How Much Fabric Does a Ripplefold Curtain Need?
A Ripplefold curtain, also sold as a Wave or S Fold curtain, needs about 2 to 2.3 times the track length in finished fabric width on Silent Gliss's 80 mm Wave cord, so a 4 m track takes about 8 to 9.2 m of finished width. Joins and hems come on top, and the counted heading tape sets the exact cut.
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Key takeaways
- Ripplefold, Wave and S Fold are one curtain heading, and its track sets the fullness: about 2 to 2.3 times the track length in finished width on 80 mm cord, says Silent Gliss.
- The cord decides the weight limit: the Silent Gliss SG 5100 is rated 30 kg and, on a straight 3 m to 6 m track, lists 25 to 30 kg on its standard Wave roller cord but 20 kg on optional Wave gliders.
- Open, a Ripplefold curtain on 80 mm cord stacks about 180 mm per metre of track on glider cord (SG 3840) and 210 mm on roller cord or an electric track, plus an allowance per curtain.
How is fullness set on a Ripplefold or Wave curtain?
On a Ripplefold or Wave curtain the track sets the fullness: a cord of gliders or rollers inside the track holds the curtain's hooks at a fixed spacing, and the heading tape fixes how much fabric lies between two hooks. Silent Gliss, which makes Wave, offers a 60 mm or 80 mm cord, each with two hook spacings set by the empty pockets between hooks on the tape (the pocket factor).
Silent Gliss Wave goes by S Fold or Ripple Fold on Promolink's Wave Curtain page. Approximate figures from Silent Gliss's Wave Curtain Workroom Guide and its cord and electric track catalogues:
| Cord | Hook spacing (pocket factor) | Approx. fullness |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mm | 100 mm (4) | 2.1 |
| 60 mm | 120 mm (5) | 2.3 |
| 80 mm | 140 mm (6) | 2.1 |
| 80 mm | 160 mm (7) | 2.3 |
Silent Gliss recommends the 80 mm cord with a pocket factor of 7, about 2.3 fullness, for most installations, and adds: The curtain fullness indicated in the chart above applies to the finished curtain fabric. You will need to allow additional fabric for joins, hems and your usual workroom allowances.
Its made-to-measure curtains leaflet gives slightly lower fullness for the same four waves: 1.8, 2.1, 2 and 2.2.
How do you work out the fabric for a Ripplefold or S Fold curtain from the track length?
Start from the track, not the window: halve the track length for a pair of curtains, multiply by the fullness for a first estimate of fabric width, then count hooks and heading-tape pockets, because the counted tape sets the cut. Take a 4 m track across a condo's sliding glass door: a centre-opening pair of Ripplefold curtains, a 2.6 m drop (our assumption), 80 mm glider cord and 160 mm hook spacing.
- Measure the track. Silent Gliss takes the whole system length of a hand, cord or electric track as the working length, halved for a pair: 2 m per curtain. A one-way (single stack) curtain uses the full length.
- Estimate the fabric. For budgeting, about 2.3 fullness gives about 9.2 m of finished fabric width for the pair, 4.6 m per curtain. That is width, not metres on the roll.
- Count the hooks. Silent Gliss's 80 mm hook table gives 26 hooks for a curtain on 2,000 mm of track.
- Count the tape pockets. Hooks minus one, times the pocket factor, plus the hooks, plus 10: (26 − 1) × 7 + 26 + 10 = 211 pockets per curtain. On an electric track the motor-side curtain gets 2 more, 213.
- Cut to the tape. With 2 pockets folded under at each end, the tape is the curtain's finished width, and Silent Gliss says:
Cut your fabric according to the width of your heading tape, adding on your usual allowances for hems etc.
At a pocket factor of 7 a hook takes every 8th pocket, so by our arithmetic the 160 mm between two hooks makes each pocket 20 mm: the 207 left make about 4.1 m per curtain, about 2.1 times its track and less than step 2's 4.6 m. On a quotation, check the hook count and tape pockets, not only the metres. - Set the drop. Silent Gliss recommends 20 mm between the floor and the fabric.
How heavy can a Ripplefold curtain be on its track?
