The Per-Window Price League Table (2026): What Blinds Really Cost at 35x48 and 72x48

The most useful question you can ask about a custom blind — what does it cost per window? — is the one seller sites work hardest to dodge. Headline prices advertise the smallest possible size in the cheapest possible fabric, so a "from $6" mini blind and a "from $135" motorized shade tell you almost nothing about what your window will cost. This league table fixes that by quoting every product at two real benchmark sizes: a standard 35×48 window and a wide 72×48. All figures are representative and quoted at analysis in August 2026; your exact price still depends on fabric and options, but these are the honest neighborhoods.

The league table at 35×48 (a standard window)

Representative, quoted at analysis August 2026.

The league table at 72×48 (a wide window)

Widen the window and the number climbs — usually by roughly 1.7 to 2 times, not linearly, because fabric, hardware, and shipping all scale:

Representative, quoted at analysis August 2026.

What moves the number within a row

Every range above is wide for a reason. Four things push a window from the bottom of its band to the top:

• Size. The clearest driver — the 72×48 table is the same products, just wider.
• Fabric. A blackout or designer weave costs more than the base fabric; a specialty roman lining can add a lot.
• Options. Cordless (now standard on most), top-down/bottom-up, cassettes, and side channels each add.
• Motorization. The single biggest upgrade — a motor and battery add roughly $80–$150 over a manual version of the same shade.

The motorized rows, anchored to real prices

Motorized shades are where teaser pricing does the most damage, so it helps to anchor the band to published, motor-included "from" prices rather than a vague estimate.

Graywind motorized zebra starts at $135.99 for the entry configuration with the motor already included — which is why the motorized-zebra row opens lower than you might expect. You can check your window's price at the Graywind motorized zebra listing; it offers battery, solar, or hardwired power and a 5-year warranty, with voice control through an add-on hub. The full audit is in the Graywind review.

SmartWings motorized roller shades start at $159.99 for the vinyl fabric with the motor pre-installed; woven and blackout fabrics run higher (its blackout linen is listed around $179.99). Price your size at the SmartWings motorized roller listing, and read the spec-by-spec in the SmartWings review. The two go head-to-head in SmartWings vs Graywind.

These published "from" prices are why the motorized bands in the tables above start where they do — a real motorized shade does not have to mean a four-figure window. As custom products, both are generally non-returnable, so confirm the remake policy before ordering.

A worked quote, start to finish

Say you want a room-darkening cellular for a 35×48 bedroom window. The product page shows a base price, then adds for your choices: the room-darkening fabric over the light-filtering base, the lift system, and shipping. A representative build lands in the $130-$180 range for that window — inside the premium-cellular band above — before the sitewide promo is applied. Widen the same shade to 72×48 and the base and fabric both scale, pushing it toward $300-$450. Neither figure is the headline "from" price, and that is the point: configure your real size and fabric to see where you actually land.

What the price does not include

The per-window bands cover the shade itself. Three costs sit outside them: shipping (custom orders are boxed and shipped with care, and it is rarely free on large orders), sales tax, and installation if you hire it out rather than doing it yourself. Factor all three into a whole-house total, and remember that add-ons like blackout liners, cassettes, and motorization move a window up its band rather than adding a flat fee.

How to use this table

The league table is a sanity check, not a quote. Use it three ways:

1. Price your real size, not the headline. Configure your actual window on the seller's site and see where it lands in the band. If a "sale" price sits at the high end of the range, the discount is doing less than the banner implies.
2. Compare like for like. A cellular is not overpriced against a mini blind; they are different products doing different jobs. Compare within a row, across sellers.
3. Feed your whole-house math. Multiply the right row by your window count to build a real total — the method is in whole-house blinds budget math.

The caveat that applies to every row

Every price here is for a custom, made-to-size product that is generally not returnable — the number only holds if the shade fits. Before you buy at any point in these bands, order fabric samples (the free-sample strategy explains why), measure carefully, and confirm the seller's remake policy, since coverage for a measuring mistake ranges from a free remake to a paid add-on to nothing at all. A price league tells you what a window should cost; measuring right is what keeps you from paying it twice. Measure twice, order once.