Honeycomb Blinds Cost Calculator
Honeycomb blinds are the only common internal blind that carries a real insulation rating, which is why they get specified for bedrooms, west-facing living rooms and apartments with single glazing. Price the job by window count and fabric spec below.
Count each blind separately. A wide window split into two blinds counts as two.
Double cell traps a second air pocket and lifts thermal performance roughly 30 to 40 per cent.
Top-down bottom-up lets you drop the top rail for daylight while keeping the lower half private.
Ask for the fabric's R-value in writing. A quality double cell blockout honeycomb sits around R0.45 to R0.6 in a snug reveal fit, which is meaningful on single glazing but nowhere near what a supplier claiming 'double glazing performance' is implying.
Reveal fit beats face fit for thermal performance because it closes the air gap at the sides. Face fit is the fallback when the reveal is under about 40mm deep or the architrave sits proud of the frame.
💰 Ways to save
- Order all your blinds in a single job rather than room by room. Installers price a measure and install visit at roughly $180 to $280 as a fixed call-out regardless of how many blinds go up, so five separate visits across a year can add $900 to $1,200 of pure travel cost to the same set of windows. Batch the whole house and that collapses to one charge.
- Motorise only the windows you genuinely cannot reach. A battery motor adds roughly $190 to $340 per blind over a cordless equivalent, so motorising twelve windows when only three are above a stairwell or behind a kitchen bench burns $1,700 or more on convenience you will not notice. Keep the manual cordless spec everywhere within arm's reach.
- Get a price on the same fabric from a local workroom as well as a national retailer. Both usually buy the cellular fabric from the same handful of importers, but a franchise showroom loads 55 to 80 per cent margin on the made-up blind while an independent workroom typically runs 35 to 45 per cent. On a $4,000 job that gap is often $900 to $1,300 for an identical product.
- Skip blockout in rooms that do not need it. Blockout honeycomb costs about 15 to 20 per cent more than light-filtering and looks flat and grey during the day. Bedrooms and media rooms justify it, but living areas and studies almost always read better with light-filtering fabric, which also saves you the cost of the pricier metallised backing.
or from $15/week over 5 years , indicative finance
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## What honeycomb blinds actually cost in Australia in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
Pricing reviewed June 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
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Understanding honeycomb blinds costs in Australia
What honeycomb blinds actually cost in Australia in 2026
A supplied and installed honeycomb blind on a standard bedroom window (roughly 1200mm wide by 1500mm drop) lands between $280 and $460 in single cell light-filtering fabric with cordless operation. Move to double cell blockout and the same window sits around $430 to $640. A large living room window at 2400mm wide by 2100mm drop runs $620 to $1,050 depending on cell and fabric. Whole-house pricing is the number most people actually need, and a typical three bedroom home with eight to ten windows lands between $2,600 and $5,200 fitted.
Motorisation is the single biggest multiplier. A rechargeable battery motor adds $190 to $340 per blind, a hardwired 240V motor adds $260 to $420 per blind plus the electrical trade. Automating a full house of ten windows can push a $3,200 job past $6,500, which is why most people motorise a handful of hard-to-reach openings and leave the rest cordless.
Why honeycomb costs more than roller or venetian
The cellular structure is the reason. A honeycomb blind is a pleated fabric folded into hexagonal cells that trap still air, and every cell has to be bonded, creased and set under heat so it holds its shape for a decade of raising and lowering. That is a more involved manufacturing process than laminating a roller fabric onto a tube. Expect to pay roughly 30 to 55 per cent more than an equivalent roller blind on the same window.
You are buying thermal performance for that premium. A snug reveal-fitted double cell blockout honeycomb measures around R0.45 to R0.6, which on single glazed aluminium windows meaningfully reduces both winter heat loss and summer heat gain. Households in Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and the NSW tablelands report the clearest comfort difference. In Darwin or Cairns, where the real problem is radiant heat before it hits the glass, external shading gives you far more per dollar than any internal blind.
The specification choices that move your quote
Cell construction comes first. Single cell 25mm is the volume product and covers most rooms. Double cell adds a second air chamber and roughly 25 to 30 per cent to the price, and it is worth it in bedrooms on the western wall or in any room with old single glazing. Twenty-five millimetre cells suit windows under about 1800mm drop, while 32mm and 38mm cells hold their shape better on tall openings.
