Why are blinds so expensive?
Updated
A made to measure roller blind is made for one window, to the size on the order. Its price comes from the fabric, the tube chosen for its width, the brackets and the bar along the bottom, the chain with its child safety lock or a motor, and the retailer's measure and fitting. A motor adds to the price of each blind. Ask your retailer to quote chain and motor side by side.
Blind is a wide word for a window covering that raises, lowers or turns, such as roller, Roman, Venetian and vertical blinds. Speedy Blinds makes roller blinds, so this page is about them. A made to measure roller blind is made to the size on the order, for one window, so it is not cut to size at home.
What goes into the price
- The fabric. Most of a roller blind is its fabric, and a bigger blind uses more of it. Fabrics are made differently: a blockout fabric has a coating or layers that stop light, and a sunscreen fabric is a woven mesh.
- The tube. The fabric winds onto a tube chosen by the width of the blind and by chain or motor. A wider blind goes on a bigger tube, and a motorised blind starts on a bigger tube than a chain blind.
- The brackets and the bottom bar. The tube sits in a bracket at each end, and a bar runs along the bottom edge of the fabric.
- The chain and its safety lock. Every Speedy Blinds chain blind comes with a child safety lock, the device that holds the chain, for the fitter to install to Australia's mandatory safety standard for corded window coverings.
- Or a motor. A motor sits inside the tube and runs from a remote, a wall control or, on some systems, an app.
- The making. Each blind is made to the size on its order, for one window.
Why a motorised blind costs more
A motor adds to the price of each blind. A battery motor needs no wiring, but it needs recharging from time to time. A wired motor has nothing to recharge, but the cabling has to be planned, usually during a build or renovation, and mains wiring is a job for a licensed electrician. A motorised blind also has to be set up, so it stops in the right place.
A motor earns its keep on high, wide or many windows, and where a chain is a worry. On a small window you can reach, a chain does the job, and it needs no power.
The measure and the fitting
Your retailer measures the window, quotes, orders and fits the blind. Roller blinds are not balanced at the factory. When a blind is fitted, the brackets are levelled and the blind is balanced, so the tube sits square and the fabric runs straight. A quote that includes the measure and the fitting covers that work too.
How to see what each choice adds
Ask your retailer to quote chain and motor side by side, and two or three fabrics, so you can see what each choice adds. On a very wide window, ask whether two narrower blinds side by side would suit it better than one wide one.
Speedy Blinds makes roller blinds for retailers. Your retailer can measure, quote and order.
Other ways people ask this
How much do roller blinds cost?
It depends on the size of the blind, the fabric and whether it has a chain or a motor. Your retailer measures your window and quotes it.
Why are custom blinds so expensive?
Each blind is made to the size on its order, for one window, with its tube chosen for its width and a chain or a motor to work it.
Why do motorised blinds cost more?
A motor adds to the price of each blind. A wired motor also needs its cabling planned, and mains wiring is a job for a licensed electrician.
How much do blinds cost?
It depends on the type of blind, its size, the fabric and how it is worked. Speedy Blinds makes roller blinds, and your retailer can quote your windows.
This answer is general information. For your own windows, your retailer's advice and your order with them come first.