Measuring guide · Offices and commercial
Measuring for office curtains and blinds
Full-height glazing, ceiling grids and no wall to fix to. Office measuring is mostly about the fixing.
What is different in offices
The curtains, roman blinds, pelmets and tracks and poles guides cover how to take every measurement. This page adds what is different about measuring in this sector and gives you the schedule we need.
Office glazing is usually floor to ceiling in modules divided by mullions, with a suspended ceiling above it. Curtains and blinds fix to the ceiling, the transom or a bracket off the mullion, and the measurement is taken from that fixing. Decide per pane or per run before you measure.
Curtains on full-height glazing
Ceiling-fixed tracks
Fix to the ceiling grid noggin or a fixing plate above the suspended ceiling, never to the tile. Measure the drop from the underside of the ceiling to 10mm above the floor and tell us the track; we make the glider allowance. Give us the track width along the full run of glazing.
Stack-back past the glazing
On a run of glazing there is nowhere for the curtains to stack except in front of the glass or past the end of the run. Run the track 15% of the glazed width past each end if the layout allows, or accept the stack in front of the glass and tell us; a wave heading stacks the smallest.
Voiles for ground-floor privacy
A voile on a rear track with a dimout on the front is common at street level. Measure each track on its own; the voile 20mm shorter.
Raised floors
Raised access floors are level, but the ceiling often is not. Measure the drop at three points along the run and give us the smallest.
Roman blinds on glazed modules
Per pane or per run
Blinds fixed to the transom above each pane are measured pane by pane: width between the mullions at three heights (smallest), drop from the transom to the sill or floor. Blinds across a run cover several panes from one headrail; measure the full run and tell us the mullion positions so the folds do not fight them.
Controls
Note the control side and the finished control height; in open-plan areas controls usually finish at desk height. Motorised blinds are measured the same way with a note of the power position.
Meeting rooms, partitions and dividing curtains
Glazed partitions
Curtains on internal glazed partitions give privacy on demand. They fix to the partition head or the ceiling; measure the partition width and the drop to 10mm above the floor. Tell us if the door is in the partition so the curtain stacks away from it.
Dividing curtains: track and drop
A dividing curtain splits an open-plan floor, a training room or a breakout area. It hangs from a ceiling-fixed track across the full opening; measure the track length wall to wall (or the length of the run you want to close) and the drop from the underside of the ceiling to 10mm above the floor, at three points along the run. Tell us the track type and we make the glider allowance.
Dividing curtains: stack, draw and faces
Decide where the curtain parks when open: to one side (single draw) or both (pair). Allow about 20% of the track length as stack space and make sure it clears doors, columns and desks. If the track returns to a wall or turns a corner, give us the projection or the runs and angles. Dividers are seen from both sides, so tell us if both faces must match; we make them double-faced or lined to suit, and add a weighted hem so they hang straight in a draughty floor.
For acoustic separation choose a heavy lined cloth; the measurements do not change.
Dimout for screens
Meeting rooms with screens want dimout with returns and an overlap. Give us the track projection and specify the overlap arm.
The schedule we need
One line per window, all figures in millimetres. Send it as a spreadsheet, a PDF or a photo of a marked-up plan.
- Room / window reference
- Room number and window position, e.g. 204 W1. Sewn into the curtain label.
- Fixing
- Track or pole; new or existing; overlap arm; returns and projection.
- Width and drop
- Track width; drop from track to finish point (smallest of three).
- Finish point
- A floor, B sill or C below sill / above radiator.
- Heading, lining and fabric
- As specified, with the fabric band and colourway.
- Glazing
- Module widths, mullion positions, transom height, ceiling height.
- Fixing detail
- Ceiling grid, plate above ceiling, transom or mullion bracket.
- Use
- Window, partition or dividing curtain; single draw or pair; stack side.
- Floor
- Floor-by-floor phasing and access hours for installation.
Rather we measured?
For larger projects we can measure on site. Site surveys carry a fee that depends on the location, the number of windows and the stage of the build; we confirm it before anything is booked. Site surveys and installation.
Frequently asked questions
Can you fix to a suspended ceiling?
Not to the tiles. Tracks fix to the grid or to a fixing plate above it, which the fit-out contractor normally installs on our drawing. We confirm the fixing detail on the survey.
Wide-width or seamed?
Drops over 2.8m on standard-width fabric need seams; wide-width (railroaded) fabrics run the width horizontally and avoid them. Tell us the drop and we recommend; the wide-width collection lists suitable cloths.
What standard applies?
BS 5867-2 Type B for offices and commercial buildings. Every fabric in the office collection is inherently FR; the certificate comes with the order for the O&M manual.
Send the elevations
Glazing elevations with module sizes are usually enough for a first quote; we confirm fixings on survey. For larger projects we can measure on site. Site surveys carry a fee that depends on the location, the number of windows and the stage of the build; we confirm it before anything is booked.