A buyer sends a size list. The factory makes it. Six weeks later the shades arrive and half of them do not fit. Nobody made a bad product. They just measured two different things.
That is the single most expensive failure in this category, and it happens because woven shades are one of the few products in our range where the customer measures rather than chooses. A basket has one size. A shade has as many sizes as the buyer has windows. If the measuring convention is not agreed before production, you are not buying blinds — you are buying an argument.
This guide covers the five decisions that decide whether a custom shade order lands clean: the mount type, the width, the drop, the opacity and the lift system. Then it explains why those choices move the price in ways that surprise people.
Start with the mount, not the size
Every measurement you take after this point depends on one answer: does the shade sit inside the window recess, or over the wall around it? Get this wrong and every number behind it is wrong.
Inside mount (recess mount)
The shade fits within the window opening, between the two side reveals. It gives a clean, built-in look and leaves the trim visible. It is the default for new builds and for any project where the window frame itself is a design feature.
The catch is that the recess is never perfectly square. Plaster bows, tile adds thickness, and older openings can vary by more than a centimetre from top to bottom. Measure width at three points — top, middle, bottom — and use the narrowest reading. Measure the drop on the left, centre and right, and use the longest. Those two habits alone eliminate most fit complaints.
Depth matters too. An inside mount needs enough recess depth to hold the headrail. Shallow reveals are the most common reason an inside mount gets rejected at survey stage, and the fix is usually to move the whole order to outside mount rather than try to make a shallow bracket work.
Outside mount
The shade covers the opening and overlaps onto the wall or trim on all sides. It is the safer option for older buildings, for windows with uneven reveals, and for anyone who wants to hide an ugly frame.
Outside mount is also the better choice when light blocking is the point. An inside mount always leaves a light gap of a few millimetres at each edge, because the shade has to clear the reveal to operate. If a customer is buying a shade to darken a bedroom, that halo of light around the edge will be the first thing they notice.
The trade-off is aesthetic. The shade reads as an object on the wall rather than part of the window, and on a bank of narrow windows it can look heavy.
The comparison that ends the argument
| Decision point | Inside mount | Outside mount |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Built-in, trim visible | Shade reads as a feature |
| Measuring basis | Exact recess, narrowest width | Opening plus overlap |
| Tolerance for out-of-square | Poor — reveals are rarely true | Forgiving |
| Edge light gap | A few millimetres each side | Minimal if overlapped well |
| Recess depth needed | Enough for the headrail | None |
| Best for | New build, clean reveals | Older stock, darkening, uneven openings |
Notice that the two columns differ by what you measure, not by how carefully you measure. A buyer who sends “1200 mm” without saying which column it belongs to has not given you a specification. Ask before you quote.
Width: the splicing question nobody raises early enough
Natural materials come in limited lengths. A reed or bamboo slat does not grow to three metres, and a handwoven panel has a practical loom width. Above that width, the shade has to be built from more than one piece.
This is not a defect. It is how the product works. But it has visual consequences that buyers need to agree to in writing.
A spliced woven shade shows a seam. On a tightly plaited reed panel, the seam can be nearly invisible if the pattern is aligned across it — and alignment costs labour, because the weaver has to match the repeat rather than simply butting two panels together. On an open weave or a random weave, seams are much harder to disguise, because there is no repeat to line up.
The honest recommendation: for widths above roughly 150 cm, plan for a seam and decide where it sits. Centre seams look deliberate. Off-centre seams look like a mistake. If a project genuinely cannot accept a visible join, the answer is usually to split one wide window into two narrower shades on a shared headrail — which costs more in hardware but reads as a design decision rather than a compromise.
There is a second width issue that catches people out: the difference between the fabric width and the finished width. On a roller shade, the fabric is cut narrower than the hardware so the tube and brackets are not exposed. If a buyer specifies “fabric 1200 mm” and expects a 1200 mm covered span, they will be short by the width of the mechanism. Specify the finished size and let the factory derive the cut.
Drop, and the stacking problem
Drop is the measurement most buyers get right and most end-users complain about. The reason is stacking height.
