Every Roman blind that leaves a UK workroom is a product, and since the 2014 child safety amendment the law has been explicit about what a safe one looks like. BS EN 13120 sets the bar, and the General Product Safety Regulations make it your duty to meet it, whether you make ten blinds a year or ten a day. The standard exists because looped cords and chains have killed young children, and a Roman blind has both a control chain at the side and cords running up the back. This guide explains what the standard asks of a maker, in the order you meet it on the bench: who carries the responsibility, how long a chain can be, what a breakaway device has to do, and which components tick each box. It is not legal advice, but it is the checklist we use with trade customers, and every component in it is stocked in our Roman blind kits and components range.
In this guide
What BS EN 13120 actually requires · Who is legally responsible: maker, installer or retailer? · Cord and chain length rules · Breakaway devices and safety clips · Rear cords, rings and toggle spacing · Labelling and warning requirements · Compliant component checklist · Penalties for non-compliance
At a glance: the five rules that matter on the bench
Chain fitted to a known window height: lowest point at least 1.5 m above the floor with a tensioner, or at least 0.6 m with a breakaway device.
Chain fitted to an unknown window height: loop no longer than two thirds of the blind drop, with a breakaway device fitted.
Any breakaway component must separate under a 6 kg load within 5 seconds.
Rear cords need attachment points no more than 200 mm apart, or toggles that release under load.
The blind carries your name and a warning label, and the customer gets written instructions.
What BS EN 13120 actually requires
BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014 is the performance standard for internal blinds, and the A1 amendment is the part that added child safety. Two companion standards, BS EN 16433 and BS EN 16434, cover the test methods and the safety devices. A workroom does not need to read them line by line; you need to know the four things they control.
Cord and chain length.
Maximum lengths depend on whether you know the height the blind will be installed at.
Safety devices.
Every looped cord or chain needs a breakaway device or a tensioner that stops a hazardous loop forming.
Inner cords.
The cords up the back of a Roman blind are covered too, not just the control chain.
Warnings and instructions.
A permanent label on the blind, a warning notice and written instructions supplied with it.
The standard applies wherever a child under 42 months could be present: homes, hotels, hospitals, schools, nurseries and shops. For a curtain workroom that is every job. Meeting BS EN 13120 gives you a presumption of conformity with the regulations, so the standard, not the customer’s preference, is the safe default.
Who is legally responsible: maker, installer or retailer?
All three, and the duty does not pass down the chain. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 apply to producers and distributors alike, so a made-to-measure Roman blind carries an obligation for whoever made it, sold it and fitted it.
| Role | What the regulations expect of you |
|---|---|
| Maker or workroom | Build to the standard, fit safety devices at the point of manufacture, attach the warning label and your name or trademark, and supply instructions. |
| Retailer or supplier | Only supply safe products, show point-of-sale safety information, and pass on the manufacturer’s warnings and instructions to the end customer. |
| Installer | Fit the blind as the standard requires, secure tensioners and cleats properly, leave the warnings and instructions with the customer and demonstrate safe operation. |
If you make and fit, you hold every one of those duties. If a decorator or retailer fits, you still own the build, the components and the labelling. Trading Standards enforce the regulations, usually after a complaint or an incident rather than a routine visit.
Cord and chain length rules
This is where most workrooms slip, because the rule changes with what you know at the point of manufacture. The standard splits every blind into two cases: installation height known, and installation height unknown.
| Situation | Control chain (looped) | Pull cord (non-looped) |
|---|---|---|
| Installation height known (you measured the window) | Fit so the lowest point of the loop is at least 1.5 m from the floor when secured by a tensioner, or at least 0.6 m from the floor where a breakaway device is fitted. | Fit the cord accumulator or tidy at least 1.5 m from the floor, as close to the headrail as practical. |
| Installation height unknown (blind sold or made to size only) | Chain loop no longer than two thirds of the blind drop, and a breakaway device must be fitted. | For a drop of 2.5 m or less, cord no longer than 1 m. For a longer drop, no longer than the drop minus 1.5 m. |
The two-thirds rule is the one to remember for supply-only work. On a 1.5 m drop that gives you a maximum chain loop of 1 m, which is exactly why the metal chain supplied in our complete Roman blind kit is cut to a 100 cm drop. Deeper blinds can take a longer chain, but never beyond two thirds and never without the breakaway clip. If you cut your own from nickel or brass Roman blind chain on the roll, note the length on the job sheet so it can be checked later.
The rule of thumb that keeps you safe
When in doubt, treat every blind as installation height unknown. It is the stricter case, it needs no assumptions about the fitter, and a shorter chain is never a compliance problem.
