Blackout curtain fabrics compared: six options

Choose a blackout fabric by how dark the room has to be and how you will look after it. For full darkness in a bedroom or a home cinema, take a fabric that blocks 100% of the light: Grace Blackout (€32 per metre), Gravity Blackout (€35 per metre) or Heat (€32 per metre), whose thermal coating helps on south-facing windows and in attic rooms. For a child's room we suggest Grace, which is soft and washes at 30 °C. Heritage (€39.50 per metre) looks like linen and blocks 90–95% of the light, for rooms that do not need total darkness. On a tighter budget, Skandy (€28 per metre) blocks about 85%, and blackout lining at €11 per metre is sewn behind curtains you already own to turn them into blackout ones. This guide compares six blackout fabrics from our catalogue, from €32 per metre (Grace, Heat) to €43 per metre (Bukle), by light blocking, care, texture, fullness and the room each suits, and shows what one window costs with making.

What is blackout fabric, and how does it differ from dim-out?

Blackout fabric is dense and blocks all or nearly all of the light: in our catalogue Grace Blackout, Gravity Blackout and Heat block 100%, and Softy Blackout 95–100%. Dim-out only darkens a room: our Massive Dimount blocks about 75–85% of the light, so a soft dusk remains. A sheer fabric lets through 45–90% of the light and is used for decoration or as a second layer. In practice: if you can still read a book with the curtains closed, it is dim-out. If a summer afternoon turns into night, it is true blackout. In between are fabrics that block 85–95%: Heritage and Bukle (90–95%) and Skandy (about 85%).

Six blackout fabrics compared

A note on the figures: the light blocking is as each fabric's catalogue description gives it. How the curtain hangs matters as much, if light is not to leak in at the sides: the track should extend 20–30 cm beyond the window opening on each side.

Which blackout fabric suits which room?

A bedroom for adults

For a bedroom on a busy street we suggest Gravity Blackout (€35 per metre). It blocks 100% of the light and is dense and heavy (over 350 g/m²), so it also damps high-pitched street noise; because of its weight, dry cleaning is recommended. If easy care matters more, choose Grace Blackout (€32 per metre): it also blocks 100% and washes at 30 °C. Heritage (€39.50 per metre) looks like linen and blocks 90–95% of the light, for a rustic-style bedroom that does not need total darkness. For a bedroom facing south or under the roof, Heat (€32 per metre) has a thermal coating.

A child's room

Grace Blackout (€32 per metre) blocks 100% of the light, enough for a daytime nap and for the night. It is soft to the touch and washes at 30 °C, which makes it easy to look after in a child's room. It costs €7.50 per metre less than Heritage, which pays for a sheer layer on a double track. For a child who is afraid of the dark, Massive Dimount (€28.50 per metre) blocks about 75–85% of the light and leaves a soft dusk.

A home cinema

Gravity Blackout (€35 per metre). Two things matter in a home cinema: complete darkness and sound dampening. Gravity blocks 100% of the light, and its weight damps sound. Heritage and Bukle do not suit here: they block 90–95%. For a wide window or a high ceiling, the 335 cm wide Softy Blackout (95–100%) can be made up without joins. To keep light from leaking in at the sides, the track should extend 20–30 cm beyond the window on each side.

Blackout or dim-out: which do you need?

Many people think they need true blackout, but for a living room, a dining room or a room used only at night, dim-out is often enough. The difference is simple. Blackout shuts a room into complete darkness even at midday in summer. Dim-out darkens it to an evening dusk. Being of medium density, dim-out fabric falls more lightly and fluidly than a traditional blackout.

Fabric composition: polyester, linen blends, acrylic

Most blackout fabrics have a polyester base, which resists UV light and does not shrink in the wash. For a linen look there is Heritage, a polyester fabric that imitates linen and does not crease or lose its shape in the wash. Real linen blends look good, but they let more light through, can shrink in the wash and need ironing, so they are more often used for sheer curtains.

How much fullness does a blackout curtain need?

Fullness is how many times wider the fabric is than the track, and it depends on the heading: 1.5× for a flex tape, 2.0× for a wave heading and 2.5× for a pinch pleat. A 3 m track takes 4.5 m of fabric with a flex tape, 6 m with a wave heading and 7.5 m with a pinch pleat, plus about 0.3 m for the hems. What matters most for a blackout curtain is that, closed, it covers the window without gaps: with less fabric than the heading needs, the curtain is pulled taut and its edges draw back from the window. A wave heading (2.0×) suits a ceiling track well; a heavier blackout fabric also hangs well on a flex tape (1.5×).

What blackout curtains cost: a price list

The example below is for a window 2 m wide and 2.6 m high with a wave heading (2.0× fullness): it takes 2 m × 2.0 + 0.3 m for the hems = 4.3 m of fabric. Making lined curtains costs €13 per metre, so 4.3 m × €13 = €55.90. The price covers the fabric and the making; the track, hanging and fitting are priced separately.

