Bottom Rail (Hembar)

The bottom rail — sometimes called the hembar — is the weighted bar at the base of a shade or blind. Its job is to keep the covering hanging straight and taut; on a roller shade a light or crooked hembar shows as a fabric that curls or tracks off to one side. Bottom rails come exposed (a visible aluminum bar) or wrapped in the shade fabric for a cleaner line, and hold-down brackets clip to them on doors. It’s a small spec that affects how a finished shade looks and behaves, and a wrapped hembar is one of the quiet tells of a more polished product.