What length curtains for a 2.4 m ceiling?
229 cm (90 in) drop, from a pole 230 cm (7 ft 7 in) up
Under a 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) ceiling, floor-length curtains are 229 cm (90 in) long, hung from a pole whose top is 230 cm (7 ft 7 in) from the floor. That is a stock UK drop, so a ready-made pair ends just clear of the floor with nothing to take up, and the pole sits 10 cm (4 in) below the ceiling and 20 cm (8 in) above the window.
Work back from the floor, not up from the window. A ready-made curtain has a fixed length, so the pole goes at the height where that length ends just above the floor. Under a standard ceiling this lands the pole well above the window frame, which also makes the window look taller.
The drop of an eyelet curtain is measured from the very top of the fabric, and the fabric stands a little proud of the pole. For pencil-pleat curtains on rings the drop starts lower, at the eye of the ring: switch the heading in the calculator and the pole moves to suit.
Worked out for Eyelet curtains to the floor on a pole, under a 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) ceiling, over a window 150 cm (59 in) wide and 120 cm (47 in) high whose sill is 90 cm (35 in) from the floor. Change the numbers
The working
- Window top = 90 + 120 = 210 cm from the floor.
- Lowest pole top = 210 + 15 = 225 cm. Two thirds of the way to the ceiling = 210 + (240 − 210) × ⅔ = 230 cm. Highest = 240 − 5 = 235 cm.
- Hem at 1 cm (floor). Drop measured from the top of the pole.
- A 229 cm drop puts the pole top at 1 + 229 = 230 cm, between 225 and 235 cm.
The rules, and their sources
Pole above the window
UK shops advise fitting a curtain pole at least 15 cm (6 in) above the window frame; 8–10 cm still fits a pole where space is tight.
A rule designers use Sources: Dunelm Ireland (10 Nov 2018), How to put up a curtain pole (checked 31 October 2026); Terry's Fabrics, How to measure your window for curtain poles (checked 31 October 2026).
Pole two thirds of the way to the ceiling
A rule designers use: hang the pole about two thirds of the way from the top of the window to the ceiling.
A rule designers use Source: Havenly (Clark, 3 Jun 2025, updated 10 Jun 2026), How to hang curtains like an interior designer (checked 31 October 2026).
Where the hem ends
Dunelm ends floor-length curtains 1 cm above the floor, sill-length ones 1 cm above the sill, below-sill ones 15 cm under the sill, and puddled ones 2–7 cm past the floor.
A rule designers use Sources: Dunelm, How to measure for curtains (checked 31 October 2026); Blinds Direct, How to measure for curtains (checked 31 October 2026).
UK ready-made curtain sizes
UK shops sell ready-made curtains in pairs, each curtain 117, 168 or 229 cm wide (46, 66, 90 in) and 137, 183 or 229 cm long (54, 72, 90 in); some ranges also come 274 cm (108 in) long.
Shop sizes Sources: Dunelm, How to measure for curtains (checked 31 October 2026); John Lewis, Hidcote Weave lined eyelet curtains (checked 31 October 2026); Next, Living room help: curtain sizes (checked 31 October 2026); Blinds Direct, How to measure for curtains (checked 31 October 2026).
Other ceiling heights
The same window under lower and higher ceilings. The pole moves to where a stock drop ends just above the floor.
| Ceiling | Top of the pole | Drop to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) | 225 cm (7 ft 5 in) | 229 cm (90 in)5 cm to take up |
| 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) this page | 230 cm (7 ft 7 in) | 229 cm (90 in)nothing to take up |
| 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) | 230 cm (7 ft 7 in) | 229 cm (90 in)nothing to take up |
| 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) | 230 cm (7 ft 7 in) | 229 cm (90 in)nothing to take up |
| 3 m (9 ft 10 in) | 275 cm (9 ft) | 274 cm (108 in)nothing to take up |
Change the numbers
Your sizes will differ. The curtain size calculator opens with these numbers filled in: change any of them and the answer, the working and the drawing follow.
Editorial notes
Worked out by the Snuug team on 12 November 2026 with the same code as the curtain size calculator, so the two cannot disagree. Every rule cites its source, with the date we last checked it. A rule designers use is a convention, not a study.
Other sources the calculator draws on:
- Argos, Curtain pole buying guide (15–20 cm each side), checked 31 October 2026
- Poles and Blinds, Extra long curtain poles guide (25–30 cm each side for heavy curtains), checked 31 October 2026
- Dunelm, Curtains measuring guide (PDF, undated: tab top 1.5× the pole; pencil pleat drop from the hook's eye or the top of a track; eyelet and tab top from the top of the pole), checked 31 October 2026
- Direct Fabrics, Understanding curtain stacking (about 15 cm per fabric width for eyelet, 25 cm for pencil pleat), checked 31 October 2026