Breakaway devices and safety clips
A breakaway device is any component that opens the loop when a load is applied. BS EN 13120 sets the number: the hazardous loop must be eliminated when a mass of 6 kg is applied, gradually or within five seconds. That is comfortably below the weight of a toddler, so the loop gives way before it can do harm.
On a Roman blind there are two places a breakaway is needed. The first is the control chain, where a safety pull-away clip joins the two ends of the chain and separates under load. The second is the rear cord system, where toggles with spring hold the cord at each ring point and will not lock under a load of 6 kg or more. Both come in packs of 100 and belong on the bench as a standard consumable, not an optional extra.
A tensioner is the alternative on a known-height installation: fitted as far from the headrail as possible and screwed to the wall, it holds the loop taut so a child cannot get inside it. It only works if the installer fixes it, which is why supply-only work should default to a breakaway clip.
Rear cords, rings and toggle spacing
The inner cords of a Roman blind are easily overlooked because they sit against the window, out of sight. The standard treats them as accessible cords, and BS EN 16433 gives the working figure: no more than 200 mm between consecutive attachment points. Keep the rings or toggles on your Roman blind tape within that spacing and a cord cannot form a loop a child could get a head through.
There are two ways to hold the cord at each point. Toggles with hook are quick to fit and suit high-volume work to a fixed pattern. Toggles with spring add the breakaway function, releasing under load, and are the better choice where a blind is reachable from a cot or bed. Rods running through pockets instead of loose cords are the third route, and the 6.6 mm rod is stocked alongside the kits.
Labelling and warning requirements
Compliance is not only in the build. Three pieces of information must leave the workroom with every blind, and Trading Standards will look for them before they measure a chain.
Name or trademark on the blind.
A permanent identifier so the product can be traced back to its producer.
A warning label attached to the blind.
The wording covers strangulation risk from loops in cords, chains, tapes and inner cords, and advises keeping cords out of reach and beds and furniture away from the window.
Instructions supplied with the blind.
Fitting and safe-use instructions for the customer, including how the safety device works.
Every complete Roman blind kit we supply includes the warning label with the mechanism, so it is in the box before the fabric is cut. If you build from components, order labels in bulk and treat them as a line item on every job.
Compliant component checklist
The same rules as a bench checklist. Tick each line before a blind is packed.
| Requirement | What to check | Component |
|---|---|---|
| Chain length | Two thirds of the drop or less on unknown-height work; 0.6 m or 1.5 m floor clearance on known-height work. | Roman blind chain |
| Chain breakaway | Pull-away clip joins the chain ends and separates at 6 kg. | Safety pull-away clips |
| Rear cord breakaway | Spring toggles at each attachment point release under load. | Toggles with spring |
| Toggle spacing | No more than 200 mm between consecutive attachment points. | Roman blind tape |
| Label and instructions | Name, warning label and written instructions supplied. | Complete Roman blind kit |
If you are weighing up whether to buy the mechanism as a kit or assemble it from parts, our earlier guide to Roman blind kits versus buying components separately covers the cost and quality trade-offs. For compliance the kit route has one clear advantage: the chain length, breakaway clip and warning label arrive matched to the size ordered, so there is less to get wrong.
Penalties for non-compliance
A breach of the General Product Safety Regulations is a criminal offence, with penalties of up to £20,000 and up to 12 months’ imprisonment on conviction, plus suspension and recall notices that stop you supplying a product at all. The practical consequences cost as much: a recall of every blind made to the same spec, an insurer questioning a liability claim, and a trade customer who cannot risk buying from you again.
Set against that, the cost of compliance on a single blind is a clip, a set of spring toggles and a label. It is the cheapest insurance a workroom will ever buy.
Frequently asked questions
Does BS EN 13120 apply to a Roman blind I make for a customer's own fabric?
Yes. The regulations apply to the finished blind regardless of who supplied the fabric. If you built the mechanism, you are the producer and the duties sit with you.
Can I fit a longer chain if the customer asks for one?
Not beyond the standard. Where you know the installation height, the chain can reach 0.6 m from the floor with a breakaway clip fitted, which usually gives the reach a customer wants. Where you do not know the height, two thirds of the drop is the ceiling.
Do I need a breakaway clip and a tensioner?
One or the other on the control chain, correctly fitted. A breakaway clip needs no installer action, which is why we recommend it as the default, with a tensioner as an addition on known-height installs.
Are safety pull-away clips and spring toggles compatible with any Roman blind kit?
They suit standard ball chain and standard Roman blind tape, so they work with our kits and most mechanisms on the UK market. For an existing system, send us the chain gauge and tape width and we will confirm before you order.
Shop compliance-ready Roman blind components
Safety pull-away clips, spring toggles, chain cut to the rule and complete child-safe kits, all stocked in Stockport for next-day UK delivery. Trade and bulk pricing available. Contact us or call 0161 429 6929.