How to Measure for Window Shutters (Including Bay Windows)

Made-to-measure shutters live or die by accurate measuring — a few millimetres out and the fit is never quite right. Here’s how shutter measuring works, so you know what’s involved. In practice we do all of this for you as part of our free home survey, because getting it exactly right is what makes shutters look built-in.

Inside mount or outside mount?

The first decision is whether the shutters sit inside the window recess (a neat, built-in look) or on a frame over the recess (useful where the recess is shallow or uneven). The right choice depends on your window depth and the look you’re after — something we assess on survey.

How shutters are measured, step by step

1. Width — measured in at least three places (top, middle and bottom), because window openings are rarely perfectly square. The smallest measurement usually governs the fit.
2. Height — again measured in several places, left, centre and right.
3. Depth — the recess depth determines whether an inside mount is possible and which frame suits.
4. Squareness — we check the diagonals and any lean, so the frame can be built to compensate.

Measuring bay and shaped windows

Bays and shaped windows need each section and angle measured individually so the panels meet cleanly. This is fiddly to do accurately by eye, which is exactly why we survey bay window shutters in person.

Why we measure for you

A DIY measurement that’s slightly off can mean shutters that bind, gap or don’t sit flush — and on a made-to-measure product that’s an expensive mistake. Our free survey removes the risk entirely: we measure precisely, advise on what affects the cost, and stand behind the fit.

Book a free measuring survey →