S-fold curtains in Pakenham.

What S-fold is, and what it is not

S-fold, also called wave or ripple fold, is a heading, not a fabric. The top of the curtain is fixed to a continuous carrier tape, and the carriers ride inside the track at a set spacing, usually 60mm or 80mm. Because the spacing never changes, the fabric between carriers has to bow, and it bows into the same soft S all the way down. Open, closed or half drawn, the folds read identically. There are no pleats to pinch, no hooks showing above the heading, and the track is hidden behind the top of the curtain rather than sitting above it.

Two things follow from that. First, S-fold needs more cloth, about 2.2 to 2.5 times the track length, because the ripple only forms if there is enough fabric between carriers. Second, it will only run on a compatible wave track with the correct carrier spacing. It cannot go on a decorative rod, and it cannot be retrofitted to a standard track. If someone quotes you S-fold on your existing track, ask which track it is.

Fabric and lining options

• Sheer S-fold. The most common version in this corridor by a wide margin. A wide-width linen-look sheer waving across a family room slider is the signature look of a new Cardinia Lakes or Arena home. See sheer curtains for fabric detail.
• Triple-weave blockout S-fold. One fabric, block built into the weave, made as a wave. Good in a bedroom where you want the modern heading without the cost of a lined make.
• Lined blockout S-fold. Face fabric plus a blockout or thermal lining. Heavier, and the added weight actually improves the wave because the folds hang deeper. Needs a heavy-duty wave track.
• Interlined S-fold. Possible, and beautiful, but the bump layer adds bulk at the carrier tape and the folds get very deep. Better suited to a wide window than a narrow one, where deep waves can look crowded.
• Twin-track layering. Sheer S-fold in front, blockout behind, both on the same twin wave track. This is what most main bedrooms here end up with.

Where S-fold suits

Contemporary architecture with square openings and a flush or shadowline ceiling, which describes almost all of the newer estate stock through Officer and the Pakenham growth streets. It suits wide windows especially well, because the fold pattern stays even across a 3 or 4 metre run where pinch pleats can start to look crowded. It also suits ceiling-fixed tracks, where the wave running straight off the ceiling line is the whole effect.

It suits some rooms less. In a period home through Garfield or an older central Pakenham weatherboard, a wave against a picture rail and ornate architrave looks like it wandered in from a different house, and pinch pleat on a decorative rod is the better answer. Behind an existing pelmet, S-fold is largely wasted money because the effect at the top, which is what you are paying for, is hidden. And on a very narrow window, under about 900mm, there are too few folds for the pattern to establish and it just looks uncertain.

How we measure and hang them

Everything starts with the track, because with a wave the track is not an accessory, it is part of the product. We set the run 150mm to 250mm past the glass at each side with a return at each end, then check the bracket spacing against the finished curtain weight. A lined blockout wave across a slider is heavy, and an under-bracketed track will develop a dip that shows immediately in a fold pattern that is supposed to be perfectly regular. Full detail is on the tracks and rods page.

Carrier spacing gets chosen at the measure. Wider spacing gives deeper, more dramatic waves and needs more fabric. Tighter spacing gives a crisper, more restrained ripple. Then the drop is taken floor to ceiling with 10mm to 15mm hem clearance, and the final hem is set at install after the curtain has hung and the fabric has settled.

Then we dress it, which matters more here than with any other heading. Each fold gets set by hand so it faces the same way top to bottom, and the whole curtain is tied loosely for two or three days so the memory trains into the cloth. Skip that step and a wave curtain can take months to settle and may never look right.

Price and lead time

S-fold is priced as a premium of roughly 10 to 20 percent over pinch pleat in the same fabric, which comes from the extra fullness plus the specific track. In practice: sheer S-fold on a track $280 to $700 per window fitted, triple-weave blockout S-fold $300 to $750, and lined blockout S-fold $350 to $900. Wave tracks sit at $90 to $220 for a straight standard run, $220 to $600 for heavy-duty or bay-bent, and $700 to $1,800 motorised. Lead time is 3 to 5 weeks from approval. A full breakdown with a worked whole-house example is on the 2026 pricing page.

Caring for S-fold curtains

• Draw them by the leading edge or a wand, never by grabbing the middle of the fabric. Pulling from the centre stresses the carrier tape and can distort the spacing.
• Re-dress after a wash or a clean. Set the folds by hand and tie the curtain for two or three days again, exactly as at install.
• Vacuum the heading and hem with the upholstery brush every few months. Dust settles on the top of a wave more than on any other heading because the folds face upward.
• Sheer waves can usually be washed cold on a delicate cycle in a mesh bag and hung damp. Lined blockout waves should be dry cleaned.
• If a fold starts sitting the wrong way, correct it early. A crease trained into the wrong direction becomes permanent.
• Have the carriers checked if the curtain starts to drag. A single seized carrier will pull the whole pattern out of shape and is a five minute fix.

Next steps

If you like the look but the room has a pelmet or period detailing, say so at the measure and we will show you both headings against the window before you decide. Compare the fabric options on the sheers and blockout pages, check what your suburb usually needs on the areas page, then book a free in-home measure.