Pinch pleat curtains in Dubai, pleated in threes
A pinch pleat curtain has its fullness stitched into tight pleats spaced along the top, so the cloth below falls in deep, regular folds.
Curtains Express makes them as a triple pleat, three folds to each pleat, from twice as much cloth as the width they cover, in sheer or blackout. They hang from a slim track by a hook behind every pleat, or from rings on a metal pole if you would rather see the pole.
AED 35 per m²
in a plain voile sheer, with the track and fitting included.
Blackout is AED 45 per m². Usually up within about a week of your go-ahead, with two years on stitching and fitting.
Three folds to every pleat
Our pinch pleat is a triple pleat as standard, in sheer or blackout, at the same rate per m² as every other heading we make.
A narrow stack
Drawn back, it gathers into about 15 to 20 cm for each metre of track, a little tighter than a wave curtain, so more of the glass stays clear.
On a track or a pole
A slim track in the ceiling or a curtain pocket as standard, hidden by the heading, or rings on a metal pole when you want the pole on show.
Pinch pleat curtains, in short
- A pinch pleat curtain has its fullness sewn into evenly spaced pleats along the top, so the cloth below falls in regular, rounded folds.
- Curtains Express makes pinch pleat curtains as a triple pleat, three folds to each pleat, at 2× fullness: the cloth is twice the width it covers.
- Pinch pleat curtains cost from AED 35 per m² of cloth in a plain voile sheer and AED 45 in blackout, with the track and fitting included; a 300 × 270 cm window is AED 567 in sheer.
- Drawn back, a pinch pleat curtain takes about 15 to 20 cm for each metre of track.
- A pinch pleat curtain hangs on a track by a hook behind each pleat, or from rings on a metal pole on request; on a track it can be motorized with Somfy or Dooya, on a pole it can't.
- Existing curtains with enough fabric can be re-headed into a pinch pleat, though eyelet curtains can't.
- Pinch pleat curtains are usually fitted within about a week of your go-ahead, with two years on stitching and fitting.
What pinch pleat curtains cost in Dubai
A pinch pleat curtain is priced on the cloth that goes into it. At 2× fullness that is twice the width of the track, times the drop, at AED 35 per m² in a plain voile sheer or AED 45 in blackout with our four-pass lining. The track and the fitting come with it.
Because it is gathered to 2× where wave and eyelet take 2.5×, it is the heading that uses the least cloth, and so the one that costs least on the same window.
Price your window in pinch pleat
- Fabric
- 300 cm × 2 (fullness) × 270 cm = 16.2 m²
- Sheer
- 16.2 m² × AED 35 = AED 567
- 0 m² × AED 0 = AED 0
AED 567
A plain voile sheer, or a standard face fabric with our four-pass lining, on a track with the fitting included; a sheer and a blackout share one double track. A pole, a motor or glass that needs scaffolding is priced at the visit.
What moves the figure:
- The fabric
- A plain voile is AED 35 per m² and a blackout AED 45. Linen, chiffon, organza and patterned sheers cost more, priced at the visit.
- A second layer
- A sheer behind a blackout hangs on a double track, and the second track is included.
- A motor
- A motorized track per metre, AED 110 from Dooya or AED 150 from Somfy, and the motor on top.
- A pole
- Rings on a metal pole in place of the track are priced at the visit.
Three windows, worked the way the calculator works them:
- A bedroom window, 150 × 200 cm: 6 m² of cloth, AED 210 in sheer, AED 270 in blackout, AED 480 for both.
- A living room window, 300 × 270 cm: 16.2 m², AED 567 in sheer, AED 729 in blackout, AED 1,296 for both on a double track.
- A villa wall of glass, 400 × 300 cm: 24 m², AED 840 in sheer, AED 1,080 in blackout, AED 1,920 for both.
The measuring visit costs nothing, and nothing is cut until you have the final figure. We take Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay, or Tabby and Tamara instalments.
How a pinch pleat holds its folds
The extra width in a curtain has to go somewhere. In a pinch pleat it is folded into pleats and stitched at the top, evenly spaced along a stiffened heading, so the fullness stays where it was sewn instead of drifting along the track. Ours are a triple pleat: each pleat is three folds of cloth caught together at its base.
Below each stitch the folds open out, which is where the deep, rounded fall comes from. Between the pleats the heading stays flat.
A hook sits behind every pleat. On a track it clips into a runner, and the runners carry the curtain open and closed; on a pole it drops into a ring. Set at the right height, the top of the heading hides the track.
Triple, double or pencil pleat?
Three ways of gathering the same fullness at the top of a curtain, and which of them we make.
| Triple pinch pleat | Double pinch pleat | Pencil pleat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folds in each pleat | Three | Two | None: a tape draws it into small gathers |
| How it falls | Deep, rounded folds | Flatter, wider folds | Small, soft folds |
| Fullness | 2× | Varies by maker | 2× |
| From us | Our standard, sheer or blackout | Not our standard | Sheers only |
A triple pinch pleat is also sold as a French pleat; it is the same heading.
How much room the curtain needs when open
Drawn back, the curtain gathers into about 15 to 20 cm for every metre of track it covered. A pair across a 240 cm window leaves roughly 18 to 24 cm of folded cloth at each side.
Where that cloth stands is up to the track. Stop the track at the window's edge and the folds sit over the glass, taking light and view with them. Carry it past the frame by the width of the stack and the folds stand on the wall instead, with the whole window clear.
Where a side wall or a wardrobe stops the track short, a single curtain drawn to one side is often the better answer than a pair.
On a track, or on a pole
Most of ours go on a track. A pole is the other way to hang them, and the choice changes what you see and what the curtain can do.
