Custom Made Blinds vs Ready-Made Blinds: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

Why do ready-made blinds come in standard sizes?

Ready-made blinds are manufactured in bulk at fixed widths because mass production is cheaper than individual manufacturing. The standard sizes sold in South African hardware stores and chain retailers are typically 600 mm, 900 mm, 1200 mm, 1500 mm, and 1800 mm wide, with a fixed drop of 1600 mm or 2100 mm. These numbers exist to cover the most common window openings, but they rarely match the actual dimensions of a specific window in a specific house.

South African homes are particularly variable. A 1970s face-brick house in Pretoria East has different window sizes to a 2015 cluster development in Fourways, which has different sizes again to a Victorian semi in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs. Aluminium-framed windows installed in the last 15 years are manufactured to the architect’s specification, not to blind industry standard increments. The result is that most South African windows fall between the standard sizes, leaving the buyer with a blind that is either too wide (requiring trimming, which voids the warranty on most products) or too narrow (leaving a visible gap that lets in light and reduces privacy).

What is the real cost difference between custom and ready-made?

A ready-made roller blind from a South African chain store costs between R150 and R450 depending on width and fabric. A custom made roller blind from Custom Blinds in the same fabric starts from around R350 for a small window and scales with size and specification. On paper, ready-made is 30% to 50% cheaper for a single blind. Over a full house of 8 to 12 windows, the difference narrows because custom pricing scales better on larger orders.

The real calculation is lifespan. Ready-made blinds sold at South African retail typically use lighter gauge mechanisms, thinner chains, and basic fabric that degrades faster in UV. Most buyers report 2 to 4 years before something fails: the chain mechanism stiffens, the fabric frays at the edges, the bracket cracks, or the spring tension in a roller goes slack. Custom made blinds from quality manufacturers use Somfy, Hunter Douglas, and Coulisse mechanisms and fabrics rated for 10 to 15 years of daily operation. The annual cost of custom is lower than ready-made the moment you factor in even one replacement cycle.

A practical example: a Johannesburg townhouse with 10 windows. Ready-made at R300 average = R3,000 total, replaced at year 3 = R6,000 over 6 years. Custom at R550 average = R5,500 total, still operating at year 10+. The custom option costs less per year and never needs the disruption of measuring, shopping, and reinstalling.

When do ready-made blinds actually make sense?

Ready-made blinds are the right choice in a narrow set of circumstances: when you need window coverings today and cannot wait 10 days, when the space is temporary (a short-term rental, a display stand, a pop-up shop), or when the windows happen to match one of the standard sizes exactly. Student accommodation, temporary office partitions, and staging a house for sale are legitimate ready-made scenarios.

If you are renting and want something better than ready-made without drilling, no-drill tension mount blinds from Custom Blinds are made to measure, ship in under two weeks, and come with you when you move. They cost more than ready-made but less than replacing ready-made twice over a typical lease period.

How do you measure for custom blinds yourself?

Measuring for custom made blinds is straightforward. You need a steel tape measure (fabric tapes stretch), and you measure the exact width and drop of the window recess in millimetres. Measure width at the top, middle, and bottom of the window and use the narrowest measurement. Measure drop on the left, centre, and right and use the longest. These two numbers are what you enter when ordering online.

The Custom Blinds online shop accepts measurements in millimetres and calculates your price instantly. If you are unsure about any measurement, WhatsApp a photo of your window to the team on 076 022 8410 and they will confirm. The Custom Fit Guarantee covers measurement errors: if the blind arrives too big, Custom Blinds trims it free. If it is too small, you receive 5% off the replacement.

What blind types are only available custom made?

Some blind types simply do not exist in ready-made form. Honeycomb blinds with their double-cell insulation structure are always custom manufactured because the cell alignment must match the window dimensions exactly to function as an insulating layer. Venetian blinds with aluminium slats need precise width to prevent bowing and maintain consistent light control. Motorised blinds with Somfy integration require exact sizing for the motor to operate correctly within the headrail.

If you want any blind type beyond a basic roller, you are buying custom made whether the retailer uses that term or not. The choice is not really “custom vs ready-made” for most buyers. It is “measure once and get the right blind” or “grab the closest size and accept the compromise.”

Why does Custom Blinds® only sell custom made?

Custom Blinds does not stock or sell ready-made blinds. Every blind is manufactured to order after you submit your exact window measurements. This is a deliberate decision, not a limitation. Ready-made products require warehouse stock in dozens of sizes, which means tying up capital in inventory that may or may not sell. More importantly, ready-made forces the manufacturer to optimise for standard sizes rather than for fit, and fit is the single factor that determines whether a blind looks right, operates properly, and lasts.

By manufacturing every blind to order, Custom Blinds offers the full fabric range (Somfy, Hunter Douglas, Coulisse), any width down to the millimetre, and mechanisms rated for a decade of daily use. The 7-day manufacture window means your blinds are built fresh, not pulled from a shelf where they may have sat for months. Free delivery to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, and every town in between.