Curtain rod bracket template
Enter the window size and how far the rod should overhang it, and this works out the rod length, its height, and where the brackets go. Print the strip below at true size to mark the wall instead of eyeballing it.
So open curtains clear the glass
4" to 6" is typical; higher reads taller
Rod length and mounting height
Rod length
44"
Bracket height
85"
From the floor
The layout in numbers
- Left end of rod
- 4" left of the window trim
- Bracket 1From the rod's left end
- 3"
- Bracket 2From the rod's left end
- 41"
Marking strip, at true size
Wider than one sheet, so it prints across 7 pieces you butt together. Print at 100%, check the ruler, then hold the strip's left end 4" left of the window trim, level, at 85" from the floor.
Put a tape on the printed ruler. If it does not read exactly 6 inches, the print was scaled — set the print dialog to 100% or “Actual size” and print it again. Do not cut wood from a template that failed this.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Left end sits 4" left of the window trim. Mark each bracket tick, level, at 85" from the floor. Trim on the orange line and butt this piece to the next one — the marks either side of the join have to line up before you drill anything.
Check what's behind the wall
This lays out the spacing, not what each mark lands on. Land brackets on a stud where you can — curtain hardware carries real weight and the occasional tug.
Printing this properly
In the print dialog, set the scale to 100% or “Actual size” and turn off “Fit to page”. Measure the printed ruler with a tape before you trust the spacing.
About hanging curtain rods
- How much should a curtain rod overhang the window?
- 3" to 6" past the window trim on each side is typical, more for a wider look. The point is to give the stacked curtain somewhere to go that isn't in front of the glass — an overhang on only one side still shadows the window on the other.
- How high above the window should the rod go?
- 4" to 6" above the top of the window trim reads as a normal, in-proportion window. Mounting the rod much higher — sometimes all the way up near the ceiling — is a deliberate trick to make the window and the wall read taller; there's no fixed number, just a taller gap between rod and glass.
- Do curtain rod brackets need to hit a stud?
- Where you can, yes — especially for a heavy rod or heavy fabric. A light rod on rated drywall anchors will usually hold, but a stud costs nothing extra if one lines up with a bracket position.
- Why isn't the middle bracket exactly in the middle of the window?
- It's the middle of the rod, not the window — and the rod is wider than the window by the overhang on both sides. For a rod centred on the window those are the same point, but a rod hung off-centre (common over an off-centre window) needs its own centreline.