What are the Different Kinds of Curtain Hardware?

The different kinds of curtain hardware include eyelets, hooks, clips, rings, finials, tie backs and rod holders. The exact types of hardware used when hanging curtains will depend on the fabric's weight and the design of the particular window covering. Curtain hardware can attach to the fabric, rod and/or wall.

Rod holders must be installed into the upper wall of each side of the window that the curtains will be placed across. There are various styles of rod holders available, but all of them share two basic parts: a wall plate and a hollow, metal tube. Wall plate curtain hardware often has two holes in which to place the screws to attach the rod holder to the wall. This plate may be round, oval, rectangular or another shape in any metallic finish from shiny to polished to antiqued. In the center of the wall plate is a hollow tube in which the curtain rod is meant to be inserted.

Tie backs are metal holders that are mounted close to the center of each side of the window frame to allow the curtains to be held open. They are often wire or metal loops or hook-shaped pieces, as each side of the curtains must fit inside one tie back. Some tie back curtain hardware is plain black, silver, or gold in style, while other types are embellished with texture and detail such as with a leaf-shaped metal motif.

Finials, or curtain rod end caps, may also be leaf-shaped, or they may have an animal, floral, geometrical or other design style. Wood, metal, ceramic and plastic are just some of the possible materials for finial curtain hardware. Finials help create a finished look to curtains as even the smaller types are still usually noticeable at the rod ends.

Curtain rings may be thick, thin, metal, wood or plastic. They may be self-closing in their design or be sold with clips attached. Ring-shaped curtain hardware adds a lot of detail at the top of the curtains, especially larger sized rings. Due to their hollow, round shape, curtain rings move freely over the curtain rod when the fabric panels are pulled open or drawn closed. The ring and clip combination pieces allow fabric panels without holes or open hems to be used as curtains.

Eyelets are the metal, ring-shaped pieces embedded into the tops of some styles of curtains. They appear in a straight row across the curtain top. Either hook curtain hardware or the rod itself is to be placed into the eyelets. Curtain eyelets, which are also called grommets, are available in a range of different sizes.