Blackout Curtain Fabric

Blackout curtain fabric in 3-pass acrylic-foam coated 290 gsm cloth on a woven polyester ground, under 0.5% light transmission by spectrophotometer at 550 nm, quality-tested — 280 cm wide so a standard drop railroads from a single width without a horizontal seam. Our blackout curtain fabric is sold by the meter with a two-meter minimum.

Dimout vs 2-pass vs 3-pass blackout curtain fabric

If you are making curtains, the fabric decision is the whole job and the terminology is deliberately unhelpful. Three things get sold as blackout material and only one of them actually blacks out: dimout, which is a single-pass coating that dulls light without stopping it; 2-pass, white foam on white with no black layer; and 3-pass, which has a black core between two white layers and is the only one that stops light properly.

We stock only 3-pass blackout curtain fabric

This is 3-pass. 290 gsm, acrylic foam coated on a woven polyester ground, measuring under 0.5% light transmission by spectrophotometer at 550 nm. We do not stock dimout or 2-pass, because if you are going to the trouble of making curtains it is a false economy to make them from cloth that does not do the job.

280 cm wide — the specification that saves work

It is 280 cm wide, which is the specification that saves you the most work. At that width you cut across the roll — railroading — so a standard 84, 96 or 108 in. drop comes out of a single width with no horizontal seam anywhere in the finished curtain. A 140 cm cloth would need joining, and a seam across a blackout panel is a line of light.

Sold by the meter with a two-meter minimum

Sold by the meter, minimum two meters, cut in one continuous piece. Order the finished drop plus 30 cm for a 3 in. double hem and a header allowance, and multiply your track width by 2 to 2.5 for fullness.

Two sewing notes for blackout curtain fabric

Two practical notes for sewing it. Use a size 90 universal needle and a slightly longer stitch than usual — a fine needle perforates the coating and leaves pinholes that show as points of light. And press from the face only, on a low iron with no steam; a hot iron on the coated side melts the foam and it does not recover.

Colors, quality-tested, free swatches

In Alabaster, Bone, Fog Grey, Sable, Ink, Clay, Sage and Indigo, with the coated back in matching white or grey. Quality-tested. Swatches of all eight are sent free on request, which is worth doing before you cut ten meters of anything.

Blackout curtain fabric buying guide

How to care for finished blackout curtain fabric

• Machine wash cold on gentle
• Hang to dry — NEVER tumble (heat cracks the coating)
• Iron from face only, low, no steam
• Skip fabric softener — degrades the coating

Frequently asked questions

What is 3-pass blackout curtain fabric?

Acrylic foam coated in three passes: white face, black core, white or grey back. The black middle pass is what stops light — 2-pass omits it and doesn’t actually blackout.

Why 280 cm wide blackout curtain fabric?

Railroading — cut across the roll so a full-length curtain comes out of one width with no horizontal seam. A seam on a blackout panel is a line of light.

What needle for sewing blackout curtain fabric?

Size 90 universal, slightly longer stitch. Fine needles perforate the coating into pinholes.

How much blackout curtain fabric do I need?

Track width × 2 to 2.5 for fullness. Add 30 cm to the drop for hem and header.

Complete the project

Consider our custom blackout curtains if you’d rather we made them, or pair with sheer curtain fabric for the inner layer.