How it works
A window blind is a stack of slats hung on cords, which tilt to let light in and lift to clear the glass. This drawing names nine parts of a horizontal blind, then four more at its top.
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Two controls, two jobs
The slats rest on the rungs of two ladders, which hang from the headrail. Twisting the tilt wand works the tilter, a gear inside the headrail, and the slats turn. Pulling the lift cord by its tassel draws up the bottom rail and the slats with it; the cord lock holds them there. Brackets fix the headrail to the window frame, and a valance can clip over its front. End caps close the bottom rail, and a hold-down bracket can pin it.
- Wand or cord? The wand tilts the slats. The cord lifts them.
- The tilter and the cord lock are out of sight inside the headrail, so they are named in the second view.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a window blind called?
From the top: the headrail and its brackets, the slats on their ladders, and the bottom rail. The tilt wand turns the slats and the lift cord raises them. Inside the headrail are the tilter and the cord lock.
What is the stick on a blind called?
The tilt wand. It hooks onto the tilter, a small gear in the headrail, and twisting it turns the slats open or closed.
What are the strings on a blind called?
The cords that hang down for pulling are the lift cords. The cords or tapes that run down through the slats and carry them on rungs are the ladders.
What is the top of a blind called?
The headrail, also written head rail. It is the box across the top that holds the tilter and the cord lock. A valance is a strip that covers its front.