Retail & Changing Room Curtains

What fire rating do retail and changing room curtains need?

Curtains in shops and changing rooms are specified against BS 5867 Part 2, the British Standard for the flammability of curtains, drapes and window blinds. Retail premises are public spaces occupied by people who are awake and can leave, so Type B, the general contract standard, is the normal requirement. Landlords of shopping centres and managed retail parks often write it into the fit-out guide, and the store's own fire risk assessment will expect it.

Every fabric on this page carries a current BS 5867 Part 2 test report, supplied with the order for the fire risk assessment file and the landlord's O&M handover.

Choosing curtain fabrics for a shop fit-out

Retail curtains do a practical job first. This collection is the lower-cost plain end of the range for that reason: changing room curtains that are properly opaque, stand up to constant handling, and are cheap enough to replace across a whole estate. What to think about:

• Opacity. A changing room curtain has to be opaque when backlit. Dimout weights are the safe choice; lighter plains can show silhouettes under bright fitting-room lighting. See dimout curtains.
• Handling and hardware. Changing room curtains are pulled by hand hundreds of times a day. Eyelet or wave headings on a robust track survive that better than pencil pleat on hooks, and a curtain that overshoots the cubicle opening by a good margin closes cleanly without tugging.
• Colour discipline. Ordering one fabric and one colourway across an estate keeps replacements simple; when a curtain is damaged you replace a panel, not rethink a scheme. Dye lots vary between runs, so order a small surplus at the outset.
• Front-of-house and window displays. Where curtains are part of the visual merchandising rather than the back of house, the printed and textured qualities elsewhere on the site are all available made to measure; ask us to price the two together.
• Cleaning. Every fabric we list is inherently fire retardant, so the rating is not lost when the curtains are laundered, and washable plains are the norm in this collection.

Specifying and ordering

Every curtain is made to measure in the UK. Choose the fabric, enter your drop and width, select a heading (pencil pleat, eyelet, wave or pinch pleat), and the configurator prices it immediately. For a multi-store rollout, or where you would rather send us a cubicle schedule from the fit-out drawings, request a quote and we will price it as a single job. Shopfitters working to a programme date: tell us the date and we will confirm what is achievable before you commit.

Fire test certificates are supplied for the fire risk assessment and O&M files, and samples are available on every fabric.

Retail curtain FAQs

Do changing room curtains have to be fire retardant?

Yes. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person must control fire risk in the premises, and a fire risk assessor, and usually the landlord's fit-out guide, will expect curtains in a shop to meet BS 5867 Part 2 Type B. Every fabric on this page is tested to it.

What size should a changing room curtain be?

Wider than the opening, by enough that the curtain still covers when it is pushed to one side and pulled back in a hurry. Measure the track length and the drop from track to floor; we make to those sizes, with the fullness set for the heading you choose.

Can you supply tracks as well?

Yes; see our tracks, poles and hardware range, or include them in your quote request and we will match the track to the heading.