Five common mistakes when choosing blackout fabric

1. 1Choosing dim-out and thinking it is blackout. Always ask what percentage of the light a fabric blocks: in our catalogue the blackout fabrics block 95–100%, and dim-out about 75–85%.
2. 2Too little fullness. With less fabric than the heading needs (1.5× the track for a flex tape, 2.0× for a wave heading), a closed curtain is pulled taut and light comes in at the edges.
3. 3Forgetting the sides. The track should extend 20–30 cm beyond the window opening on each side, otherwise the morning sun comes in at the edges. Allow for it as soon as you measure the track.
4. 4Choosing a linen blend for the blackout effect. Linen looks good, but it lets through more light than polyester with a blackout layer. Linen blends belong in the daytime layer; for a linen look there is Heritage (90–95%), or a lining behind a linen fabric.
5. 5Ignoring the weight of the fabric. Heavy blackout fabrics weigh a lot: Gravity Blackout, for example, is over 350 g/m². Light plastic tracks can sag in time, so for heavy blackout choose a metal pole or an aluminium track with brackets no more than 60–80 cm apart.

What we recommend, room by room

The choice usually comes down to what the room is used for, which way the window faces and how you will look after the fabric. For a bedroom on a busy street or a home cinema, Gravity Blackout suits best: it blocks 100% of the light, is heavy and damps sound. For a child's room, Grace Blackout blocks 100%, is soft and washes at 30 °C. For south-facing windows, panoramic glazing and attic rooms, Heat has its thermal coating, and for rooms where acoustics matter, Bukle (dry clean only). For tall, wide windows there is the 335 cm wide Softy Blackout. The final price depends on the number of windows, the fabric and the tracks, so for a room with three or four windows, count fabric, making and tracks together. Electric tracks cost from €170 per metre.

Frequently asked questions

Which blackout fabric is best for a bedroom?

For full darkness and quiet, Gravity Blackout (€35 per metre): it blocks 100% of the light and its weight damps street noise. Easier to look after is Grace Blackout (€32 per metre), also 100%, which washes at 30 °C. Heat (€32 per metre, 100%) suits a south-facing or attic bedroom where thermal insulation matters. Heritage (€39.50 per metre) has a linen look and blocks 90–95% of the light, for a room that does not need total darkness.

Does Heritage block 100% of light?

No. Heritage blocks 90–95% of the light: the lighter colours especially let a little through, so a soft dusk remains. Complete darkness comes with a fabric that blocks 100% (Grace Blackout, Gravity Blackout, Heat), or with a lining sewn behind Heritage.

Blackout or dim-out for a child's room?

For children who still nap in the day, choose true blackout (Grace): a daytime nap needs the room as dark as possible, and Grace blocks 100% of the light. For school-age children who sleep only at night, a fabric that darkens less, such as Skandy (about 85%), is enough. If a child is afraid of complete darkness, the dim-out Massive Dimount (about 75–85%) leaves a soft dusk.

How much do blackout curtains cost for three windows?

Made blackout curtains with a wave heading for three windows 2 m wide and 2.6 m high cost €580.50–722.40: 3 × €193.50 in Grace Blackout or Heat, 3 × €240.80 in Bukle (fabric and making). Tracks, hanging and fitting are priced separately; an aluminium ceiling track costs from €9 per metre. The exact price comes from the price calculator or after measuring (free in Vilnius).

Can blackout fabric be washed?

Not all of them. Grace Blackout and Heritage wash at 30 °C on a gentle cycle, without bleach or softener, and so does Skandy. Heat is cleaned with a damp cloth or dry cleaned, Gravity Blackout is best dry cleaned because of its weight, Softy Blackout is dry cleaned and Bukle is dry clean only. Do not dry washable fabrics in direct sunlight. Between cleans, a vacuum cleaner with a soft nozzle is enough.

What is the difference between Heat and Heritage?

Heritage looks like linen, blocks 90–95% of the light and washes at 30 °C. Heat blocks 100% of the light and has a thermal coating that cuts the heat coming in through the window in summer and helps keep the warmth in the room in winter; clean it with a damp cloth or have it dry cleaned. Heat costs €32 per metre, Heritage €39.50. Choose Heat for south-facing windows, panoramic glazing or an attic room, and Heritage when a natural linen texture matters more than total darkness.

Do blackout curtains need an extra lining?

Most blackout fabrics do not: on their own they block 95–100% of the light. Add a lining (€11 per metre) in two cases. The first is a fabric that blocks less light (Skandy about 85%, Heritage or Bukle 90–95%) when you want total darkness. The second is a decorative linen-blend fabric that you want to darken, with the lining sewn behind the decorative layer. A third use is a cheap renovation: you already have curtains and want to add blackout without buying a new set.

How long does blackout fabric last?

It depends on sun, care and use. Three things shorten the life of any blackout curtain most: strong direct sun (draw the curtains back by day), cleaning too often or the wrong way (follow each fabric's care instructions: some wash at 30 °C, others are dry clean only) and household chemicals (a perfume or deodorant spray too close to the fabric).

Is blackout worth it if the windows have external blinds?

Yes, but instead of blackout you can choose a fabric that darkens less: Skandy (€28 per metre, about 85%) or the dim-out Massive Dimount (€28.50 per metre, about 75–85%). External blinds block most of the light on their own, so the curtains add decoration and sound dampening. Such a fabric is lighter, falls well and still adds a second layer for the night. True blackout is needed only when there are no external blinds or shutters.

Related guides and products