Which cord is fitted decides how heavy a Ripplefold curtain can be. On the standard Wave heading tape it must stay under both the tape's limit and the track's Wave rating, which on glider cord is often well below the headline on the track's product page, while Silent Gliss gives Wave with roller glider cord SG 6099 much higher weight limitations. Silent Gliss counts the fabric's weight including its accessories.
The maximum weight that the standard wave heading tape can carry is 2.5kg per metre of track. However, the individual track weight restrictions still apply, use the lower of the two numbers. Wave with roller glider cord SG 6099 has much higher weight limitations.
Silent Gliss, Wave Curtain Workroom Guide (August 2024)
| Silent Gliss track | Rating on Promolink's page | Wave limit on a straight track, by cord |
|---|---|---|
| SG 3840 and SG 3870, cord | 6 m, 14 kg | Wave 2C glider cord: 5 kg at 2 m, 8 kg at 4 m |
| SG 3970, cord | 15 m, 38 kg | 2C roller: 38 kg at 4 m |
| SG 5100, electric | 9 m, 30 kg | Wave rollers (its standard cord): 25 kg at 3 m, 30 kg at 6 m; optional Wave gliders: 20 kg at 3 m and 6 m |
| SG 5600, electric | 25 m, 65 kg | Wave rollers: 45 kg at 4 m and 6 m; Wave gliders: 25 kg at 4 m to 8 m |
Using step 2's larger estimate to stay on the safe side, 9.2 m by the 2.6 m drop is about 24 square metres. On 4 m the standard tape carries 10 kg, and an SG 3840 or SG 3870 on Wave 2C glider cord 8 kg. If that limit covers both curtains, fabric and lining can weigh at most about 330 g per square metre before hems, tape, hooks and weights, or about 420 g on an SG 5100 with Wave gliders, where the tape's 10 kg is lower than the track's 20 kg at 3 m and at 6 m. Ask for a lined or blackout fabric's weight with its lining.
For an SG 5100 suspended on hangers, Silent Gliss's electric catalogue notes: Curtain weight reduces by 30%.
If that applies to the Wave limit, its 20 kg on Wave gliders would become about 14 kg.
How much wall space does a Ripplefold curtain need when it is open?
An open Ripplefold curtain on 80 mm cord stacks about 180 mm per metre of track on glider cord (SG 3840, SG 3870), or 210 mm on roller cord (SG 3970) and on the SG 5100 and SG 5600 electric tracks, plus an allowance per curtain. On 60 mm cord the figures are 230 and 260 mm, and make-up and fabric thickness also count. For the 4 m pair:
| Track | Cord | Stack per metre | Added per curtain | Stack on each side |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG 3840, cord | Glider | 180 mm | 35 mm (130 mm with an extension arm) | About 40 cm (49 cm with the arm) |
| SG 3970, cord | Roller | 210 mm | 150 mm | About 57 cm |
| SG 5100, electric | Roller or glider | 210 mm | 180 mm | 60 cm |
| SG 5600, electric | Roller or glider | 210 mm | 190 mm | About 61 cm |
On the SG 3840 the two stacks take about 20% of the 4 m track and leave about 3.2 m clear; on the SG 5100, 30% and about 2.8 m. To keep the glass clear, run the track past the frame by about the stack width each side, and work out the fabric on that longer track.
Silent Gliss's leaflet gives one approximate Wave stack, glider or roller, of 23% to 25% of the track width, as our wave curtains and pinch pleat guide quotes; the catalogues work track by track: on 80 mm cord, 18% or 21% of the track plus a fixed allowance per curtain, so the share varies by track.
What changes when a Ripplefold curtain is motorised?
A Ripplefold curtain motorised on a Silent Gliss SG 5100 or SG 5600 electric track keeps the same fullness, about 2.1 or 2.3, but needs extra tape pockets on the motor side and stacks wider than one on the SG 3840's glider cord. On the motor side its pocket spacing is 9 pockets to allow the curtain to wrap around the motor
, and an extension arm on the leading edge comes as standard.
In the 4 m example: 213 pockets on the motor-side curtain and 60 cm of stack each side on the SG 5100. Our guide to motorised curtains in Malaysia covers the motors and their power.
Where can you get Ripplefold curtains made to measure in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor?
