Before we start, something needs to be clarified. Cellular shades are honeycomb shades. And honeycomb shades are cellular shades. Repeat after me… “They are the same.”
Both terms “cellular” and “honeycomb” refer to the same product. There’s a valid reason for the confusion though. That reason is marketing. Originally the industrial term “cellular” was made in reference to the pattern created by the design of the product. Cellular evolved into “honeycomb” out of pure marketing initiative to make the product easier to visualize and understand. It does make sense that there would be some confusion since both terms ended up sticking, and the industry refuses to give up either name out of economic backlash from confused consumers.
Courtesy of Excellent Blinds & Shutters (ExcellentBlinds.com)
“Are Pleated shades and Honeycomb shades the same thing?”
The answer is no. Not even close.
Pleated shades consist of a layer of folded fabric. Very similar to the way children make folded fans out of notebook paper. They’re simple and cheap. But they offer no insulation, and will not last as long as other window treatments. We offer pleated shades at Excellent Blinds & Shutters for free. These are a temporary window covering until a customer’s window treatment is completed and ready for installation.
Honeycomb shades are made with two or more layers of fabric that create a pocket resembling the shape of a honeycomb. This pocket of air effectively traps heat and cold, creating a layer of insulation between the window and the room. They also look cleaner and have no visible holes. This gives them a more natural appearance. Once you understand the difference between honeycomb and pleated, it will be easier to see the differences between the products as well.
Now you may find yourself asking the question
“Do they really insulate? Or is it just another marketing gimmick?”
The answer is Yes, they really do insulate. As a matter of fact, that’s why honeycomb shades were made to begin with. It was developed in seventies. To be a solution to insulating windows for homeowners in northern climates where heat-loss in the wintertime quickly becomes expensive and potentially dangerous.
Insulation R-Value
R-Value measures the ability of a product to resist conductive heat, or a better way of putting it — It measures heat loss. I could go into a whole other subject regarding to how this is translated and calculated into various values and terms, but for the purpose of this article we’re going with a simpler approach.
For Honeycomb Shades, You can expect an R-value of anywhere between 3.5 for single layer honeycomb designs, to upwards of 4.8 for double and triple layer honeycomb designs. How this translates into temperature control for an individual room is a difference between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
Knowing the difference between window treatments is important for many reasons and now that we’ve touched on a few of those, you’ll be more prepared and knowledgeable when choosing the right treatments for your home and living space.