Fabric grade is next. Light-filtering translucent fabric is the baseline. Blockout carries a metallised or foil backing and adds 15 to 20 per cent. Day and night dual fabric, which runs a translucent panel and a blockout panel in one head box, costs 55 to 70 per cent more than plain light-filtering but replaces the need for a second layer of blinds or curtains, so on a media room it can actually be the cheaper total solution.
Operation, motors and the electrical trade
Cordless lift is now the default because Australian child safety rules for corded internal blinds mean any loop has to be tensioned and anchored to the wall. A continuous chain loop is still available and adds around 5 per cent, plus the mandatory cleat or tensioner. Battery motors have become the practical mid-tier: a rechargeable lithium motor lives inside the head rail, charges from a USB lead every eight to eighteen months, and pairs to a remote or a bridge for app control.
Hardwired motorisation is worth doing only if you are already opening walls. Running 240V to each head box means a licensed electrician, and in most capitals that is $110 to $160 an hour with a minimum call-out. Budget $400 to $900 on top of the blind price for a small run of windows in an existing home, and considerably more if the ceiling is not accessible from above.
Measuring, fitting and the mistakes that cost money
Reveal fit sits the blind inside the window opening and delivers the best thermal result because the side gaps close down to a few millimetres. It requires at least 35 to 45mm of depth for the head box, more if you have chosen top-down bottom-up or a double cell. Face fit mounts the blind on the wall above the opening, works on any reveal, and typically overlaps the frame by 50 to 75mm each side to control light leak.
The classic costly error is measuring the glass instead of the opening, then reordering. Custom blinds are non-returnable in almost every Australian supply agreement, so a mismeasured 2400mm living room blind is a $700 to $1,000 write-off. Paying a supplier $180 to $280 for a professional check measure is cheap insurance on any job over about $1,500.
Getting quotes that are genuinely comparable
Ask every supplier for the same four data points: fabric brand and range name, cell size in millimetres, opacity class, and whether the price is supplied only or supplied and installed. Without those you are comparing a $290 blind against a $460 blind with no idea whether they are the same product. Warranty length is the fifth question worth asking, since reputable makers back the fabric for five to ten years and the motor for three to five.
Lead times in 2026 run four to seven weeks for locally made honeycomb and eight to fourteen weeks for imported product, so a supplier quoting a two week turnaround is either holding stock sizes or cutting a corner somewhere. Deposits of 30 to 50 per cent are normal on custom window furnishings, and paying the balance only after a successful install is a reasonable condition to negotiate.
Frequently asked questions
How much do honeycomb blinds cost per window in Australia?
A standard bedroom window around 1200mm by 1500mm costs $280 to $460 supplied and installed in single cell light-filtering fabric, or $430 to $640 in double cell blockout. A large 2400mm by 2100mm living room window runs $620 to $1,050. A full three bedroom house with eight to ten windows typically lands between $2,600 and $5,200.
Are double cell honeycomb blinds worth the extra cost?
In cool climate zones, generally yes. Double cell adds roughly 25 to 30 per cent to the blind price, so about $90 to $170 per window, and lifts thermal performance from around R0.35 to R0.45 up to R0.5 to R0.6. On single glazed windows in Melbourne, Canberra or Hobart that is a noticeable comfort difference. In tropical north Queensland, external shading returns more per dollar.
How much does it cost to motorise honeycomb blinds?
A rechargeable battery motor adds $190 to $340 per blind and needs no electrical work. A hardwired 240V motor adds $260 to $420 per blind plus the electrician, which is typically $110 to $160 per hour with a minimum call-out, so budget $400 to $900 extra for a small run of windows in an existing home.
What is top-down bottom-up and how much more does it cost?
It is a dual rail system that lets you lower the top rail for daylight while the bottom stays up for privacy, which is ideal for street-facing bathrooms and ground floor bedrooms. It adds around 20 to 28 per cent to the blind, roughly $70 to $180 per window, and needs a deeper head box of about 55 to 65mm.
How long do honeycomb blinds last?
Quality cellular fabric holds its pleat for ten to fifteen years indoors. Fabric warranties are typically five to ten years and motor warranties three to five. The usual failure point is not the fabric but the internal lift cord and spring mechanism, which most makers will service for $80 to $180 per blind rather than replace.
Can honeycomb blinds be fitted to skylights and odd shaped windows?
Yes. Skylight and raked window systems use tensioned side tracks and cost roughly 70 to 120 per cent more than a standard blind, so expect $600 to $1,300 per skylight. Arched and angled tops are made as fixed shapes that do not raise, and they typically add $150 to $350 per unit.
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