Aluminium venetian blinds
Aluminium venetian blinds have thin 25 mm metal slats. See how they close, how they raise and what they need to fit in a recess.
What it is
An aluminium venetian blind is made of thin metal slats, 25 mm wide, with a slight curve.
The slats tilt to let light in or shut it out.
Looks and hangs like
Closed, the slats overlap by 5 mm.
The headrail at the top is 24 mm high.
Raised, the blind stacks about 100 mm high at a 2 m drop.
Suits
Near the sea, ask whether the aluminium parts are anodised or specially coated, because ordinary coating can lift from cut edges.
Light and privacy
Closed, a thin line of light shows at the cord holes between slat edges.
A thin gap shows at each side of a blind fitted inside a recess.
What to check at fitting
Inside a recess, the blind is 10 to 12 mm narrower than the recess.
The recess needs about 40 mm of depth clear of the window handle.
Cords and child safety
A venetian blind has lift and tilt controls that can carry cords. EN 13120 covers venetian blinds.
Blinds sold in the US before November 2000 often have inner cords that a child can pull into a loop, and US guidance says to repair them.
Window cords and chains can strangle a child.
Keep cords and chains at least 1.6 m above the floor.
Keep beds, cots and furniture away from the window, so a child cannot climb up to a cord.
A cordless blind has no cord to reach. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends cordless window coverings in every home where children live or visit.
A chain tidy or tension device holds a looped chain to the wall.
The Irish body advises asking whether the blind meets the European standard EN 13120, and whether its safety device meets EN 16433 and EN 16434.
This is guidance from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Ireland's consumer protection body.
Ask your installer for a cordless blind, or how the cord or chain will be fixed.
Measuring
Measure the recess at its narrowest, step by step.
Sources
Written by Sill from makers' fitting guides and published safety guidance, and last read on 18 October 2026. Sources are listed below.
- Shade and Story: 25 mm Clarity aluminium blind
- LEHA: Venetian blinds for professionals
- Luxaflex: venetian blinds brochure
- How to measure for a venetian blind (PDF)
- SIS catalogue: SS-EN 13120:2009+A1:2014, internal blinds
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission: Window coverings safety alert (PDF)
- Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission: Window blinds
- Sill's notes from fitters' and makers' guides