Glossary · 63 terms

Blinds Glossary

The vocabulary that actually changes a buying decision, defined plainly. If a product page or measuring guide uses it, it is explained here.

Cellular Shades

Cellular (Honeycomb) Shade: Pleated fabric that forms insulating air pockets — the efficiency pick.
Single-Cell vs Double-Cell: One row of air pockets vs two — more insulation for a modest step up.
Cell Size: The pleat dimension (3/8", 9/16", 3/4") — scale and insulation, not quality.
Cordless Lift: Raise and lower by hand with no dangling cord — the safer default.
Top-Down / Bottom-Up (TDBU): A shade that lowers from the top or raises from the bottom — light plus privacy.
Continuous Cord Loop: A tensioned chain loop for heavy shades — with a required safety tension device.
R-Value (Insulation): A number for how well a shade resists heat flow — read it in context.

Roller Shade: One flat fabric panel on a tube — simple, shallow, easy to motorize.
Solar Shade: An open-weave screen that cuts glare and UV while keeping the view.
Openness Factor (%): How tight a solar weave is — the one spec that defines the shade.
Roll Direction (Standard vs Reverse): Whether fabric drops off the front or back of the tube — a small, real choice.
Bead-Chain (Clutch) Lift: The pull-chain mechanism on many rollers — cheap, durable, with a safety note.
Light-Filtering Fabric: The middle setting between sheer and blackout — soft light, daytime privacy.
Cassette / Valance: A cover that hides the roller tube — cosmetic, with a light-gap upside.

Zebra / Dual Shade: Two layers of alternating sheer and solid bands — a dial between view and privacy.
Band Alignment: Whether a zebra shade’s two layers stay in register — a real quality tell.
Sheer / Layered Shade: Fabric vanes floating between sheer layers — soft light, gentle privacy.

Roman Shade: Fabric that stacks into soft folds as it lifts — the drapery-like shade.
Flat vs Hobbled Fold: A crisp tailored roman vs soft permanent loops — style, not performance.
Lining (Blackout / Privacy / Interlining): The backing fabric that sets a shade’s light control and body.
Relaxed / Casual Roman: A roman with a gentle smile-curve at the bottom — soft and informal.

Faux-Wood Blind: Composite or PVC slats that shrug off humidity — the value, workhorse blind.
Real-Wood Blind: Genuine timber slats — lighter and warmer, but humidity-shy.
Slat Size: The slat width (2", 2.5") — scale, view, and stack height.
Routeless / Privacy Slats: Slats without lift-cord holes — better closed privacy and light control.
Cloth Tape (Ladder Tape): Decorative fabric tapes that hide the slat holes and dress a wood blind.
Warp Resistance (Humidity): How a blind holds up in steam and sun — the wood-vs-faux deciding factor.

Vertical Blind: Hanging vanes that slide and tilt — the practical wide-window and slider cover.
Panel Track: Wide fabric panels that glide across a track — a modern take on the vertical.
Stackback: How much space a covering occupies when fully open — plan for it.
Vane / Louver: The individual slat of a vertical blind — replaceable, and a spec to check.

Drapery / Curtains: Fabric panels sized by fullness, not window width — softness and warmth.
Fullness Ratio: How much wider than the window the fabric should be — the drapery price lever.
Pleat Style: How the top of a drape is gathered — pinch, goblet, tailored, and more.
Ripplefold: Cordless snap-tape drapery that hangs in even S-waves — clean and modern.
Rod Pocket: A sewn sleeve the rod slides through — casual, inexpensive, less glide.
Grommet Top: Metal-ringed holes that slide on the rod — modern, easy-gliding, casual.
GSM / Fabric Weight: Grams per square meter — a proxy for a drape’s body, opacity, and drape.

Motorized Shade: A shade with a built-in motor run by remote, app, or schedule — cordless by design.
Smart Hub / Bridge: The box that connects motorized shades to your app and voice assistants.
Battery vs Hardwired Motor: How a motorized shade is powered — retrofit-easy vs permanent and maintenance-free.
RF Remote / Radio Control: The no-hub radio remote most motors ship with — reliable and local.
Matter / HomeKit / Alexa Support: Which smart-home ecosystems a shade joins — verify before you buy.

Blackout Fabric: Fabric that passes no light — but the installed shade still leaks at the edges.
Room-Darkening Fabric: Cuts most light but not all — the honest choice when you just want dimmer.
Side Channels / Light Blockers: Tracks along the window edges that seal the light gap a shade leaves.

Inside Mount: The blind sits inside the window frame — clean, built-in, and depth-dependent.
Outside Mount: Mounted on the wall or trim above the opening — forgiving and darker.
Width Deduction: The small amount a factory subtracts from an inside-mount width so it fits.
Mount Depth: How deep the window frame is — it decides what can inside-mount.
Minimum vs Flush Depth: The two depth numbers sellers publish — barely fits vs sits fully recessed.
Light Gap: The daylight leak around an inside-mounted shade — physics, not a defect.
Mounting Bracket: The small hardware that holds the headrail — where most installs succeed or fail.
Hold-Down Brackets: Optional bottom clips that pin a blind against a door or in-swing window.
Extension & Spacer Brackets: Hardware that projects a blind outward to clear an obstruction.
Headrail: The top housing that holds the mechanism — the part that mounts.
Bottom Rail (Hembar): The weighted bar at the base that keeps a shade hanging straight.
Out-of-Square Windows: Openings that aren’t true rectangles — common, and a reason to measure everywhere.
No-Drill / Tension Mount: Damage-free mounting for renters — real, with limits worth knowing.
Factory Tolerance: The small size variance a custom blind can legitimately arrive at.
Cordless Safety (CPSC): Why cordless is the default: a factual child-safety standard, not fear-marketing.

Price per Window: The only honest way to compare custom-blind costs — at a stated benchmark size.
Remake Policy / Fit Guarantee: What a seller does when a custom blind doesn’t fit — read it before you buy.