How to Identify Your Roman Blind Headrail – Deluxe, Professional or Elite?
Updated: 5 days ago
If you need to replace a Roman blind mechanism, cord drum, bracket or other headrail component, it's important to identify which type of Roman blind headrail you have before ordering.
Although many Roman blind tracks look very similar from the outside, the internal profiles can be quite different. Replacement mechanisms, cord drums and brackets designed for one system may not fit another.
Three commonly encountered manual Roman blind headrail profiles are known as Deluxe, Professional and Elite.
The easiest way to identify your Roman blind headrail
Remove the end cap from your Roman blind headrail and look directly at the end of the aluminium track.
Don't rely on the overall dimensions alone. Measurements quoted by different manufacturers and suppliers can vary by around 1 mm, and measuring an existing fitted track isn't always precise.
Instead, look at:
The shape of the aluminium profile
The approximate width and height
The width of the opening along the bottom of the track
The bottom opening is particularly useful because there is a considerable difference between the three systems.
Approximate profile: 32 mm wide × 36–37 mm high
Bottom opening: approximately 6 mm
Drive rod: typically 5–6 mm square
The Deluxe profile has a distinctive rounded body with a relatively narrow opening along the bottom.
It is widely used in modern Roman blinds, and we have also encountered this profile regularly when repairing existing blinds.
Because the bottom opening is only around 6 mm, it is normally quite easy to distinguish from Professional and particularly from Elite once the end of the track is visible.
Approximate profile: 32–33 mm wide × 32–33 mm high
Bottom opening: approximately 9 mm
Drive rod: typically 5–6 mm square
The Professional headrail is slightly shallower than the Deluxe profile and has a noticeably different internal extrusion shape.
Its approximately 9 mm bottom opening provides another useful way of identifying it.
Professional systems are also widely used for modern Roman blinds.
Elite Roman Blind Headrail
Approximate profile: 33 mm wide × 38 mm high
Bottom opening: approximately 19 mm
Drive rod: typically 5–6 mm square
The Elite is the easiest of the three to distinguish.
It is taller, has a more rectangular appearance and, most noticeably, has a very wide approximately 19 mm bottom opening.
Elite systems are generally intended for larger or heavier Roman blinds.
Why does the headrail profile matter?
This is the important part.
Although Deluxe, Professional and Elite Roman blind systems can use similar 5–6 mm square drive rods, this does not mean that their other components are interchangeable.
Depending upon the system, differences can include:
1:1 and 1:4 mechanisms
Cord drums and spools
Headrail brackets
End caps
Other internal fittings
A replacement component can therefore look remarkably similar to your existing part but still not locate correctly inside your headrail.
Always identify the headrail profile before ordering a profile-specific replacement part.
Quick Roman headrail identification
System | Approx. size | Bottom opening |
Deluxe | 32 × 36–37 mm | 6 mm |
Professional | 32–33 × 32–33 mm | 9 mm |
Elite | 33 × 38 mm | 19 mm |
The measurements are intended as a guide. The shape of the extrusion and bottom opening are more important than a 1 mm difference in the overall dimensions.
Still not sure which Roman blind headrail you have?
If your headrail doesn't clearly match one of the profiles above, don't order a replacement mechanism simply because it looks similar.
There are other Roman blind systems in circulation, including older and discontinued designs.
Take a clear photograph looking straight into the end of the headrail with the end cap removed. If possible, include a ruler or tape measure in the photograph.
We can then help identify the system and find the appropriate replacement part.
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