Curtain Length Chart: Inches to Centimetres, 12 Lengths

How long should curtains be?

Curtain length is measured in inches in the US and in centimetres everywhere else — 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly. Curtains are sold in standard lengths: 63, 84, 95, 108 and 120 inches are the common retail lengths, with 36 and 45 inches for café curtains and 144 inches for extra-long puddles. The hang styles, by length: café / tier curtains 36–45 inches cover just the lower half of a window; sill length 54–63 inches ends at the windowsill; apron length 63–72 inches ends just below the sill; floor length 84–96 inches for standard windows and 95–108 inches for tall windows just brushes the floor; puddle length 108–120 inches pools on the floor; extra-long puddle 120–144 inches is for very tall windows and dramatic drapes.

Two things about the model are worth stating plainly. First, the length in centimetres is the length in inches times 2.54 — 84 × 2.54 = 213.36 cm. Second, the matching styles are every hang style whose length range contains your length — at 84 inches that is one style: floor length, standard windows; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The curtain length chart

Four lengths appear more than once in the chart — 63 inches is shared by sill length and apron length, 95 and 96 inches are shared by floor length, standard windows and floor length, tall windows, 108 inches is shared by floor length, tall windows and puddle length, and 120 inches is shared by puddle length and extra-long puddle. The shortest standard length is the 36-inch café / tier at 91.44 cm, and the longest is the 144-inch extra-long puddle at 365.76 cm.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 84-inch length.

Line 1 — the length in centimetres. The length in centimetres is 84 × 2.54 = 213.36 cm.

Line 2 — the matching styles. The hang styles whose length range contains 84 inches are floor length, standard windows — one style.

Line 3 — the switch from floor length to extra-long puddle. Switching from an 84-inch floor-length curtain to a 144-inch extra-long puddle adds 60 inches — 152.40 cm.

Line 4 — the check. 84 × 2.54 = 213.36 cm, the length; and 144 − 84 = 60 inches, the extra length.

Every branch, checked

Length 63 in: Length 63 in; 160.02 cm; matching styles: sill length, apron length — At 63 inches the length is 160.02 cm and matches sill length and apron length.

Length 45 in: Length 45 in; 114.30 cm; matching styles: café / tier — At 45 inches the length is 114.30 cm and matches café / tier only.

Length 95 in: Length 95 in; 241.30 cm; matching styles: floor length, standard windows, floor length, tall windows — At 95 inches the length is 241.30 cm and matches floor length, standard windows and floor length, tall windows.

Length 108 in: Length 108 in; 274.32 cm; matching styles: floor length, tall windows, puddle length — At 108 inches the length is 274.32 cm and matches floor length, tall windows and puddle length.

Length 120 in: Length 120 in; 304.80 cm; matching styles: puddle length, extra-long puddle — At 120 inches the length is 304.80 cm and matches puddle length and extra-long puddle.

Length 144 in: Length 144 in; 365.76 cm; matching styles: extra-long puddle — At 144 inches the length is 365.76 cm and matches extra-long puddle only.

Length 36 in: Length 36 in; 91.44 cm; matching styles: café / tier — At 36 inches the length is 91.44 cm and matches café / tier only.

The reverses, worked backwards

Smallest length (to the hundredth) for the centimetre figure to reach 210.00 cm: At the displayed 82.68 in the figures are Length 82.68 in; 210.01 cm (unrounded 210.0072 cm); matching styles: no matching style. At the displayed 82.68 in the length is 210.01 cm. At 82.67 in the figure is 209.98 cm — below 210.00 cm — so 82.68 in is the smallest length (to the hundredth) for the centimetre figure to reach 210.00 cm.

Largest length (to the hundredth) for the centimetre figure to STAY at or below 250.00 cm: At the displayed 98.42 in the figures are Length 98.42 in; 249.99 cm (unrounded 249.9868 cm); matching styles: floor length, tall windows. At the displayed 98.42 in the length is 249.99 cm. At 98.43 in the figure is 250.01 cm — above 250.00 cm — so 98.42 in is the largest length (to the hundredth) for the centimetre figure to stay at or below 250.00 cm.

Smallest length (to the hundredth) for the centimetre figure to reach 305.00 cm: At the displayed 120.08 in the figures are Length 120.08 in; 305.00 cm (unrounded 305.0032 cm); matching styles: extra-long puddle. At the displayed 120.08 in the length is 305.00 cm (unrounded 305.0032 cm). At 120.07 in the figure is 304.98 cm — below 305.00 cm — so 120.08 in is the smallest length (to the hundredth) for the centimetre figure to reach 305.00 cm.

Smallest length (to the hundredth) to match floor length, tall windows: At the displayed 95.00 in the figures are Length 95 in; 241.30 cm; matching styles: floor length, standard windows, floor length, tall windows. At the displayed 95.00 in the length is 241.30 cm and it matches floor length, tall windows. At 94.99 in the figure is 241.27 cm and it does not match floor length, tall windows — it still matches floor length, standard windows — so 95.00 in is the smallest length (to the hundredth) to match floor length, tall windows.

