Sunscreen Blind Openness: 1% vs 3% vs 5%, Explained

Every sunscreen fabric carries a number — open to 1%, 3% or 5% — and the number decides more about the window's life than the colour does. It measures how much of the weave is open glass-to-eye: the lower the number, the more light the fabric intercepts, and the more the view softens.

The three weaves in practice

• 1% — the glare killer: the screen's default. Monitor walls, west-facing workstations, any room where the 3 pm sun is a functional enemy. The view becomes a suggestion; the heat rejection is the strongest of the three
• 3% — the all-rounder: intercepts the bite without bricking the view — living rooms with a view worth keeping, bedrooms whose problem is glare more than privacy
• 5% — the view-first option: the most open, the most daylight, the least glare control. Balcony dining, garden-facing studies, rooms that want sunglasses, not curtains

Choosing by elevation, honestly

1. West/South: 1–3%. The long low sun is the whole problem; openness is your least effective dollar anywhere else
2. East: 3–5% — the morning is short and glancing; you want the light, just not the flare at the coffee table
3. North: light-filtering fabric, mostly — sunscreen spends interception you do not need
4. Where privacy matters, sunscreen is not the tool — at night, an open weave shows silhouettes regardless, per the privacy guide; pair with a dim-out roller or choose zebra instead

Two field notes

• Openness is a daytime spec: judge samples backlit at the hour of the problem — the swatch guide covers the method
• Heat follows colour as well as openness: on identical weaves, the lighter tone runs slightly cooler; on Delhi west glass, choose open-to-1% first, colour second

Sunscreen weaves sit in the roller family — rate from ₹100/sq ft depending on fabric grade, GST included, 10 sq ft minimum per blind, full tables in the 2026 price guide. Bring a sample of each openness to your actual window before committing — the Block E, Mangolpuri counter hands out the 1, 3 and 5 in the same colourway precisely so the comparison is fair, Mon–Sat 10am–7pm.