How Wide Should Curtains Be

Your curtain panels together should be 1½ to 2 times the window's width, on a rod 12 in wider than the window (Wayfair). For a 48 in window that's 72 to 96 in of curtain: 2 to 2 standard 48 in panels. Homes & Gardens goes fuller, 2 to 2½ times (Homes & Gardens).

48 in window with a 60 in rod, to scaleFront view: the rod runs 6 in past each side of the window.84½ in84 in
Drawn to scale. Each grid square is one foot.
Panels for your window (48 in panels)
WindowRodTotal curtain widthPanels
24 in36 in36 to 48 in1
36 in48 in54 to 72 in2
48 in60 in72 to 96 in2
60 in72 in90 to 120 in2 to 3
72 in84 in108 to 144 in3
96 in108 in144 to 192 in3 to 4

The rule

  • The panels together are 1.5 times (tailored) to 2 times (full) the window width (Wayfair).
  • The panels together are 2 to 2.5 times the window width (Homes & Gardens).
  • The rod runs 6 inches past each side of the window, 12 inches in total (Wayfair).
  • The rod runs 8 to 10 inches past each side (The Home Depot).
  • Standard off-the-shelf curtain panels are usually 48 inches wide (Homes & Gardens).

Sources

  1. Wayfair: How to Measure for Curtains, checked
  2. Homes & Gardens: How Wide Should Curtain Panels Be?, checked
  3. The Home Depot: How to Measure Curtains, checked

Rules checked