Measuring guide

Measuring guide | Curtains

The SKAFF guide to help you correctly measure for your made to measure curtains.

Step 1

Measuring the width

If you have a pole, measure the pole width excluding the end finials. If you have a track, measure the total width.

For our made-to-measure curtains service, this is all the information we need as we add all the allowances. If, however, you require your curtains to return to the wall, please call our Customer Service team

Tip: Measuring to make your own curtains? If you are measuring fabrics to make your own curtains, you can make some further refinements:

Add an extra 6 - 8cm per curtain for a comfortable overlap at the center where curtains meet.
You may want the outside edges of the curtains to turn back (return) from the pole/track to the wall at each side. This provides a neat finish and avoids light spilling through. In this case, measure the distance from the eyes of the rings/gliders back to the wall on both sides and add these dimensions to the width. - - For a single curtain, note down the measurement and whether the curtain is to hang on the right or left.

Note: If you have planned for returns to the wall then the curtain top must be lower than the bottom of the pole, or the pole will be in the way.

Step 2

Measuring the finished length

The finished length is the measurement from the very top of the curtain to the bottom hem. The diagrams show suggested lengths for both sill, and floor length curtains.

Always measure the length to the left, right and centre of your pole/track. Where the measurements vary, choose the length that suits best.

For tab top headings

Measure from the top of the pole to your required bottom hem position, this is the drop.

Now measure the diameter of the pole and add this to your drop measurement, this gives your finished length (this is due to some length being lost when threading tabs onto the pole).

For eyelet headings

Measure from the top of the pole to your required bottom hem position, this is the eyelet drop.

Now add 3.5cm (1.38”) to this amount (this is the amount of curtain above the eyelet hole), this gives your finished length.

For gathered and pencil pleat headings

The top of our gathered curtain is fixed at a height of 3.5cm (1.38”) above the hook position.

Measure from the eyes of the rings/gliders to your required bottom hem position, this is the hook drop.

Now add 3.5cm to this amount to get your finished length.

For all other headings

Firstly, decide on the height you would like the top of the curtains to finish.

For tracks, we suggest aligning the top of the curtain with the top of the track. For poles, the curtain could be level with the top, centre, or bottom of the pole.

Measure from the required curtain top position to your required bottom hem position, this is your finished length.

Not yet fixed a pole or track?

We recommend that you have a pole/track in place before measuring, but if not, here’s what to do.

Step 1

Firstly, you will need to have an idea of the type of pole or track you are going to use. Consider the style and positioning that will work best for your window and curtains. Having this decided in advance will make it easier to plan the measurements and move on to the next step.

Step 2

Decide the positioning at which your pole or track will be fixed. For a typical window without architraves, we recommend poles and tracks overhang the width of the window by no less than 15cm (6") each side and the bottom of the pole/track typically fixed no less than 8cm (3") above the top of the window soffit.

Step 3

The measuring process follows the same principle as Steps 1 and 2 of our Measuring Guide above. To do this more easily, you may find it helpful to make small pencil marks to check you are happy with the top and hem positions.