How to Measure for Bay Window Curtain Poles

Measuring bay windows for curtain poles can seem daunting at first, but don’t worry! We've put together a 'how to measure for bay windows' guide that shows you how quick and simple it really is to measure your bay window for curtain poles. Just follow the 5 steps below.

Why do I need to measure my bay window for curtain poles?

Good question! Before we go into how to measure your bay window for curtain poles, let's look at why they need measuring in the first place. Everyone’s bay window is different when it comes to the widths and angles of the individual windows. So, it would be very difficult for us to have an exact bay window curtain pole for every possibility. What we have done to try and overcome this, is provide varying lengths of poles within the kits so that you can cut them down to your exact size when fitting.

You need to ensure that the bay window kit you choose has enough pole to cover your windows. Don’t worry if it doesn’t, just contact us and we can usually swap some poles around to ensure that there is enough for your windows.

Is it difficult to measure my bay window?

Measuring bay windows can seem daunting at first, but don’t worry! It’s very simple once you know how, just follow the 5 simple steps below and you'll be done in about 15 minutes.

What you’ll need:

  • A tape measure – metal ones are best
  • A pencil and paper
  • Small step ladders or footstool

Tips:

  • Measure in centimeters as all the lengths on our website are in cm.
  • Get a 2nd pair of hands! Getting help when measuring your bay, especially larger ones, will make the task easier and more accurate.
  • Always measure at the location when the poles will be fitted i.e. above the window.
  • Don’t assume your bay is symmetrical, it may not be!
  • Add an additional 15cm or more to the first and last sides of the bay, to allow the poles to pass onto the wall past the window.

Step 1 - How many sides does your bay window have?
This is generally 3 or 5, but may also be 2 or 7.

Image of deciding how many sides your bay window has

Step 2 - Measure the distance between the top of the window and the ceiling.
This will determine whether there is enough space to attach the brackets to the wall or whether they will need to be fixed to the ceiling. A minimum of 10cm is required to fix the bracket to the wall. If there isn’t that much space, you may want to consider ceiling fix brackets so that your poles can be attached to the ceiling instead.

Image of measuring the distance between the top of the window and the ceiling

Step 3 - Measure the first side of your bay
Measure the width of the first side of your bay, where the pole is to be fitted, up to where it meets at the angle of the next section of the bay. Allow for an additional 15cm along this side so that the pole can pass past the window along the wall and your curtains can be pulled past the window when opened. Write down the measurement.

Image of measuring the first side of your bay

Step 4 - Measure the width of the next section of the bay
Measure the width of the next section of the bay and write down the measurement. Continue around the bay until all sides are measured. Remember to add 15cm to the length of the last side of the bay.

Image of measuring the width of the next section of the bay

Step 5 - Total up the lengths of each windown in your bay
Add these up to give the total length of your bay window and your complete window measurement.

Image of total lengths of bay window

You can now start shopping from our great selection of bay window curtain poles.

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