Fabrics and linings
One row per fiber and one per lining: how each copes with sun and damp, how it moves with humidity, how it is cared for, and which source says so, with the source's date. Filter it to the window you are dressing.
Use this table when you are choosing the fabric and lining for one window: how much direct sun it gets, and how damp the room is. The reasoning, and how the choice fits the window's first need, is in Fabric, linings and fading.
Three things to know before you read a row:
- The fiber tables are old. The sunlight ratings come from extension bulletins of 1971 and 1984 and a guide marked for revision in 2008. They name fibers, not today's blends and finishes. Physics has not changed, so the order holds as a starting point; for a particular product, ask the maker for its own light-fastness data.
- All fibers move with humidity. A conservation body explains that fibers swell in damp air and that most woven fabrics then shrink, especially along the warp (the lengthwise threads); below 40 percent relative humidity textiles grow increasingly brittle; mold can grow after three months at 70 percent or a few days at 90 percent (Canadian Conservation Institute, Textiles and the Environment, undated page read on November 8, 2026). The rows add what a source says about one fiber.
- Every fabric fades. Light damage adds up over time and, the conservation body says, is irreversible. Ultraviolet is usually less than half of the fading in light-sensitive colors. Linings and less light slow it; nothing here stops it (Fabric, linings and fading).
Weights are ounces per square yard from Kirsch's 2024 guide, which lists them by fabric type rather than by fiber; use them in the curtain weight and hardware calculator. Filter by Sun for fibers and linings a source rates well at a sunny window, Damp for those a source says hold up to moisture or move less with it, or Fiber and Lining to see one group.
| Fiber or lining | In sun | In damp and humidity | Movement | Care and notes | Weight (Kirsch, 2024) | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic | Very little strength loss and no discoloration; listed for windows | No source here | No source here | No source here | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984 |
| Polyester | Very gradual strength loss; listed for windows. Holds its color | No source here | Resists shrinking | Blackout and reflective linings from one maker are polyester | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008; Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated |
| Cotton | Gradual strength loss, and it yellows. Ultraviolet weakens it | Subject to mildew | Swells in damp air, and the fabric shrinks, as most woven fabrics do | Printed cottons and chintz are among the lighter curtain fabrics. A sun-sensitive fabric with a reflective lining can outlast a sun-resistant one unlined (1984) | Printed cottons 4 to 6 oz; chintz 2 to 4 oz | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008; CCI, light, undated; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
| Linen | Gradual strength loss | May shrink unless finished; colors may run | One workroom finds linen curtains lengthen and shorten with temperature and humidity, and re-hems them once they settle; one maker tells buyers that linen stretches | Ask whether it has been finished against shrinking. Blends move less (see blends) | Linens 6 to 10 oz | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008; Field Work Design Craft, linen and natural fabrics, undated; Shade Store drapery guide, undated; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
| Silk | Moderate strength loss, worse than cotton. Ultraviolet weakens it and eventually breaks it up | No source here | Swells in damp air, and the fabric shrinks, as most woven fabrics do | Heavy bump interlining was made to protect silk-faced drapery from the sun | Silks 2 to 4 oz | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; CCI, light, undated; Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
| Wool | Strength loss and gradual fading. Ultraviolet weakens it | No source here | One maker tells buyers that wool stretches | No source here | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; CCI, light, undated; Shade Store drapery guide, undated |
| Rayon | Worse than cotton; not recommended for windows in 1984. Affected by sunlight | May shrink or stretch | May shrink or stretch | No source here | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008 |
| Acetate | Not recommended for windows in 1984; weakened by sunlight | No source here | No source here | No source here | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008 |
| Nylon | Gradual strength loss; the sun fades it | No source here | No source here | No source here | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008 |
| Glass fiber (fiberglass) | No strength loss in sun; listed for windows | No source here | No source here | Low resistance to abrasion, so it wears where it rubs. A 1971 bulletin notes it will not burn. Screen fabrics for solar shades are part fiberglass, part PVC (36 and 64 percent in one spec sheet) | Not listed by fiber | Michigan State E-1772, 1984; New Mexico State G-401, marked for revision 2008; U. of Idaho, 1971; SheerWeave 2703 spec sheet, undated |
| Blends | Not rated in the extension tables. Natural dyes and natural fibers fade faster than synthetics, in the window film trade body's guide | One workroom finds linen blends less affected by humidity, which matters in coastal houses | Move less than pure linen, in the same workroom's experience | Ask the maker for its own data: the old tables do not cover today's blends and finishes | Not listed by fiber | IWFA education guide, 2026; Field Work Design Craft, linen, undated |
| Standard lining | Protects the face fabric from sun (and, in 1971, from soil) | No source here | No source here | Gives a fuller drape, a finished look from outside, and better light filtering and insulation. Lined draperies were usually dry cleaned in 1971, because washing can shrink the layers unevenly and pucker them | Drapery lining 2 to 4 oz | Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated; U. of Idaho, 1971; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
| Thermal or reflective lining | Reflects sunlight; metal-coated linings reflect heat back out. With one, a sun-sensitive face fabric can outlast a sun-resistant one hung unlined (1984) | No source here | No source here | DOE's 2022 guide suggests medium-colored draperies with white plastic backings to cut summer heat gain. How much any lining saves is in Heat, cold and condensation | Not listed | Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated; Michigan State E-1772, 1984; DOE Energy Saver Guide, 2022 |
| Blackout lining | One maker defines it as blocking 99 percent or more of natural light; theirs is polyester and certified flame-resistant | No source here | No source here | Light still comes round the edges of the curtain; see light gaps. Add its weight to the curtain's when you check the hardware | Blackout lining 6 to 10 oz | Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated; Hunter Douglas, light and privacy, undated; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
| Interlining | Adds light blocking | No source here | No source here | Sits between the face fabric and the lining, for extra light filtering, privacy, insulation and sound deadening. One maker's napped lining combines lining and interlining for velvet | Interlining 5 to 6 oz | Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
| Bump (heavy interlining) | Made to protect silk-faced drapery from the sun | No source here | No source here | An extra-thick cotton interlining. Add its weight to the curtain's when you check the rod and anchors | Bump 12 to 14 oz | Eastern Accents lining FAQ, undated; Kirsch guide, 2024 |
The label and the care
Curtains and draperies sold in the United States carry a fiber-content label under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act; blinds and shades made mainly of slats, rods or strips do not (16 CFR Part 303). The federal care-label rule covers clothing and fabric sold for sewing clothes, and does not reach curtains, so a curtain may have no care instructions (16 CFR Part 423). Ask the seller how it is cleaned before you buy, and test a hidden corner before you wash anything (Cleaning by surface in Learn Home Finishes). How to read the label itself is on Labels and spec sheets.
The fiber ratings are from extension bulletins of 1971 to 1984 and a guide due for revision in 2008. They compare fibers in general, not a product, a dye or a finish, and they give no time to failure. The conservation figures describe museum objects and colors, not a forecast for a curtain. The weights are one hardware maker's typical figures by fabric type; weigh or ask about your own fabric when the hardware is close to its rating. For a particular fabric, the maker's own data wins.