Measuring guide
Measure your opening in 5 minutes
A pleated insect screen is fitted to the face of the frame — on the fixed window or door frame, not inside the clear opening itself. This page gives you the one rule that matters, and the two mistakes to avoid.
The one sentence to remember
Width = opening + 2.5 cm × 2, no more, no less. Height = opening + 2.5 cm minimum, and more if you like.
1. The rule: measure the opening, add 2.5 cm on each side
Start by measuring the clear opening — the daylight gap, inside the frame, on the side the screen will be fitted. The screen’s profiles then sit around that opening, on the frame itself: they need at least 2.5 cm of bearing surface on each side.
Height: you can be generous
Nothing gets in the way above or below. You can go well beyond 2.5 cm — right up to floor-to-ceiling if that suits the look you want. The pleated fabric adapts, and a generous height even improves how the product holds up.
Width: never more than needed
Add 2.5 cm on each side, no more. Beyond that, the pleat stack encroaches on the opening and gets in the way of opening and closing. This is the single most common mistake.
2. Window
Measure from the side the screen will be fitted — usually the inside for an inward-opening window, the outside if the window opens into the room.
3. French door, patio door and sliding glass door
The rule is the same. The only difference is at the bottom of the opening: whether the screen runs down to the floor or sits on an existing sill, the height is measured down to the finished floor.
4. The four mistakes we see most often
“I’m adding plenty on each side, just to be safe.” Result: the pleat stack eats well into the opening and it becomes awkward to use. Stick to 2.5 cm.
Frames are rarely square. Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom, the height on the left, centre and right. Always use the smallest value.
The measurement is taken from the side the screen will be fitted. A window that opens inward calls for outside fitting — and so an outside measurement.
Handles, roller shutter boxes, guard rails, a protruding sill: anything in the bearing zone blocks the fit. Check before you order — a photo is enough if you’re unsure.
5. Checklist before you order
- 1Width taken at three heights, smallest value used, + 5 cm.
- 2Height taken at three points, smallest value used, + 2.5 cm minimum.
- 3Bearing zone clear on 2.5 cm all round, no handle or obstruction.
- 4Dimensions within range — the configurator shows them under each slider and rejects out-of-range values.
- 5Measurements in millimetres , rounded down to the millimetre.