What is curtain gather?

Sep 5, 2024

Hand checking the colour and texture of curtain

Curtain gather, or ‘fullness’ describes the amount of fabric there is in your curtains. Clearly, the curtain fabric must be wider than the pole or track in order to give the fabric a pleated look. A curtain with more gather, or fullness, will have more material and look more luxurious.

 

How much gather does a curtain need?

There are some standard calculations relating to gather, but generally it depends on the heading type.

 

Gather for pencil pleat curtains

Pencil pleat curtains on a track

The gather for pencil pleat curtains is roughly twice the width

For pencil pleat curtains, we usually recommend about twice the width of the track. This gives ample yet neat pleats and is relatively cost-effective. Some companies may reduce this to 1.5x the width. This reduces the amount of material used, but can make a tighter window dressing. 

 

Gather for eyelet curtains

Eyelet curtains

The gather for eyelet curtains is usually less than double the width

Eyelet curtains are more minimalist than pencil pleat curtains, and as a result, have less gather. The elegant wave of the fabric is achieved by having an even number of eyelets, so the fullness calculation must take this into account. We usually work to 1.75x the width for eyelet curtains.

 

Gather for pinch pleat curtains

pinch pleat heading on a curtain rail

Pinch pleat headed curtains use around 2.3x the width

The pinch pleat heading type is a tailored style that includes triple pinch, twin pinch and the goblet pleat. This sophisticated and elegant look is achieved by using around 2.3x the width for the gather, depending on which pinch is used.

 

Of course, there may be some situations where the amount of gather is adjusted from these standard calculations. Usually this would be about adding more fullness for a more luxurious look, or to manage the amount of ‘stack’ – the curtains when fully pulled.

If you are comparing quotes for curtains from different companies, it’s worth checking how much gather they have included in their calculations. Some companies will use less gather to reduce material costs, but this can make the window dressing look a little frugal.

At Bridge, we have over 25 years of experience in contract curtains. We know how to manage gather in a budget-conscious way, while also ensuring a complete, plentiful look for each curtain and heading type.

If you’re looking for advice on your contract curtains, get in touch with the team at Bridge – we are always happy to help.

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