How to Measure for Curtains: Width, Drop and Where the Track Goes

To measure for curtains, measure the track, not the window. Decide where the track goes, run it at least 150 mm past the window frame on each side, then measure the drop from the track line down to the floor. That's two numbers in millimetres, width first. It's a DIY job: you measure, we make the curtains to your sizes in Australia, and you hang them yourself.

How to measure for curtains, step by step

It takes a few minutes a window. Measure every one, even if two look the same.

What you need

The two numbers: track width and drop

The width is the length of the track, not the window. The drop is the height from the track down to the floor. You don't measure for fabric: a curtain uses more fabric than the track is long so it can hang in folds, and we work that out from your track width.

Here's a 2 m window with the track on the ceiling:

We make curtains from 800 mm to 5,750 mm wide and from 900 mm to 4,000 mm drop.

Ceiling or wall: where the track goes

Ceiling track (top fit)

The track screws up into the ceiling. It's the cleanest look, and a curtain that runs from the ceiling to the floor makes the room feel taller. Measure the drop from the ceiling, where the track will go, to the floor. If a cornice or bulkhead sits on that line, call us on 1300 195 797 before you order.

Wall track (face fit)

The brackets screw to the wall above the window. Choose it when the ceiling is too high or slopes, or when you want the curtain to start at the architrave (the timber trim around the window).

Mark the height for the track first, then measure the drop from that mark, not from the top of the window or the glass. With more than one window in a room, put every track at the same height so the hems line up.

Bay window, corner window, or a window hard up against a side wall? Call us before you order and we'll talk it through.

How far past the window should curtains go?

At least 150 mm past the frame on each side. When a curtain is open, the fabric bunches up at the end of the track. That bunch is the stack. Running the track past the frame gives the stack somewhere to sit, so the open curtain clears the glass instead of covering part of the view. Go further if the wall allows: the wider the curtain, the bigger the stack.

Floor-length or sill-length?

Our curtain designer is set up for floor-length curtains. Every curtain asks how the hem meets the floor:

Measure the drop to the floor and enter it exactly as you measured it. Then pick the finish. The designer tells you how each one is made, and we check every order before it goes to the workshop.

Want a curtain that stops at the sill? Call us on 1300 195 797 before you order. For a short window over a bench or sink, a blind is often the simpler fit, and our guide to measuring for blinds covers it.

Tall drops

We make drops up to 4,000 mm. If yours is over 3 m, call us before you order and we'll talk you through the fabric. On a tall drop, pick a longer wand (1,220 or 1,520 mm) so it's within reach.

S-fold or pinch pleat: does it change how you measure?

No. You give us the same two numbers for every heading. The heading is the style at the top of the curtain, and it changes how much fabric goes in, not the size you measure.

S-fold curtains hang in soft, even waves and stack back tightly. Pinch pleat curtains have the fabric stitched into small groups of folds along the top, in pairs or threes, and a triple uses a little more fabric than a double. Either way, you enter the track width and we allow for the fabric.

Measuring for double curtains (sheer and blockout)

Double curtains hang a sheer and a blockout on one double track. You measure once: one width and one drop, and both curtains are made to that size, within the same 800 to 5,750 mm width and 900 to 4,000 mm drop.

Then you set up each curtain on its own: fabric, heading, which way it opens, hem and how it meets the floor. The back curtain sits closest to the glass and is usually the blockout, so the sheer in front can stay closed through the day. There's also a custom clearance option, where you tell us the gap you want in the order notes. Design your double curtains once you have your numbers.

Existing track or a new one?

Every curtain we make comes with its own track, cut to your width, so the heading and the track match. We don't make curtains to hang on a track you already have.

So measure for the new track. Work out how long you want it, and measure the drop from that line. Don't measure the old curtain: fabric can shrink or stretch, and it was made with its own allowances. The new track can go where the old one was. Take the old one down first, and plan to fill the old screw holes, as they may not line up with the new brackets.

Common measuring mistakes

Check the fabric at your window with free samples

While the tape's out, order free curtain samples. You can have up to 10, posted free, and they never hold up an order. Hold each one flat against the wall beside the window, in daylight and again at night. Whites are the tricky ones: a white curtain next to a cream wall can look grey.

After you measure: order it, then hang it yourself

Enter your width and drop in the curtain designer and the price updates as you choose. We check every order before it goes to the workshop and call you if a number looks odd. For a second check, add the Perfect Fit Guarantee, a paid add-on: we video call you to check your measurements before we make the curtain.

The track comes with brackets and instructions, and the curtain arrives ready to hook on. Have the right screws and plugs for your wall or ceiling ready. A track is an overhead job for two people, and most people do a room in an afternoon with a drill and a level. How it works covers ordering and fitting, and new hooks or pendants are in curtain spare parts.

Questions