Largest length (to the hundredth) to still match apron length: At the displayed 72.00 in the figures are Length 72 in; 182.88 cm; matching styles: apron length. At the displayed 72.00 in the length is 182.88 cm and it matches apron length. At 72.01 in the figure is 182.91 cm and it no longer matches apron length — it matches nothing — so 72.00 in is the largest length (to the hundredth) to still match apron length.

Smallest length (to the hundredth) to match puddle length: At the displayed 108.00 in the figures are Length 108 in; 274.32 cm; matching styles: floor length, tall windows, puddle length. At the displayed 108.00 in the length is 274.32 cm and it matches puddle length. At 107.99 in the figure is 274.29 cm and it does not match puddle length — it still matches floor length, tall windows — so 108.00 in is the smallest length (to the hundredth) to match puddle length.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are an 84-inch length — Length 84 in; 213.36 cm; matching styles: floor length, standard windows. With Length 63 in, Length 63 in; 160.02 cm; matching styles: sill length, apron length. With Length 45 in, Length 45 in; 114.30 cm; matching styles: café / tier. With Length 95 in, Length 95 in; 241.30 cm; matching styles: floor length, standard windows, floor length, tall windows. With Length 108 in, Length 108 in; 274.32 cm; matching styles: floor length, tall windows, puddle length. With Length 120 in, Length 120 in; 304.80 cm; matching styles: puddle length, extra-long puddle. With Length 144 in, Length 144 in; 365.76 cm; matching styles: extra-long puddle. With Length 36 in, Length 36 in; 91.44 cm; matching styles: café / tier. With Length 0 in, Length 0 in; 0.00 cm; matching styles: no matching style. With Length −5 in (floored to 0), Length 0 in; 0.00 cm; matching styles: no matching style. With Length 78.74 in, Length 78.74 in; 200.00 cm (unrounded 199.9996 cm); matching styles: no matching style. With Length 118.11 in, Length 118.11 in; 300.00 cm (unrounded 299.9994 cm); matching styles: puddle length. With Length 144 in, Length 144 in; 365.76 cm; matching styles: extra-long puddle. With Length 47.24 in, Length 47.24 in; 119.99 cm (unrounded 119.9896 cm); matching styles: no matching style. With Centimetre bars, 63 in = 160.02 cm; 84 in = 213.36 cm; 120 in = 304.80 cm.

A note on the rounding: at 78.74 inches the unrounded centimetre figure is 199.9996 cm, which rounds half-up to 200.00 cm; at 118.11 inches the unrounded centimetre figure is 299.9994 cm, which rounds to 300.00 cm; at 47.24 inches the unrounded centimetre figure is 119.9896 cm, which rounds to 119.99 cm. The page prints the unrounded values so the rounding does not mislead you. A negative length input is floored at 0 — it shows 0.00 cm and no matching style, never a negative number.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner buying standard floor-length curtains: they learn an 84-inch curtain is 213.36 cm and matches floor length, standard windows — and they check the 95.00 in reverse to see the smallest length that matches floor length, tall windows.
• The homeowner dressing a tall window: they learn a 120-inch curtain is 304.80 cm and matches puddle length and extra-long puddle — and they check the 108.00 in reverse to see the smallest length that matches puddle length.
• The homeowner with a 63-inch window: they learn it is 160.02 cm and matches sill length and apron length — and they check the 72.00 in reverse to see the largest length that still matches apron length.
• The homeowner with a 47.24-inch measurement: they learn it is 119.99 cm — the unrounded figure is 119.9896 cm — and it matches nothing, so they check the 82.68 in reverse to see the smallest length for the centimetre figure to reach 210.00 cm.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the length in centimetres is the length in inches times 2.54, rounded to two decimals half-up; the matching styles are the hang styles whose length range contains your length; the length in inches is floored at 0 — a negative length input shows 0.00 cm and no matching style, never a negative number. The reverses are judged on the UNROUNDED centimetre figure: at 120.08 in the length is 305.0032 cm unrounded, which rounds to 305.00 cm, so it reaches the 305.00 cm target; at 120.07 in the length is 304.9778 cm unrounded, which rounds to 304.98 cm, so it does not. What the model cannot do is set your curtain length: the lengths in the table are the standard figures, not a rule for every window — when a supplier quotes a length in centimetres, the finished panel is usually a centimetre or two short after hemming, not exactly the quoted length; a puddle-length curtain in a high-traffic doorway trips people and collects dust; and a floor-length curtain over a radiator blocks heat. Measure from the curtain rod — not the top of the window — and hang the rod 4–6 inches above the window frame, because the rod height sets the finished length. Use it to find the centimetre figure and the matching hang styles for your length — then measure twice before you buy.

Frequently asked questions