When a woven shade is raised, the fabric does not disappear — it gathers at the top. A reed panel of any real length stacks into a bundle that can sit 15 to 25 cm deep depending on the material thickness and the weave. That bundle permanently covers the top of the window.
In a room with a low headroom or a window with an attractive arch, a customer will raise the shade, see a third of the glass blocked, and ask for a refund — even though the shade was made exactly to the size they gave.
Two fixes. Either specify the drop to the sill and accept the stack, or specify a shorter drop and accept a gap at the bottom. There is no third option, and pretending otherwise is how disputes start. We tell buyers which one suits the room rather than waiting to be asked.
Opacity: “light filtering” means four different things
Every supplier describes woven shades as light filtering. The phrase covers a very wide range, and it is the specification most likely to disappoint on delivery.
Opacity in a woven shade is a function of two things: how tight the weave is, and whether a liner is added. Tightly plaited reed with no liner still passes a surprising amount of light, because the gaps between strands are the point of the product. A loose open weave passes more. A liner changes the category entirely.
| Level | What you see | Typical construction | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheer | Silhouettes clearly visible, strong glow | Open weave, no liner | Living rooms, layered under curtains |
| Light filtering | Light yes, shapes no | Tight plait, no liner | Kitchens, home offices, most residential |
| Room dimming | Darkened, faint outline at edges | Tight weave plus liner | Bedrooms, media rooms |
| Blackout | No light through the fabric | Opaque liner, outside mount | Nurseries, shift workers, hospitality |
Two warnings. First, a liner changes the look from the street: the back of the shade becomes a flat surface instead of a textured one, and on a ground-floor window that is what most people actually see. Second, blackout only works on outside mount. Put a blackout liner on an inside mount and you will still get a bright line around every edge.
For wholesale orders, we recommend stocking one openness level per market rather than trying to cover all four. Most volume sits in light filtering with a liner option as an upsell.
Lift systems: the hardware decides the price band
The woven panel gets photographed. The lift system gets complained about. It is also the single largest hardware cost in the product, so it deserves a decision rather than a default.
Corded pull. The traditional cord and cleat. Cheapest, most reliable, and increasingly restricted in some markets because of child-safety rules on free-hanging cords. Check your destination regulations before you specify it for a retail programme.
Cordless. A spring-loaded or tensioned mechanism that you lift by hand. No dangling cord, so it clears child-safety rules in most markets, and the look is cleaner. It costs more and it wears out faster on very large or heavy shades, where the spring has to work harder every cycle.
Continuous loop. A beaded chain in a fixed loop, usually with a tension device anchored to the frame. This is the right answer for wide or heavy panels and for anything in a commercial setting where the shade gets cycled many times a day. It is the most expensive of the three and the most durable.
Roller versus roman fold. A roller shade winds onto a tube; the fabric has to be flexible enough to curl, which limits how stiff and textured it can be. A roman shade folds into pleats; it handles thicker woven material and reads as softer and more decorative, but the fold spacing has to be designed into the drop, and it stacks deeper.
If you are building a wholesale range, pick one mechanism per price tier and standardise. Mixing mechanisms across a range means more spare parts, more installer training and more warranty exposure for no visible benefit.
Why custom sizing changes the way a quote works
Buyers used to buying baskets are often surprised by how shade pricing behaves. Three mechanics explain almost all of it.
Material yield. Woven panel material comes in working widths, and custom sizes cut from it leave offcuts. A size list that clusters around one or two widths yields well. A list of forty unrelated widths can waste a fifth of the material. This is not a markup — it is arithmetic, and it is why two orders with the same total square metreage can quote differently.
Setup per unique size. Every distinct size is a distinct setup: cut, edge finish, headrail, and often a distinct packing carton. Fifty shades in five sizes are cheaper per piece than fifty shades in fifty sizes, even though the material is identical. Consolidating sizes is the fastest way to move a quote down without touching quality.
Hardware follows width, not area. A headrail is priced by length, and the mechanism is priced by the load it has to carry. Two narrow shades cost more in hardware than one wide one covering the same span. If a project is budget-driven rather than design-driven, this is usually the first place to find savings.
