Measuring for Inside Mounts

Measure the width inside the window opening at the top, middle, and bottom. Measure the height inside the window opening at the left, right, and center.

Order the narrowest width measurement and the shortest height measurement. Remember to always round your measurements down to the nearest 1/8"

Be sure the window opening is deep enough to install the mounting bracket. Refer to the Application and Specification reference pages or see the section on Installation Hardware.

Measuring for Outside Mounts

Measure the desired width and height. To minimize light leakage, it's recommended that the shade overlap the window opening at least 2" on each side and at the bottom.

When measuring the height, take into account the requirements for mounting bracket attachment. Again, those requirements are shown on the Design Options pages and the Specification reference, as well as the section on Installation Hardware.

Accurate Measurements are essential. The measurements are used first to price the shade, and then to custom fabricate it to the specified size. The dimensions supplied on the order form must be correct for the shade to properly fit the window opening.

Rectangular Shades

Rectangular shades include:

• Standard Rectangular
• Top-Down
• Top-Down/Bottom-Up
• Two-On-One Headrail
• Standard Continuous Cord System
• Heavy Duty Continuous Cord System

Measuring procedures are the same for each of these types of rectangular shades. While the specialty hardware systems Glider and Sunrise can also be considered rectangular, their measuring procedures differ slightly and they will be discussed separately.

Inside Mount or Outside Mount

How you take your measurements will vary depending upon whether the shade fits within the window opening (inside mount or IB) or overlaps the window opening (outside mount or OB).

Rounding Your Measurements

Dimensions on the order form should be
accurate to within 1/8". With inside mounts,
always round down to the nearest 1/8".
Rounding up could result in a shade that is
too wide to fit within the window opening.

Specialty Shapes

With specialty shapes, one or more sides of the shade are angled. Specialty shapes include hexagons, octagons, and trapezoids.

The procedures for measuring hexagons and octagons are similar to those for rectangular shades. Simply measure the window height and width appropriately for an inside or outside mount. Be sure to measure the width at the shade's widest point.

When measuring for trapezoids, measure the window height, the top and bottom widths, and the length of the sloped side(s). Then measure what the width reduction of the shorter rail will be on each side. The maximum reduction is 9" per side.

In the diagrams below, H is the vertical height, TW and BW are the top and bottom widths, LS and RS are the lengths of the left and right sloped sides, and LR and RR are the left and right width reductions of the shorter rail. Record all measurements on your template. Use the widest width measurement when pricing the shade.

Arches and Circles

Included in this category are arch, circle, and quarter circle. Similar rules for measuring rectangular shades apply to arches and circles, as well.

For inside mounts, measure the exact width and height inside the window opening. For outside mounts, measure the desired width and height. Always measure the height at its tallest point.

With perfect arches and circles, the height will either equal the width (circle and quarter circle) or equal one half the width (arch). With imperfect arches, these simple height/width relationships do not occur.

Angles

With angles, either the top or bottom of the shade is sloped, or angled. All four sides must be measured to ensure accurate fabrication. Measure the inside of the window opening for inside mounts. When measuring for outside mounts, remember to add the desired amount of overlap.

In the diagram to the right, the vertical measurements are labeled LH for left height and RH for right height. The horizontal measurements are labeled S for slope and W for width. The slope angle is the angle between the slope and a horizontal
line. The angle is measured in degrees using
a protractor. Record all measurements on the
template you create for the shade. Use the
tallest height measurement when pricing the
shade.

Shades Requiring Templates

Templates are required for all shades having angles or specialty shapes, such as hexagons, octagons, trapezoids. Arches, whether perfect or imperfect, also require templates. For multiple shade orders, a template must be included for each shade ordered. Guidelines for preparing templates are shown below.

Standard Skylight System

The procedures for measuring window openings for Standard Skylight Shades are identical to those for standard rectangular. For inside mounts, measure the width and height at three locations inside the window opening, (see illustration at right). Order the narrowest width and the shortest height. For outside mounts, measure the desired height and width, allowing for an appropriate amount of overlap.

However, the inside mounting depth requirements for Standard Skylights are different than standard rectangular, because of the side rails which are used with the shade. Those depth requirements are shown in the chart below.

Outside mounting surface requirements are the
same as those for standard rectangular shades.

Spacer Blocks or Extension Brackets can be used to allow a shade to clear obstructions, such as a window crank or handle. Each spacer block adds 1/2" of clearance, and a maximum of three per bracket can be used. (Spacer blocks cannot be used with Standard Continuous Cord System shades.)

Extension brackets add up to 3" of clearance.

Specialized Mounting Hardware

Arch Support Clips are used to mount circles, and to support the fabric on arches and quarter circles.

Hold Down Brackets are used to prevent the bottom of the shade from swaying. They attach to the inside or outside mounting surface, and a pin on the bracket fits into a hole in the bottom rail end cap.

The Only mounting bracket for standard rectangular shades is the Standard Installation Bracket. The standard installation bracket can be used with either inside or outside mounted shades.

The two Continuous Cord Systems require a different style of mounting bracket to accommodate their special headrail designs. One bracket is used for all Heavy Duty Continuous Cord System shades and a similar smaller bracket is used for the Standard Continuous Cord System.