That photograph is from a holiday home we fitted in Dubai Hills Estate: blackout and sheer pinch pleat curtains on double tracks in the ceiling pocket.
Sheer, blackout, or both
The heading is the same in any of our fabrics. What changes is the light, and how crisply the pleats hold.
A sheer on its own
A plain voile at AED 35 per m² keeps the daylight and blurs the view out, and in a triple pleat it falls in soft, even folds. More on our sheer curtains page.
Blackout
A face fabric with our four-pass silicone blackout lining sewn behind it, at AED 45 per m². The lining gives the pleats body, so a blackout pinch pleat holds its folds crisply. More on our blackout curtains page.
Both, on a double track
A sheer nearest the glass and a blackout in front, each on its own track, with the second track included. In a curtain pocket two pinch pleat layers need 10 to 15 cm of depth, less than two wave layers, and the layers can mix: a wave sheer behind a pinch pleat blackout works.
Motorized pinch pleat curtains
Any pinch pleat curtain on a track can run on a motor, Somfy or Dooya, wired or on a battery. The motorized track replaces the standard one and is priced per metre: AED 110 from Dooya, AED 150 from Somfy. The motor goes on top, from AED 700 for a wired Dooya, fitted and programmed.
A 300 × 270 cm blackout in pinch pleat on a wired Dooya comes to AED 729 for the curtain, AED 330 for the track and AED 700 for the motor: AED 1,759 before the remote. Every motor we fit, with its price, is on our motorized curtains page.
Re-heading curtains you already have
Curtains with another heading can often be remade as a triple pleat. The test is width: a pinch pleat needs about twice the width of the track in cloth, so a curtain that was made skimpy won't have enough to pleat. We check that at the visit.
Eyelet curtains are the exception. Their rings sit in holes cut along the top, and those holes can't be closed up into a pleat, so an eyelet curtain stays an eyelet curtain.
When wave or eyelet suits better
A wall of glass
Across glass that runs wall to wall, a wave curtain keeps one unbroken rhythm of folds across the whole width, where pinch pleats repeat in groups. It takes 2.5 times the width in cloth against pinch pleat's two, and a deeper pocket for two layers.
A pole you want to see
When the pole is part of the look and the room is relaxed, eyelet curtains slide straight along it on plastic rings. They can't be motorized.
Where pinch pleat is the right call
Bedrooms, formal sitting rooms and single windows where the curtain should look tailored. At 2× it uses the least cloth of the three, and it needs the shallowest pocket for two layers.
Book a free measuring visit
Tell us the room, roughly how wide the window is, and whether there is a curtain pocket. Someone comes to you, anywhere in Dubai, with the fabric book, measures for the track and the stack, and prices it before anything is cut.
Pinch pleat curtains in majlis, bedrooms and dining rooms
What people ask about pinch pleat curtains
What are pinch pleat curtains?
Curtains whose fullness is stitched into pleats spaced along the top, so the cloth hangs in regular, deep folds. Each pleat is a group of folds caught together at its base; ours have three folds to a pleat, which is called a triple pleat.
How much do pinch pleat curtains cost in Dubai?
A Curtains Express pinch pleat starts at AED 35 per m² of cloth in plain voile, or AED 45 in blackout, track and fitting included. At 2× fullness a 300 × 270 cm window takes 16.2 m²: AED 567 in sheer, AED 729 in blackout, or AED 1,296 for both on a double track.
Is double or triple pinch pleat better?
Triple, for most rooms. Three folds to a pleat give deeper, rounder folds below the heading than two, and the curtain looks fuller for the same cloth. A triple pleat is our standard.
What is the difference between pinch pleat and triple pleat?
A triple pleat is a kind of pinch pleat: one with three folds in each pleat. Pinch pleat is the family name, and double pleats belong to it too. Shops also call the triple pleat a French pleat.
What is the difference between pencil pleat and pinch pleat curtains?
A pencil pleat is drawn up by cords in a tape into small, tight gathers along the top; a pinch pleat has its pleats sewn in at fixed spacing. Pencil pleat falls in smaller, softer folds. We make pencil pleat for sheers only, and pinch pleat in sheer or blackout.
Do pinch pleat curtains need hooks?
Yes, one behind each pleat. On a track the hooks clip into runners; on a pole they drop into rings. We hang them on fitting day, with the hooks set so the heading covers the track.
How much fabric do pinch pleat curtains need?
Twice the width they cover, times the drop. A 300 cm window takes 600 cm of cloth across, so at a 270 cm drop that is 16.2 m². Wave and eyelet take 2.5 times the width.
How much space do pinch pleat curtains take when open?
About 15 to 20 cm for each metre of track. Run the track past the window by that much and the open curtains stand on the wall rather than over the glass.
Are pinch pleat curtains dated?
Not in themselves. What dates a curtain is usually heavy trim, swags and tiebacks. A plain fabric in a triple pleat on a hidden ceiling track reads as tailored rather than old-fashioned.
Can you turn any curtains into pinch pleat curtains?
Most, if there is enough fabric. A pinch pleat needs about twice the width of the track in cloth, and we check that at the visit. Eyelet curtains can't be converted, because the holes along the top can't be pleated.
Can pinch pleat curtains be motorized?
Yes, on a track: Somfy or Dooya, wired or on a battery. The motorized track is AED 110 a metre from Dooya or AED 150 from Somfy, with the motor on top. A pinch pleat on a pole can't take a motor.
Do pinch pleat curtains cost more than wave or eyelet?
No, less, on the same window. All three are the same price per m², but a pinch pleat uses twice the width in cloth where wave and eyelet use two and a half times, so it takes a fifth less fabric.
Send the width and the drop
Call or WhatsApp with each window's width and drop and the room it is in. We will come back with a figure in sheer, blackout or both, and book the measuring visit.