Our minimum order is 50 pieces per design, which applies to custom sizes as well as stock designs. Samples take one week. Production runs 30 to 45 days. We have run handwoven home decor from our own 4,000 m² facility since 2014, and the shades we make use the same reed, bamboo, willow, seagrass and rush fibres as the rest of the range — the panel construction is different, the material discipline is not.
A specification sheet that prevents disputes
Almost every sizing argument we have ever seen could have been avoided with six fields. Put these on your purchase order and the conversation stays technical instead of emotional.
1. Mount type. Inside or outside. One word, and nothing else is valid until it is written down.
2. Finished size. Width times drop, in millimetres, stated as the finished covered dimension — not the fabric cut size.
3. Measurement basis. For inside mount, the narrowest width and longest drop of the recess. For outside mount, the opening size plus the overlap you want on each side.
4. Opacity. Name the level, and say whether a liner is included. “Light filtering” on its own is not a specification.
5. Lift system. Corded, cordless or continuous loop, plus roller or roman fold.
6. Quantity by size. The consolidated list, not a room-by-room schedule. This is the field that moves your unit price.
Send that and the quote comes back accurate the first time. Send a spreadsheet with a column labelled “size” and you will spend two weeks on email instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for custom woven wood blinds?
50 pieces per design. Custom sizing does not raise the minimum, but a large number of unique sizes within one order does affect unit cost, because each size carries its own setup and material yield.
Should I order inside mount or outside mount?
Inside mount for new buildings with true, square reveals and enough recess depth for the headrail. Outside mount for older stock, uneven openings, shallow reveals, or anywhere the shade has to block light at the edges. When in doubt, outside mount is the safer specification.
Can you make a single shade wider than 150 cm?
Yes, and it will usually have a seam. Natural reed and bamboo do not come in unlimited lengths, and woven panels have a practical working width. We align the pattern across the seam where the weave allows it. If a seamless look is essential, splitting the span into two shades on one headrail is usually the better result.
How much light does a woven shade actually block?
It depends on the weave and whether a liner is added. An unlined woven panel is light filtering at best — it softens direct sun and removes glare, but it will not darken a room. Add a liner and you move into room dimming. True blackout needs an opaque liner combined with outside mount, because an inside mount leaves a light gap at every edge regardless of the fabric.
What is stacking height and why does it matter?
When the shade is raised, the fabric gathers into a bundle at the top of the window. On a long drop that bundle can cover 15 to 25 cm of glass permanently. Customers notice it on windows with shallow headroom or decorative tops. Plan the drop around it, or accept the gap at the bottom — there is no configuration that avoids both.
Which lift system is best for a wholesale range?
Standardise on one per price tier. Cordless is the safe default for residential retail because it clears child-safety rules in most markets and looks cleaner. Continuous loop is the right choice for wide panels, heavy material or commercial use where the shade cycles many times a day. Corded remains the cheapest but faces growing regulatory restrictions.
How do you handle quality and compliance testing?
We arrange inspection and laboratory testing to whatever standard each buyer requires. Tell us the destination market and the standard your retailer or importer works to, and we will build the testing into the production schedule rather than adding it afterwards. On custom sizes, we recommend confirming this before sampling so the sample is tested to the same specification as the bulk order.
How long does a custom shade order take?
Samples take one week. Production runs 30 to 45 days from confirmed specification. The variable that most often delays an order is not production — it is the size list arriving incomplete, which sends the order back to the buyer before a single panel is cut.
Planning a shade programme? Start with the wall decor and sun shades range, or look at a single reference piece such as our rustic reed roller blind to see how the weave reads in a room. If you are sizing a full project, our wholesale buying guide covers the order process end to end, and the material guide explains how reed, bamboo, willow and seagrass each behave in direct sun. For matching panels in larger formats, see room dividers and screens, and for weave terminology the weave and construction guide sets out the vocabulary we use on spec sheets. Care instructions once the shades are installed are in our cleaning and reshaping guide. Send your size list to our team and we will confirm the mount type and consolidate the sizes before quoting.