Blackout Fire Retardant Curtains

What is a blackout fire retardant curtain?

A blackout curtain fabric stops light passing through the cloth, either through a dense multi-layer weave or a coated backing bonded to the face fabric. The fabrics on this page do that and are also tested to BS 5867 Part 2, so one cloth delivers both light exclusion and fire certification, with no separate blackout lining to specify, make up or launder. Every fabric here is inherently fire retardant, with the performance in the fibre and the coating rather than in a finish that washing could remove.

Blackout is the specification asked for most in sleeping accommodation, which is also where BS 5867 Type C is usually required. Most blackout qualities here carry Type C; check the product page or use the standards filter.

Getting real blackout in the room

The fabric is only half of it. A blackout cloth on a curtain that stops short of the wall lets in a bright frame of light around every edge. What actually darkens a bedroom:

• Width. Extend the track well past the reveal on both sides so the curtain overlaps the wall, and specify return ends so the curtain wraps back to the wall at each end of the track.
• Centre overlap. A generous overlap arm on a pair of curtains closes the gap where the leading edges meet.
• Drop. Floor length, or a pelmet or boxed track above, stops light spilling over the top and under the hem.
• Heading. Pencil pleat and pinch pleat sit closer to the track than eyelets, which leave a light gap at the pole. Wave on a channel track is a good compromise for a contemporary look.

Tell us the window and we will advise on the make-up. Where a decorative face fabric is wanted, an FR blackout lining behind it is the alternative route; ask when you request a quote.

Where blackout is specified

• Hotel bedrooms, where light leakage is a recurring cause of poor sleep scores.
• Care home and healthcare bedrooms, sleep clinics and on-call rooms.
• Student accommodation and boarding houses.
• Presentation rooms, AV suites, drama studios and lecture theatres in offices and schools.
• Holiday lodges and ship cabins, where guests sleep at odd hours.

Specifying and ordering

Every curtain is made to measure in the UK. Choose the fabric, enter your drop and width, select a heading, and the configurator prices it immediately. For a block of bedrooms, request a quote with your room schedule and we will price it as a single quotation across every fabric house we carry, with the certificates for your fire risk assessment and O&M files. Samples are available on every fabric; hold one up to a window to judge the blackout for yourself.

Blackout curtain FAQs

What is the difference between blackout and dimout?

Blackout stops light passing through the fabric; dimout reduces it substantially but lets a soft glow through. Bedrooms want blackout; lounges, wards and meeting rooms usually want dimout.

Can blackout fire retardant curtains be washed?

Woven blackouts generally can; coated blackouts vary and some are wipe-clean or dry-clean only. The care guidance on each product page is the authority, and the FR rating is inherent so it is not affected either way.

Are blackout curtains available in patterns?

Yes; several fabric houses print onto blackout base cloths, and this collection includes plains, textures and printed designs.