How to measure for curtain heading styles
- Curtain Buying Guide
- Curtain Guide
Curtain headers explained: how to measure for eyelet, pencil pleat, pinch pleat, tab top and more
The heading is the part of the curtain most people think about last and notice most. It decides how the fabric folds, how formal the room feels and, in practical terms, how much fabric and what measurements you’ll need before you order. If you’re partway through configuring a made to measure curtain and stuck on which heading to pick, here’s what each one actually looks like, where it works best, and, most importantly, how to measure for it.
Eyelet curtain headings
Eyelet curtains have metal rings punched through the top of the fabric, and the pole threads directly through them. There’s no tape or hook involved, so the curtain hangs in soft, even, rounded folds that stay put whether the curtain is open or drawn. It’s a clean, contemporary look, and one of the easiest headings to live with day to day, since the curtain slides on the pole with almost no effort.
It suits modern and minimal rooms best, living rooms and bedrooms with a plain pole on show, and windows where you want the fabric itself to be the focus rather than the fold. Eyelets work well on plain, textured or subtly patterned fabrics with a bit of weight to them; a busy print can get lost in the folds.
How to measure for eyelet curtains
You’ll usually need around twice the width of your pole in fabric. Measure from the top of the pole to your finished drop, then add 5cm, since the eyelets sit about 5cm down from the top edge of the curtain. You’ll also need at least 5cm of clearance above the pole so the rings can move freely, so check this before you order if your pole sits close to a ceiling or pelmet box.
Pencil pleat curtain headings
Pencil pleat is the heading most people picture when they think ‘curtains’. A tape at the top gathers the fabric into narrow, upright folds that look like a row of pencils standing side by side. It’s the most flexible heading on offer: it works on a pole or a track, suits almost any room, and takes well to both plain and patterned fabric because the gathers are small and don’t distort a print the way a bigger pleat can.
It’s a good default for bedrooms and living rooms alike, and it’s usually the most cost-effective choice for larger windows, since it doesn’t need as much fabric as a pinch pleat or wave heading.
How to measure for pencil pleat curtains
You’ll need roughly twice the width of your track or pole in fabric, or up to two and a half times if you’re using a wider six-inch pencil pleat tape for extra fullness. If your curtains hang from a track, measure from the top of the track; if they hang from a pole, measure from the eye on the curtain ring down to your finished drop.
Pinch pleat curtain headings
Pinch pleat, sometimes called French pleat, gathers the fabric into neat clusters of two or three folds stitched together at even intervals, with flat fabric in between. The tailored, structured shape holds well over time, which is why it turns up so often in more formal living rooms, dining rooms and period properties. Triple pinch pleat, in particular, reads as the most polished and traditional of all the heading styles.
Because the pleats need to hold a crisp shape, pinch pleat works best in a fabric with a bit of body, ideally interlined for extra structure.
How to measure for pinch pleat curtains
Pinch pleat uses noticeably more fabric than pencil pleat or eyelet: double pinch pleat needs around two and a third times the width, and triple pinch pleat closer to two and a half times. Factor that in early. It affects both your final price and how a large-scale pattern repeats down the drop.
Our team can talk you through interlining and fabric weight for pinch pleat over the phone or during a virtual appointment, which is often the quickest way to avoid an expensive surprise.
> Book a virtual appointment.
Tab top curtain headings
Tab top curtains have loops of fabric stitched to the top edge, and the pole runs through the loops rather than through eyelets or a track. The result is a relaxed, slightly undressed look, with soft folds that sit a little further down from the pole than an eyelet heading. This one belongs in kitchens, cottages, holiday homes and any room that wants a lighter touch than a formal pinch pleat.
Tab top suits lightweight and mid-weight fabrics such as linen, linen-look weaves and lighter cottons; anything too heavy will pull the tabs out of shape over time.
How to measure for tab top curtains
You’ll need around twice the fabric width, similar to eyelet. Measuring is simple: just measure from the top of the pole down to your desired finished drop.
Wave curtain headings
Wave heading uses a specialist track (not just any pole) to pull the fabric into a smooth, continuous ripple, with no visible gaps between folds even when the curtains are open. It’s a good match for wide windows, bifold doors and anywhere you want the fabric to stack back neatly out of the way, and it needs a firm fabric to hold the ripple properly.
How to measure for wave curtains
Wave needs around two and a third times fullness, similar to pinch pleat. Because it runs on a specialist track rather than a pole, it’s worth having your track confirmed before you finalise your fabric quantity.
Goblet or tulip curtain headings
Goblet, or tulip, pleat is the more formal cousin of pinch pleat: the same clustered folds, but padded out at the top into a rounded cup shape, usually held with a little stuffing or buckram. Grand or traditional rooms suit it far better than everyday spaces, and it needs a fabric with enough structure to hold that shape.
How to measure for goblet or tulip curtains
The clustered folds are built the same way as pinch pleat, just padded out at the top, so fabric quantities follow the same rule: budget for around two and a third to two and a half times fullness depending on how full you want the goblets to sit. Measure from the top of the track, or from the eye on the curtain ring if your goblets hang from a pole.
Getting your heading and measurements right together
Heading style and measurements aren’t really two separate decisions. The heading you choose changes where you measure from, how much fabric you need, and how the finished curtain will hang, so it’s worth deciding on a heading before you start taking numbers down.
If you are keen to make your own heading at home, our JF Academy has step-by-step guides, including how to make a double pinch pleat heading yourself, along with heading tape and buckram if you’re making up your own curtains rather than ordering made to measure.
Measure for curtain headings correctly
Our full curtain and blind measuring guides cover exactly where to measure from for each heading type. You will also need to take into account fullness ratios and pattern repeats. If you’d rather talk it through, book a free virtual measuring appointment and one of our consultants will help you choose a heading, check your measurements and pick the right fabric weight for it, wherever you are in the UK.
Once you know which heading suits your room, you can browse our full range of made to measure curtains and order free fabric samples before you commit. And if this is your first time ordering bespoke curtains, our beginner’s guide to made to measure curtains covers the rest of the process from fabric to fitting.
> Get started with your Made to Measure curtains
