If Your Curtain Track Is Ceiling Fitted

For most of our ceiling-fitted curtain tracks, place your tape measure at ceiling height in front of the curtain track.

Then measure straight down to wherever you want the bottom of the finished curtain to be.

This might be:

• Just above the floor
• Just above the window sill
• Just above a radiator
• Or another finishing position you’ve chosen

The measurement you’ve just taken gives you the starting point for working out your finished curtain drop.

Allow a Little Clearance

If your curtains are going down to the floor, the top of a window sill or the top of a radiator, I normally recommend deducting 1cm from the measurement you’ve taken.

This should leave the bottom of the curtain just clear of the surface rather than sitting directly on it.

If you’d prefer a little more clearance rather than having the curtains just skim the finishing point, you can deduct a further 1cm.

For example, if you measure 230cm from the measuring point down to the floor:

• 229cm finished drop would leave approximately 1cm clearance.
• 228cm finished drop would leave approximately 2cm clearance.

What If My Curtains Finish Part Way Down the Wall?

You may want your curtains to finish below the window sill without going all the way down to the floor or to the top of a radiator.

In this situation, simply measure down to the position where you want the bottom of the curtain to finish.

There’s no need to make the 1cm clearance deduction because there isn’t a fixed surface underneath the curtain that you’re trying to clear.

What If My Curtain Track Is Wall Fitted?

The same basic measuring rules apply, but your starting point changes.

Instead of measuring from ceiling height, hook your tape measure over the top edge of the curtain track and measure down to your chosen finishing position.

If you’re measuring to the floor, sill or top of a radiator, make the same 1cm deduction for clearance — or 2cm if you’d prefer a slightly larger gap.

There Are Two Important Exceptions

The measuring method above applies to most of our curtain tracks, where the curtains hang in front of the track.

There are two exceptions:

• Our Modern curtain track — the curtains hang from just underneath the track rather than in front of it.
• Our Wave curtain track systems — the Wave curtains also hang from underneath the track.

Because the hanging position is different, don’t use the standard measuring method above for these track systems.

The Simple Answer

For most of our curtain tracks, measure from the position at the top of the track down to where you want your finished curtains to stop.

If they are finishing just above the floor, window sill or radiator, deduct 1cm for clearance. Deduct 2cm if you’d prefer a little more space.

If the curtains finish part way down the wall with nothing directly underneath them, simply use the measurement to your chosen finishing position.

And if you’re using our Modern track or a Wave track system, remember that the curtains hang underneath the track, so the measuring point is different.

Need to Check Your Curtain Width Too?

If you’re also unsure what width to enter when ordering your made-to-measure curtains, I’ve covered that separately.

What Curtain Width Should I Enter When Ordering Made-to-Measure Curtains? →

Still Choosing a Track for Your Bay Window?

If you haven’t chosen your curtain track yet, take a look at our made-to-measure bay tracks. Each one is made to the measurements and shape of your bay, so it arrives ready to fit.