Zip Screen Price per m²: What Drives the Cost
A zip screen has no single price per square metre, because the fixed parts — motor, cassette, brackets, guides — are spread over whatever area the opening happens to be, and fabric, motorisation, sensors, mounting and freight move the total on top of that. Compare quotes per opening with an identical specification, or you are comparing two different products with one number.
Why does a zip screen have no single price per m²?
A zip screen is not a commodity sold by weight or by the metre of fabric. It is a configured assembly: a cassette in a chosen profile, side guides with the zip track, a fabric cut to the opening, a tubular motor inside the roller, a control option, sensors if specified, brackets for a particular mounting, and a finish in a chosen colour. Some of those parts barely change with size; others scale directly with it.
When a supplier quotes a single figure per square metre, one of two things is happening: either the fixed parts have been averaged across an assumed size, or the figure belongs to one specific configuration and will not survive contact with your actual drawings. Neither is dishonest, but both make the number useless for budgeting a project with openings of different sizes.
The useful mental model:
> Zip screen cost = fixed parts + area-dependent parts + options + logistics.
The fixed parts — cassette, motor, brackets, control unit, minimum guides — exist even for a small window and shrink as a share of the total as the area grows. The area-dependent parts — fabric, roller tube, guide length — track the dimensions. Options — sensors, wind classes, special finishes — and logistics — packing, freight, duties — sit outside both. A per-m² number is really only meaningful for the second term, and most quotes are presented as if it covered everything.
Cost-driver matrix
| Driver | Impact | What to specify | Question to ask the supplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size and number of modules | High | Width and height of each opening, in millimetres | Is the quote per opening or per m², and at which assumed size? |
| Fabric type and openness | High | Mesh openness factor, or blackout; colour; fire-class documents if the project requires them | Which fabric reference, and what openness factor does it have? |
| Motor and drive | High | Motor brand and series, tubular or external, torque | Which motor, and is it sized for this width and height? |
| Control and automation | Medium | Remote, wall switch, app, building integration | What is included in the control package, and what is an extra? |
| Wind classification | Medium | Wind class required for the site, test report behind it | Under which test was this class measured, and at which fabric? |
| Sensors | Medium | Wind sensor, sun sensor, or neither | Are sensors included, and is the controller compatible with them? |
| Cassette and profile | Medium | Square or round cassette, profile depth | Which cassette profile does the price assume? |
| Mounting type | Medium | Face-fixed, recessed, or ceiling-fixed; substrate | Are the brackets for my mounting included, and what substrate do they assume? |
| Colour and finish | Low to medium | RAL colour, coated or anodised | Is a non-standard RAL or finish priced separately? |
| Packing and freight | Medium | Incoterm, packing type, destination | Is the price ex-works, and what does the crate packing cost? |
| Installation and commissioning | Varies | Who installs, who commissions the sensors | Is installation included, quoted separately, or left to me? |
| Order terms | Low | Quantity, payment terms, delivery schedule | Do terms change with quantity, and how is the schedule fixed? |
Read down the "question to ask" column before you request anything: each answer narrows the quote until two offers describe the same product.
Size and the cost-per-m² trap
The arithmetic is simple and it works against small openings. A useful way to hold it:
Total price = fixed parts + (width × height × area rate) + options + logistics.
Divide the total by the area and the fixed parts are spread over it: on a large module the per-m² figure falls, on a small one it climbs, even when the area rate is identical in both. Two openings quoted at the same per-m² rate can therefore hide very different totals — and two identical-looking totals can hide a per-m² rate that was quietly adjusted.
Three habits that keep the trap closed:
- Ask for the total per opening, not the rate. A rate is an input; a total is what you pay.
- Quote all openings in one request. Mixed sizes let the supplier average honestly instead of forcing one rate onto every module, which is where small openings get subsidised by large ones — or the reverse, depending on who is holding the spreadsheet.
- Watch the minimum. Many configurations carry a practical minimum size below which the fixed parts dominate entirely; a very small screen is not a cheap version of a large one, it is mostly fixed parts.
Fabric and openness
Fabric is usually the largest area-dependent term and the one buyers understand least. The openness factor — the share of the opening left open to light and air between the yarns — drives both appearance and behaviour: an open mesh preserves the view and airflow, a blackout fabric blocks light and heat far more effectively and behaves differently in wind. The two are not interchangeable at a given size, and a price difference between them is a product difference, not a discount opportunity.
For trade buyers, three document questions matter more than the hand-feel of a sample:
- Which fabric reference is priced? Generic names like "mesh" or "sunscreen" cover a wide quality range; ask for the manufacturer's reference so two quotes can actually be compared.
- What fire-class documentation exists, and is it needed here? Many commercial and hospitality projects require documented fire behaviour for textiles; if the project spec calls for it, ask for the documents with the quote rather than after the order.
- What happens to the fabric at the edges? The zip track system is what makes a zip screen wind-stable, and the zip soldered into the fabric edge is part of that system — it is also the part a cheaper fabric shortens the life of first.
Motor, remote, sensors and automation
The motor is a fixed part — one per screen, regardless of area — which is another reason small openings look expensive per m². Beyond the drive itself, the control package is where quotes diverge most: a basic remote, a wall switch, app control, or integration into a building management system are four different packages, and a quote that lists only "motorised" tells you almost nothing about which one you are getting.
