Buyers argue about noise more than about any other figure in motorised blinds, and they usually argue about the wrong part of it: the number itself rather than the tolerance behind it.
What noise actually controls in motorised blinds
Guest rooms and bedrooms are unforgiving above 40 dB.
The consequence is that this figure sets the floor for everything downstream: the process, the price and the failure mode all follow from it.
For Motorised blinds, the working range is <= 35 dB at 1 m. Inside that band the choice is commercial; outside it, the product changes category and so does the price.
What <= 35 dB at 1 m does not tell you
| Position | Value | Effect on motorised blinds | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor | <= 35 dB at 1 m | Lowest cost, least margin for process variation | Protocol incompatibility within a season |
| Working middle | <= 35 dB at 1 m | Predictable performance at a normal price | Nothing to negotiate, nothing to explain |
| Ceiling | <= 35 dB at 1 m | Best performance, highest cost | Cost the end product may not recover |
Specifying the ceiling is only justified when the end product carries a warranty that would be expensive to honour. Otherwise it is cost without a customer-visible benefit.
The figure that decides the outcome is not noise itself but the tolerance around it. A supplier who quotes <= 35 dB at 1 m without a tolerance has not quoted a specification, and the first lot will define the tolerance for you.
How to measure noise
The reference method here is Torque and current, run to full load, with an acceptance of within motor curve. The method is the easy part; sampling and conditioning are where reports diverge.
Take samples from the beginning, middle and end of the run. A single sample from the top of a roll tells you about the top of that roll, and noise varies more across a run than most buyers expect.
Record the measured value rather than pass or fail. A marginal pass on noise tells you the process is running at the edge, which is the information you need before the next lot rather than after it.
Noise does not stand alone
Noise moves with torque (1.2-3.0 Nm) and with battery life (300-500 cycles per charge). Tightening one usually costs money in another, and a supplier who accepts every tolerance without comment has either not understood the interaction or is planning to substitute.
This is why a specification written as a list of independent tolerances is weaker than one written as a construction. The list lets a supplier satisfy each line while missing the product.
The clause to write for noise
The line below is the version we can quote against without inventing anything. Noise appears with a tolerance and a test, not as a standalone number.
Motorised 50 mm basswood venetian blind, Li-ion battery, Zigbee 3.0, <= 32 dB, 2.0 Nm, electronic limits, manual override, 400 cycles per charge, EN 13120 safety
The clause that protects you is not the value, it is the sentence that says what happens when the value is missed. Put it in the purchase order, not only in the enquiry.
When noise goes wrong
Protocol incompatibility. The blind works on the app but not on the building system.
The cause is usually proprietary rf presented as ‘smart’, or a gateway that is not certified for the system.
The test that catches it: Bench test with the actual third-party controller before shipping.
What to specify instead: Specify a certified protocol and test with the buyer’s controller, not a demo unit.
Note that the fix is a specification change, not a negotiation. By the time the claim is made, the only remaining lever is who pays for it.
Four questions about noise, before you order
- What tolerance do you hold on noise, and what did your last three lots measure against it?
- Which method do you use for torque and current, and which laboratory signs the report?
- When noise falls outside <= 35 dB at 1 m, do you rework, downgrade, or ship and hope?
- Which of torque or battery life would you move first to hit a lower price?
The answers are more useful than a certificate, because they show whether the process is controlled or merely inspected. Full ranges for motorised blinds are on the product page, and the measurement regime is described on the quality control page.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Is a hub required?
For WiFi, no. For Zigbee, yes, unless your buyer already has one. This is the most common pre-sales question and the most common source of returns.
Can guests override it?
We supply a manual override and a lock-out mode for hotels. Specify both, because housekeeping will otherwise unplug the blind.
Seven lines that turn a quotation into a specification
Most post-delivery arguments are not about quality. They are about a document that never said which figure would be measured, on which instrument, at whose cost.
- Manual override: required is not an answer on its own. Ask for the last three lots’ actual readings and the spread behind them.
- Power: agree the test method with the number. Two labs, two methods, two answers, one argument.
- Protocol (RF 433 / Zigbee / WiFi / Matter / Z-Wave): state where in the band this order sits. The middle of the band is not what a tolerance is for.
- Noise: the figure you will accept inside the <= 35 dB at 1 m band, the tolerance on it, and the method used to measure it.
- Price validity: the period during which the quoted figure holds, and what happens to it when the raw-material index moves.
- Remedy: rework, replacement or credit, and the point at which each applies.
- Sample retention: one production sample per lot stays with the mill for twelve months. Claims are settled against it, not against memory.
Three questions, and the answers that separate mills
If the motorised blinds figures on this page is going to be decided on a call, take these three questions into it.
| Question | Answer that should worry you | Answer that holds up |
|---|---|---|
| Which test catches motor stall on wide blinds? | “We have never had a complaint.” | Torque and current — on the production lot, with the acceptance figure written into the report and not into the email. |
| May I see a report for a lot you shipped last month? | “That is confidential customer information.” | A redacted report, which carries every number that matters and none of the customer’s identity. |
| Where in the Li-ion battery / 12 V DC / hardwired band will this order sit? | “In the middle, normally.” | A stated target and the readings behind it. Power drifting inside the band is how a conforming lot still fails. |
Need noise specified and tested against your end use?
Send a window schedule or a single set size and we will return a quotation with the loading plan, the safety standard that applies to your market and the lead time for the colour you need. Catalogue and current price list on request.
Related reading
- Protocol in Motorised blinds
- What Motorised Blinds Really Costs
- Motorised Blinds vs Manual blinds with a wand
Catalogue and current price list · Neutral packing and private label · Consolidation, documents and lead times
