Specification guide

Curtain pelmets and valances for contract interiors

Straight-edged, shaped and soft pelmets made in your curtain fabric or a contrast, with how each is built, the sizes they are made to and the fire standard that applies to the fabric.

Pelmet types

Pelmets conceal the track and give the window a finished top line. Hard pelmets are upholstered boards made to the track length plus returns; soft pelmets hang from a valance rail. All are made in curtain fabric or a contrast and quoted with the curtains.

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    Straight-edged pelmet

    A flat upholstered board with a straight bottom edge, the standard hard pelmet for hotel bedrooms and offices. Plain, piped or braided along the lower edge. Made with a return at each end, it is also known as a box pelmet.

    FR-rated board, FR wadding, self-fabric or contrast; 150–250 mm deep as standard; supplied with fixing battens

    Fire standard BS 5867-2 fabric

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    Shaped pelmet

    An upholstered board cut to a profile, such as a centre arch, scalloped edge or stepped ends, to a supplied drawing or one we produce for approval. Used in restaurants, suites and heritage rooms.

    Profile cut to drawing; buttoning, contrast banding and braid on request

    Fire standard BS 5867-2 fabric

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    Soft pelmet and valance

    A gathered, pleated or box-pleated fabric valance hung from a valance rail in front of the curtain track. Made to the same heading and fullness as the curtain, or as a bed pelmet to match a bedspread.

    Lined as standard; pencil, pinch, goblet or box pleat

    Fire standard BS 5867-2 fabric

Pelmet construction

What every pelmet is made to unless the specification says otherwise.

Board
FR-rated pelmet board made to the track width, with a straight lower edge or a profile cut to drawing.
Padding and cover
FR wadding over the board, wrapped in the curtain fabric or a contrast so the pelmet matches the curtains it sits over.
Returns
A return to the wall at each end, sized from the track projection plus clearance so the curtain travels behind the pelmet without catching.
Edge finishes
Lower edge plain, piped or braided. Buttoning and contrast banding on request.
Fixing
Supplied with fixing battens and fixed above the track, to the wall or to the ceiling. The top of the pelmet sits at least 50 mm above the top of the track so the heading is hidden.
Soft pelmets
A lined fabric valance, gathered, pleated or box-pleated, hung from a valance rail in front of the curtain track. Pencil, pinch, goblet or box pleat heading.

Pelmet sizes

A pelmet is sized to the track it covers, not to the window.

Width
Made to the track width, measured end to end. Nothing is added for the pelmet itself; the returns are worked out from the track projection.
Depth
150–250 mm as standard. As a starting point use about one sixth of the curtain drop: 150 mm on a sill-length curtain, 200–250 mm on a floor-length one.
Shaped and soft pelmets
On a shaped pelmet the depth given is the deepest point; on a soft pelmet it is the finished depth including the heading.
Bay windows
Made in sections, one per run, to the angles of the bay track.

Measuring for pelmets

Fire standards for pelmets

Item Standard What it tests Typical requirement by sector
Pelmets and valances BS 5867-2:2008 Fabric to BS 5867-2. Board substrates are specified to the relevant building material class. As curtains. Type B: hotels, offices, schools, universities, retail, public buildings, holiday lodges. Type C: hospitals, care homes, healthcare, secure accommodation and anywhere with a sleeping risk.

The building's fire risk assessment sets the requirement and takes precedence where it differs from this guide.

Specification clause

Copy the clause and complete the fields in square brackets. Clauses for curtains, roman blinds, cushions and bed coverings are on the clauses page.

Pelmets and valances

Delete the hard or soft pelmet line that does not apply.

Supply and install made-to-measure pelmets to location reference [ref].
Style: [straight-edged hard pelmet / shaped hard pelmet to drawing / soft pelmet (valance)].
Face fabric: [supplier], [collection], [design / colourway], inherently flame retardant, certified to BS 5867-2:2008 Type [B / C]; [to match curtains / contrast].
Hard pelmets: FR-rated board with FR wadding, fabric-wrapped, returns to suit the track projection, lower edge [plain / piped / braided].
Soft pelmets: lined valance with [pencil / pinch / goblet / box] pleat heading, hung from a valance rail.
Finished width [mm] (track length), depth [mm], [wall / ceiling] fixed.
Supplier: CreateFR, createfr.co.uk.

Frequently asked questions

Do pelmets need to be fire retardant?

Yes. A pelmet is made in curtain fabric, so the fabric falls under BS 5867-2 in the same way as the curtains and must be certified to Type B or Type C to suit the building. We make pelmets in the same inherently FR fabric as the curtains, over an FR-rated board and FR wadding.

What is the difference between a pelmet and a valance?

A pelmet is a rigid board, padded and covered in fabric, fixed above the track. A valance, or soft pelmet, is a short lined length of fabric, gathered or pleated, hung from a valance rail in front of the track. Both hide the track and the curtain heading.

What is a box pelmet?

A hard pelmet with a return to the wall at each end, so the board boxes the track in on three sides. Our hard pelmets are made with returns sized to the track projection, so the straight-edged pelmet on this page is a box pelmet.

How deep should a pelmet be?

As a starting point, about one sixth of the curtain drop: 150 mm on a sill-length curtain and 200–250 mm on a floor-length one. A deeper pelmet suits a tall room or a shaped edge; a shallow one suits a low ceiling. The pelmet measuring guide covers width, returns and fixing height.

Does a pelmet help with blackout?

Yes. A blackout lining stops light passing through the cloth, but edge gaps still depend on the track, returns and overlap. A pelmet closes the gap over the top of the track, which is why blackout is specified together with returns and a pelmet or ceiling-fix track where total darkness matters. See curtain linings.

Can pelmets be ordered online?

Pelmets are priced with the curtains rather than sold as separate products. Add the curtain fabric to a project quote from any product page and note the pelmet sizes and style; we price the pelmet in the same fabric and band.

Need this priced for a project?

Send track widths or drawings and we price pelmets with the curtains, in the same fabric.

Request a quoteFrom-plan estimating