What Are “Returns” on a Bay Window Curtain Track?
When you’re looking at bay window curtain tracks, you’ll often hear the term “returns” mentioned — and it’s one of those things that can sound more complicated than it really is.
On this page, I’ll explain exactly what we mean by a return, what isn’t a return, and why it matters when you’re planning your bay window curtains.
Video Transcript: What Are Returns on a Bay Window?
Introduction
Hi, I’m Lee Stevens from Ezecurtains, and I want to explain what we mean when we talk about returns on bay window curtain tracks.
On this website, you’ll often see references to bay returns or curtain track returns, and it’s one of those terms that can cause a bit of confusion if you’ve not come across it before.
What Is a Return?
A return is where the curtain track comes out of the bay and then returns onto the wall into the room.
Instead of stopping right at the edge of the bay, the track continues onto the flat wall at the side. That straight section on the wall is what we call the return.
What Is Not a Return?
It’s also important to understand what isn’t a return.
If you have a five-sided bay window and there’s a short section of wall between two angled sides of the bay, that is not a return. That’s simply an internal bend within the bay itself.
A return only exists when the track actually leaves the bay and runs onto the wall inside the room.
How Long Does a Return Need to Be?
Returns can be almost any length you want them to be, but there is one important minimum to be aware of.
A return needs to be at least 15 centimetres long. This gives enough flat track for a wall-fix bracket to clip securely into place. If the return is too short, the bracket won’t be able to engage properly with the back of the track.
In most situations, a return of around 20 centimetres works very well and looks nicely balanced.
That said, if you want the curtains to clear the side windows completely, you can have much larger returns that fill the whole wall space — and that’s absolutely fine too.
Summary
Hopefully that clears things up and helps you understand what we mean by a return when you’re planning or ordering a bay window curtain track.
What Is a Return?
A return is where the curtain track comes out of the bay and returns onto the wall into the room.
In other words, the track doesn’t just stop at the edge of the bay — it continues onto the flat wall at the side. That short straight section is what we call the return.
This allows the curtains to pull right back past the bay window, rather than sitting tight in the corner.
What Is Not a Return?
This is where a lot of confusion creeps in.
If you have a five-sided bay and there’s a short section of wall between two angled sides of the bay, that is not a return. That’s simply an internal bend within the bay itself.
A return only exists when the track actually comes out of the bay and runs onto the wall inside the room.
How Long Does a Return Need to Be?
Returns can be almost any size you like, but there is one important rule:
The return needs to be at least 15cm long.
That minimum length gives you enough flat track for the fixing bracket to clip securely into place. If the return is too short — especially on a wall-fixed track — the bracket won’t be able to engage properly with the back of the track.
In most cases, a return of around 20cm works really well and looks nicely balanced.
That said, if you want the curtains to clear the side windows completely, you can have much larger returns that fill the whole wall space. That’s absolutely fine too.
Why Returns Matter
Understanding returns makes a big difference when:
- deciding how far your curtains will pull back
- choosing between ceiling-fix and wall-fix tracks
- measuring your bay window correctly
- visualising how the curtains will look once fitted
It also helps when you’re ordering, as you’ll know exactly what’s being referred to if returns are mentioned on the order form or in advice.
Related Bay Window Advice
If you’re still working out the bigger picture, these pages may also help:
If you’re unsure whether you need returns — or how long they should be for your bay — you don’t have to guess.