The heading is the top of the curtain — the part that gathers the fabric and connects it to a track or pole. It decides how the folds fall, how much fabric the curtain needs, and what hardware you can hang it on. Four headings cover most homes: pencil pleat, eyelet, pinch pleat and wave. Here is how they compare.

Which heading for which look

In broad strokes, pinch (or triple) pleat reads as classic, tailored and formal. Eyelet gives modern, minimalist, even folds. Wave produces a soft, uniform, contemporary S-curve. Pencil pleat is the neutral all-rounder that sits comfortably in a traditional or a modern room. The practical differences — fabric use and hardware — matter just as much as the look, so it is worth reading on before you decide.

Pencil pleat: the versatile all-rounder

Pencil pleat uses a gathering tape sewn across the top of the curtain. Pull the cords and the fabric bunches into tight, narrow pleats. Because the tape carries hooks, a pencil pleat curtain can hang from either a curtain track or a pole with rings — which is why it is the most flexible heading if you are unsure what hardware you will end up with.

Pencil pleat typically needs around twice the track width in fabric, and up to roughly two and a half times with a deeper tape.

Eyelet: the easy modern option (pole only)

Eyelet curtains have metal rings punched through the top of the fabric. The pole threads straight through the rings, so eyelet curtains hang on a pole only — not a track. The result is deep, even folds and a clean, contemporary feel.

Eyelet typically needs around twice the pole width in fabric and needs less fullness than gathered headings, which makes it one of the more fabric-economical choices. It shows plain fabrics and horizontal stripes at their best; large florals or strong vertical patterns can look distorted as they disappear into the deep folds.

Pinch (triple) pleat: the tailored, formal choice

Pinch pleat — often made as a triple pleat — groups the fabric into crisp, evenly spaced pleats stitched at the base, with flat sections between them. It is the most tailored and formal of the four.

It is also the least economical: pinch pleat typically needs around 2.2 to 2.5 times the window width in fabric, the most of any common heading, which makes it less practical on very wide windows. It looks best in plain, smooth fabrics, where the pleats read cleanly.

Wave: the smooth S-fold (needs a wave track)

Wave — also called ripplefold or S-fold; they are the same heading — hangs the curtain in a continuous, even series of S-shaped curves front and back. It is the softest and most contemporary look of the four, and it stays uniform whether the curtain is open or closed.

That evenness depends on the hardware. Wave curtains need a dedicated wave track, or a pole fitted with wave gliders; a standard track will not hold the even spacing that makes the S-curve. Wave typically needs around 2.2 times the track width in fabric.

How to choose: fullness, track or pole, fabric and cost

Start with your hardware. If you already have a standard track you want to keep, pencil pleat or pinch pleat will hang from it; eyelet will not, and wave needs its own system. If you have a pole, pencil pleat (on rings), eyelet and wave (with wave gliders) are all options.

Then think about fabric. Because fullness drives how much fabric you buy, pinch pleat costs the most in fabric and eyelet tends to cost the least. Pattern matters too: eyelet shows plain fabrics and horizontal stripes best, and pinch pleat looks best in plain, smooth fabrics. And if light control matters — say in a bedroom — any of these headings can be lined; our guide to blockout curtains vs blockout blinds covers that choice, and lining also helps with why the sun destroys curtains.

*Fullness is the fabric width relative to the track or pole. These are typical figures; exact ratios vary by workroom and fabric.

Cape Curtains makes curtains to measure across Cape Town and the wider Western Cape, and we also fit curtains, rails and tracks you have bought elsewhere — so we can help you match the heading to the hardware you already have.