Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Slat blinds, which consist of many horizontal slats, usually of metal or vinyl, connected with string in
such a way that they can be rotated to allow light to pass between the slats, rotated up to about 170
degrees to hide the light, or pulled up so that the entire window is clear. Vertical blinds consist of slats
of stiffened fabric, plastic, or metal hanging by one end from a track. Like the horizontal versions, the
slats can be rotated 90 degrees to allow light to pass through or to fold up on one side of a door or
window. Vertical blinds exhibit better control over the extent of natural or exterior light entering the
room because of the ability of slats to close tightly.
Venetian blinds have horizontal slats, one slat above another. They are suspended by strips of cloth
called tapes or by cords which are able to tip them each at the same time up to 180 degrees. There are
also lift cords passing through holes in each slat. When these cords are pulled, the bottom of the blind
moves upward causing slats to rest on each other as the blind is raised. Venetian blinds are basic
slatted blinds made of metal or plastic; wooden slats are sometimes used but these are usually referred
to as wood blinds or bamboo blinds. Slat width varies between 16 mm and 120 mm, the most
common width being 50 mm.
Other varieties of window blinds include Mini blinds (venetian blinds with very narrow slats usually
25 mm wide), Micro blinds (with slats usually 12 mm wide), Louvers (fabric or poly vinyl), Jalousies,
Brise Soleil, Holland blinds, Pleated blinds, Honeycomb blinds (similar to pleated shades except that
there are two or more layers joined at the pleats to form compartments that trap air, providing
insulation), Roman shades, and roller shades. The Louvers vary in width from 50 mm to 125 mm, but
the most popular ones are the 100 mm louvers.
Key growth drivers
The commercial establishments like offices, hospitals, hotels etc. account for majority of domestic
demand for blinds. Vertical blinds are the most popular in offices whereas Roman blinds are used in
hotels. Roman blinds are also preferred for farm houses. The growth in domestic demand for blinds is
expected to be driven by the infrastructure development planned in the country.
Market size of Blinds and future forecast
Industry survey reveals that blinds are of typically the same width and height as the window itself or
slightly wider and taller depending on whether they are fixed inside or outside the window's reveal.
The fabric requirement in a blind for a window size of 6 ft X 6 ft is approximately 4.2 square meters.
As per industry sources the market size for blinds is estimated at Rs 1050 crore. The technical textile
component constitutes 60% by value of total blind. Thus, the market size for fabric used in blends is
estimated at Rs 630 crore. The current demand for fabric is estimated at 30 million square meters. The
demand for blinds is expected to increase on account of enhanced construction activity. Moreover, the
penetration of blinds is expected to increase in the domestic market. Thus, the demand of fabric for
blinds is expected to increase to 60 million sq m by 2012-13 (growing at 15% year on year). The