Walk into any curtain shop in India and the first question is "5 feet, 7 feet or 9 feet?" Those three numbers are lengths, and it is easy to answer them by guessing the height of your window. That is the wrong measurement. A curtain's length is a drop, the distance from the rod down to where you want the hem to land, and the rod almost never sits at the top of the window frame. Guess from the window alone and you end up with panels that stop halfway down the wall or pool on the floor.
So this guide starts where the shop should: the rod goes up first, then you measure down. Once you see curtains as a drop from the rod rather than a cover for the glass, the three standard sizes stop being confusing and start being obvious.
What the 5, 7 and 9 ft sizes actually mean
Indian curtains are commonly sold in three ready-made drops, and each one is cut for a specific opening.
The 5 ft window curtain, around 152 cm, is cut to hang from a rod above a standard window down to about the sill. It is the size for kitchens, small bedrooms and any window where a floor-length curtain would just get in the way. The 7 ft door curtain, around 213 cm, is the one many living-room windows actually want and rarely get, because it covers both a normal door and a normal window taken all the way to the floor. And the 9 ft long-door curtain, around 274 cm, is for full-height doors, balcony openings and the floor-to-ceiling windows in newer flats.
If you take one thing from this piece, take this: for a living-room window you want to look tall and finished, buy the 7 ft door length and hang it to the floor, not the 5 ft window length to the sill. Floor-length curtains make a wall read as taller. Sill-length ones make the window look like a stamp on the wall.
Where to put the rod, and why it changes the length
The rod is the decision that sets everything else. Mount it about 10 to 15 cm above the window frame, and take it 15 to 20 cm past the frame on each side so the drawn curtains clear the glass. Two things happen when you do this. The window looks larger than it is, because the eye reads the whole curtained area as the opening. And the drop you measure grows, because you are now measuring from higher up.
For the hem, you have three honest choices. Just above the floor, about a centimetre clear, is the practical pick for homes that get swept and mopped often, and it is the one most Indian households should use. Kissing the floor, where the hem just grazes it, looks the most tailored but shows dust sooner. A slight break, where the fabric pools two or three centimetres, suits heavier drapes in formal rooms. What you want to avoid is the accidental fourth option, the hem floating 10 cm above the floor, which is what you get when you buy for the window and forget the rod sits higher.
Curtain size chart for Indian homes
| Opening | Buy this length | Approx. drop | Where the hem lands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen or small window | 5 ft | 152 cm | At or just below the sill |
| Standard window, floor length | 7 ft | 213 cm | Just above the floor |
| Standard door | 7 ft | 213 cm | Just above the floor |
| Full-height door or balcony | 9 ft | 274 cm | Just above the floor |
| Floor-to-ceiling window | 9 ft | 274 cm | Just above the floor |
Measure the real drop with a tape from where the rod will sit to where you want the hem, then pick the ready length just above that number. A 190 cm measured drop takes the 7 ft (213 cm) curtain, not the 5 ft, because you can always mount the rod a little higher to take up the slack but you cannot add fabric that was never cut.
How wide, and how many panels
Length gets a curtain to the floor. Width is what makes it look like a curtain rather than a flat sheet pinned to the wall. The rule is fullness: the panels laid flat should add up to roughly one and a half to two times the width of your rod, so the fabric gathers into folds when closed instead of stretching tight.
That is why curtains sell in packs. A single narrow panel on a wide window looks mean. As a rough guide, a 120 cm rod wants panels totalling roughly 180 to 240 cm laid flat, which a pack of two usually covers; a wide sliding door of 200 cm needs closer to 300 to 400 cm, so two packs. The full curtains collection lists the panel width and pack size on each product, so you can check the flat width against your rod before buying.
Fabric weight decides how you use the size. A heavy blackout curtain needs the full floor-length drop to hang straight and block light around the edges, which is why bedrooms almost always want the 7 ft size taken to the floor. A light cotton sheer like the cream panels above is more forgiving, because a sheer that stops a touch short reads as airy rather than wrong. Many living rooms hang both on a double rod, the sheer for day and the blackout for night, and in that case both layers should share the same floor-length drop so the hems line up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard curtain size in India?
Curtains are sold in three ready lengths: 5 feet (about 152 cm) for windows to the sill, 7 feet (about 213 cm) for doors and for windows taken to the floor, and 9 feet (about 274 cm) for full-height doors and floor-to-ceiling windows. The 7 ft size is the most widely useful for living-room windows.
Should curtains touch the floor or stop at the sill?
For a living room or bedroom, floor length looks taller and more finished, so choose the length that reaches the floor. Sill length suits kitchens and small windows where a long curtain would be in the way. The common mistake is buying sill length for a window that would look far better floor length.
How far above the window should I hang the curtain rod?
About 10 to 15 cm above the frame, and 15 to 20 cm beyond it on each side. Mounting higher and wider makes the window look larger and lets the drawn curtains clear the glass. Remember this raises the rod, so measure your drop from the rod position, not the top of the frame.
How many curtain panels do I need for one window?
Enough flat width to total about one and a half to two times your rod width, so the curtain gathers into folds. For a standard window a pack of two panels usually gives that fullness; a wide door or sliding window may need two packs.
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