and very tall drops
Cloth arrives here on a roll, and the roll has a fixed width. That width is the ceiling on how big a single panel can be — not the size of your window, and not our willingness to make it.
- Past that limit, a panel is either turned or joined. Turning the cloth uses the roll's width as the panel's length; joining puts a seam between two widths, placed to fall inside a fold where it reads as part of the drape. Both are normal; which one suits your window depends on the print and the drop.
- A wide window usually wants more panels, not a bigger one. Three or four panels on one long rod hang better than two enormous ones, and they stack in smaller bundles.
- Bays, corners and doors are measured section by section, one rod run at a time — then treated as separate windows on the worksheet.
The largest size we make is shown on the product page as you pick a size; if your number is past it, send us the window rather than rounding down. Rounding down is the one direction that cannot be fixed later.
What goes wrong
Your windows
Now do the arithmetic here. Put in the rod width, the drop and the header for each window, and this works out the panel width to order — the four steps above turned into numbers. Nothing is sent anywhere: it stays in your browser, and it is still here when you come back.
Measure every window separately, even the ones that look identical. Add a row for each.
Fuller is safer than flatter. If you land between two numbers, take the larger one — a panel with a little extra gather looks intentional, a tight one never does.
Now pick the print
You have the numbers. Every panel below is cut to them, in prints we design and print ourselves.
Questions
Do I measure the window or the rod?
The rod. It is mounted wider and higher than the window on purpose, and the fabric has to cross the rod, not the glass.
Should curtains touch the floor?
Most people want floor length, stopping about half an inch above the boards so the panel clears when it moves. Sill and below-sill are the practical choices over a radiator or a kitchen counter.
How much wider than the rod should the panel be?
For rod pocket, grommet and back tab, 1.5 to 2 times the rod width, divided by the number of panels — the rod does the gathering, so the panel has to arrive wide. For back tape and double pinch pleat, 2 times the rod width; for triple pinch pleat, 2.5 times. The width you order is always flat cloth, and pleats take it in, so a pleated panel ordered at rod width covers only about half the window.
One panel or two?
Two is the usual answer: they meet in the middle and open to either side. One panel drawn to a single side suits narrow windows and doors.
Can I work in centimetres?
Yes. Switch the worksheet to centimetres and give us the numbers in cm — we make to either. Just do not mix the two on one window.
What is stack back?
The bundle an open curtain makes at the end of the rod. It is why the rod runs 6 to 12 inches past the frame on each side — those inches are where the fabric parks in the daytime. Fuller headers stack deeper, and a single panel puts the whole bundle on one end.
Which header needs the most fabric?
Triple pinch pleat: order 2.5 times the rod width. Back tape and double pinch pleat take 2 times, and rod pocket, grommet and back tab 1.5 to 2 times. Back tape arrives pleated; the two pinch pleats arrive flat and you draw the cords to set the pleats.
My window is wider than the biggest panel you make. Now what?
Use more panels rather than a bigger one — three or four on one rod hang better than two enormous ones. Past the roll width a panel has to be turned or joined, and which of those suits your window depends on the print and the drop, so send us the measurements instead of rounding down. Rounding down is the one direction that cannot be fixed afterwards.
What if my window is a bay, or unusually tall?
Bays, doors and very tall drops are where measuring alone gets expensive. Book a measuring consult and we will go through it with you before anything is cut.
What if I get it wrong?
Every panel is cut for one window, so we can only accept returns on faulty goods. That is exactly why we would rather check your numbers with you first — it costs us both less than a remake.