Promolink Actions Sdn. Bhd. makes Ripplefold, Wave and S Fold curtains to measure on the Silent Gliss Wave system, by hand, cord or motor, from an office in Petaling Jaya and a showroom in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Since 1998 it has supplied made-to-measure curtains, blinds and motorised curtain systems, sewn by in-house specialists, and it describes itself as the sole gateway to Silent Gliss in Malaysia.
It offers free consultation, measurement and installation, with warranty and after-sales care; ask there which track, cord and hook spacing suit your window. See its Silent Gliss Wave curtain system and curtain systems pages, the Ripplefold answers in its FAQ and our guide to choosing a quality curtain shop.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2 times fullness enough for a Ripplefold curtain?
On some settings, yes. Silent Gliss's figures run from 1.8 to 2.3 times the track length: its made-to-measure leaflet gives 2 for the 80 mm cord's 140 mm-deep wave, and its workroom guide gives 2.1 or 2.3. For most installations Silent Gliss recommends 80 mm glider cord with a pocket factor of 7, about 2.3, and the counted heading tape then sets the cut.
How many hooks does a Wave curtain need?
Silent Gliss's Wave workroom guide reads the number off a table by track length. On 80 mm glider cord, a curtain on 2,000 mm of track takes 26 hooks. For a pair of curtains, halve the track length first, so a 4 m track takes 26 hooks per curtain; a one-way curtain uses the whole length. If a length is not in the table, Silent Gliss says to use the next size up.
How far from the wall should a Ripplefold curtain track be?
Silent Gliss gives a minimum distance of 70 to 100 mm from the wall to the centre of a Wave track, depending on the cord and hook spacing, including a standard 2 cm clearance. At its recommended 80 mm cord with a pocket factor of 7 it is at least 100 mm, and a second track's centre sits at least 200 mm in front of the first.
How far above the floor should a Ripplefold curtain hang?
Silent Gliss's curtain track catalogues recommend 20 mm between the floor and the fabric, so a floor-length Ripplefold, Wave or S Fold curtain hangs just clear of the floor. For the hems, its made-to-measure leaflet gives Wave curtains a 75 mm bottom hem as standard, and its workroom guide allows a 75 mm heading hem with standard Wave gliders (95 mm with roller gliders SG 6099).
Does a motorised Ripplefold curtain stack wider?
Yes, against glider cord on a cord track. Silent Gliss's catalogues give a Wave curtain on 80 mm cord 180 mm per metre of track plus 35 mm per curtain on the SG 3840, and 210 mm plus 180 mm per stack on the SG 5100 electric track: about 40 against 60 cm a side on a 4 m pair. Roller cord on the SG 3970 cord track also takes 210 mm per metre.
Ask how much fabric your window needs
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- Silent Gliss UK, Wave Curtain Workroom Guide, August 2024 (PDF). https://www.silentgliss.co.uk/fileadmin/redaktion/contentserv/Images/Web_Partner_Downloads/SGGB/Various_Documents/Wave_-_Curtain_Workroom_Guide.pdf
- Silent Gliss UK, Made-to-measure curtains leaflet, 04/2025 (PDF). https://www.silentgliss.co.uk/fileadmin/redaktion/contentserv/Images/Web_Partner_Downloads/SGGB/Leaflets/SGGB_Bespoke_Curtains.pdf
- Silent Gliss, Technical Catalogue Electric Curtain Track Systems, 06/2026 (PDF on promolink.com.my). https://www.promolink.com.my/images/uploads/category/41/pdf/SGGB_EL_EN-GB.pdf
- Silent Gliss, Technical Catalogue Cord Operated Curtain Track Systems, 06/2026 (PDF on promolink.com.my). https://www.promolink.com.my/images/uploads/category/60/pdf/SGGB_CD_EN-GB.pdf
- Promolink, Wave Curtain. https://www.promolink.com.my/products/wave-curtain/
- Promolink, Silent Gliss Wave Curtain. https://www.promolink.com.my/products/silent-gliss-wave-curtain/
- Promolink, Silent Gliss electric curtain track systems. https://www.promolink.com.my/products/electric-curtain-track-systems/
- Promolink, Silent Gliss cord operated curtain track systems. https://www.promolink.com.my/products/cord/
- Promolink, About Us. https://www.promolink.com.my/about-us/
- Promolink, Contact Us. https://www.promolink.com.my/contact-us/