Sensors are the next step up. A wind sensor drives the screen back in above a set threshold; a sun sensor reacts to irradiance. Both keep the screen inside its rating rather than raising the rating — the wind resistance page explains what a class does and does not promise — and both add a controller, wiring and commissioning time to the installation, which is why they move the total more than buyers expect.
Two questions settle this section: which motor brand and series are included, and is it sized for this opening? A motor at the edge of its torque range for a wide, tall screen will be felt in the service life long before it is felt in the invoice. The motorization page explains the options.
Frame, cassette and finish
The cassette — square or round — and the profile of the side guides are fixed parts with a cosmetic face: the chosen RAL colour. Standard colours are typically stocked in the price; a non-standard RAL or a special finish is usually quoted separately, and on a project with many openings the finish becomes a line item worth asking about early.
Frame questions worth asking before the quote:
- Which cassette profile does the price assume, and does it fit the reveal or the face where I am mounting it?
- Are the side guides the same depth on both sides, or does one wall force a different profile?
- Is the colour matched across cassette, guides and brackets, and is the RAL recorded on the order?
Mounting type and installation scope
A zip screen can be face-fixed, recessed into a reveal, or fixed to a ceiling or soffit — three mountings that share the same screen and differ in brackets, labour and sometimes in cassette selection. The substrate matters too: concrete, masonry, steel and timber each need their own fixing detail, and a bracket designed for one is not a bracket for another.
The scope question is separate from the product question: is installation included in the price, quoted separately, or left to the buyer? Catalogues in this category commonly state that prices exclude delivery, customs duties and installation, and that they vary by country, raw-material cost and exchange rates — read the exclusions before comparing totals, because a lower product price with installation left out is not a lower project price. The selection guide covers the mounting options in detail.
Freight, packing and Incoterms
A zip screen ships as a long crate: the roller, cassette and guides are rigid, the fabric is rolled, and the crate dimensions follow the largest screen in the order rather than the number of screens. That is why freight does not scale politely with quantity — one very wide screen can cost more to move than several ordinary ones — and why the Incoterm on the quotation changes the comparison.
Before comparing two totals, align these:
- The Incoterm. Ex-works means you arrange and pay for everything after the factory door; delivered terms fold transport into the price. Neither is better, but they are not comparable.
- Packing. Crate type and export packing standards for the destination determine cost and damage risk both ways.
- Duties and local charges. These follow the destination and the classification, and they sit outside the supplier's price unless the Incoterm says otherwise.
How do you compare quotes like for like?
A twelve-point checklist. Send it with the enquiry, and compare the answers before the numbers:
- Dimensions — width and height of each opening, in millimetres, and the number of modules.
- Fabric — manufacturer's reference, mesh openness or blackout, colour.
- Fire documentation — whether the project requires documented fire behaviour, and which documents exist.
- Colour and finish — RAL for cassette, guides and brackets; standard or special.
- Cassette type — square or round, and the profile assumed.
- Motor — brand and series, and the torque sized for this opening.
- Control — remote, wall switch, app, or building integration; what is included and what is extra.
- Sensors — wind, sun, or none; controller compatibility.
- Wind classification — the class required for the site and the test report behind it, at the priced fabric.
- Mounting accessories — brackets for the actual mounting and substrate.
- Packing and Incoterm — crate type, Incoterm, destination.
- Installation and commissioning — included, quoted separately, or left to the buyer; who commissions the sensors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a zip screen cost per square metre?
There is no figure we can honestly give, because the total follows the configuration: opening size, fabric, motor and control, sensors, mounting, finish and freight. Send the dimensions and the specification — the RFQ form lists what we need — and you will get a total per opening rather than a rate that hides the fixed parts.
Why is a small zip screen more expensive per m²?
Because the fixed parts — cassette, motor, brackets, guides minimum, control — are nearly the same on a small screen as on a large one, and a small area spreads them thinly. The area-dependent cost is similar per square metre; it is the fixed share that dominates.
Does motorisation double the price?
No honest answer exists as a number: the effect of motorisation on a total depends on the opening size, the motor series, the control package and whether sensors and integration are included. Ask for the quote with and without the drive, for your opening, and compare the two totals.
Are installation and delivery included in the price?
Often not. Catalogues in this category commonly state that prices exclude delivery, customs duties and installation, and that they vary by country, raw-material cost and exchange rates. Check the Incoterm and the exclusions before comparing two totals.
Does wind rating change the price?
It can, through the fabric, the guides and the sensor package needed to keep the screen inside that rating — but a class number on its own is not a specification. The wind resistance page explains how to read a class and which questions to ask behind it.
Is a cheaper fabric a false economy?
Often, yes — the fabric and its zip edge are the parts the wind, the sun and the daily cycle work on first, and the cheapest fabric is usually where that shows first. Ask for the fabric reference and its openness factor so you can see what changed between the two quotes. The fabric page compares the types.
What do I send for a quote?
The twelve points above, as far as you have them: dimensions per opening, fabric preference, colour, cassette type, motor and control preference, sensors, mounting type and substrate, destination, and whether you need installation. Missing items become assumptions, and assumptions are where corrections cost money.
Sources and standards
- CEN-CENELEC — publisher of EN 13561, the product standard for external shading equipment; confirm the current edition before citing a clause.
- Price, lead time and configuration terms are agreed per quotation; nothing on this page is a price, a discount or a delivery commitment.
Related pages
Zip blinds · Selection guide · Fabric · Motorization · Wind resistance · Export packing and lead time · Awning models and prices · Bioclimatic pergola prices · Architectural systems FAQ · Request a quote