# Standard UK curtain sizes

Ready-made curtains in the UK are sold in four drops — 137, 183, 228 and 274 cm, which are the imperial 54, 72, 90 and 108 inches rounded — and in four widths per curtain: 117, 167, 228 and 297 cm. The width on the packet is the width of each curtain flat, not the width of window the pair covers, which is why a “167 cm pair” suits a track of roughly 130 cm and no more. None of these sizes is a standard in any formal sense; they are trade conventions, and the metric label is always a rounded imperial figure.

Source: https://fabricmeasure.com/charts/standard-curtain-sizes/
Last updated: 2026-08-20 (method v1)
Published by FabricMeasure.

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## The tables

Ready-made curtain sizes in the UK are imperial sizes under metric labels. Every metric
figure below is a rounded conversion of the inch figure beside it, not a measurement.
These are trade conventions; no British Standard fixes them.

### Drops (measured from the hook, ring or eyelet down)

| Sold as | Labelled | Exactly | Where it suits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 54 in | 137 cm | 137.16 cm | Sill-length, or a radiator beneath the window |
| 72 in | 183 cm | 182.88 cm | Below-sill, the common compromise length |
| 90 in | 228 cm | 228.6 cm | Floor-length on a standard UK ceiling |
| 108 in | 274 cm | 274.32 cm | Floor-length on a high ceiling, or a Victorian bay |

### Widths (PER CURTAIN, flat, before gathering)

The packet width is the width of each curtain, not the width of window a pair covers.

| Sold as | Labelled | Exactly | Flat cloth in a pair |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 46 in | 117 cm | 116.84 cm | 234 cm |
| 66 in | 167 cm | 167.64 cm | 335 cm |
| 90 in | 228 cm | 228.6 cm | 457 cm |
| 117 in | 297 cm | 297.18 cm | 594 cm |

### Fullness a ready-made pair delivers, by track width

```
fullness = (2 x width of one curtain) / track width
```

A pencil pleat needs 2x as a floor; eyelet and tab-top work from about 1.5-1.8x.

| Pair | 100 cm | 120 cm | 150 cm | 180 cm | 220 cm | 260 cm |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 117 cm | 2.34x | 1.95x | 1.56x | 1.3x | 1.06x | 0.9x |
| 167 cm | 3.35x | 2.79x | 2.24x | 1.86x | 1.52x | 1.29x |
| 228 cm | 4.57x | 3.81x | 3.05x | 2.54x | 2.08x | 1.76x |
| 297 cm | 5.94x | 4.95x | 3.96x | 3.3x | 2.7x | 2.29x |

Go UP rather than down when a window falls between two sizes: a curtain slightly too long
can be hemmed, one slightly too short cannot be fixed.

## Common questions

### Does the curtain width on the packet mean the width of my window?

No, and this is the mistake that costs people a return. The figure is the width of each curtain, flat. A pair labelled 167 cm contains 334 cm of cloth in total, which gathers to cover a track of about 130 cm at a reasonable fullness. Buying to match your track width gives curtains that barely close.

### Where is the drop measured from?

From the hook, ring or eyelet position down to where you want the hem to finish — not from the top of the pole and not from the ceiling. On a pole with rings the hook sits below the pole, so the curtain hangs lower than the pole height; on a track it sits close to the track itself.

### Why are the metric sizes such odd numbers?

Because they are imperial sizes wearing metric labels. 54 inches is 137.16 cm and gets printed as 137; 90 inches is 228.6 cm and gets printed as 228. The trade never re-cut its sizes when the labels changed, so every metric ready-made figure on the shelf is a rounded conversion of an older imperial one.

### What if my window falls between two ready-made sizes?

Go up rather than down. A curtain slightly too long can be hemmed or allowed to break on the floor; one slightly too short looks wrong and cannot be fixed. If the gap is large in either direction, making up your own is usually cheaper than the alteration, and the calculators here work out the cloth.

### Are these sizes an actual British Standard?

No. There is no standard fixing ready-made curtain sizes, and individual retailers do sell sizes outside this list — particularly at the wide end for patio doors. These are the four drops and four widths that are common enough to be worth planning around, and any given shop may stock a subset.

## Related tools

- [Curtain fabric calculator](https://fabricmeasure.com/calculators/curtain-fabric-calculator/): Track width, drop, fullness and pattern repeat in; metres or yards to buy out, with every allowance adjustable.
- [Curtain fullness calculator](https://fabricmeasure.com/calculators/curtain-fullness-calculator/): How many widths each curtain needs at the fullness you want — and what whole widths really gather to.
- [Pattern repeat calculator](https://fabricmeasure.com/calculators/pattern-repeat-calculator/): The cut length a repeat forces, what is trimmed from every piece, and what matching the design costs.
- [Fabric width converter](https://fabricmeasure.com/conversions/fabric-width-converter/): Pattern written for one bolt width, fabric bought at another — work out the equivalent length.