If you have young children — or grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or any child who visits — in your home, Australian law requires corded blinds and curtains to be installed so that no loose cord can form a loop of 220mm or more, at any point below 1600mm from the floor. This isn't a recommendation. It's a mandatory national standard, and it exists because corded window coverings have caused the deaths of young children in Australian homes.

Here's exactly what the law requires, in plain English.

The Two Standards You Need to Know

There are two separate mandatory standards in Australia, covering two different parts of the supply chain:

For suppliers — manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and importers — the relevant law is the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard — Corded Internal Window Coverings) Regulations 2010. It applies to every corded internal window covering supplied in Australia since 30 December 2010, and it governs packaging, warning labels, and what must be supplied with the product.

For installers — anyone installing corded blinds or curtains in the course of trade or business — the relevant law is the Competition and Consumer (Corded Internal Window Coverings) Safety Standard 2014. It governs how the product must actually be fitted in your home.

At CAS Blinds, both apply to us directly: we supply the product, and where we install, we're bound by the 2014 installation standard too.

The Three Numbers That Matter

220mm — the maximum loop size a loose cord is allowed to form, at any height below 1600mm. A loop this size or larger is wide enough to catch around a young child's neck.

1600mm — the height above floor level below which loose cords and cord guides must not be able to form that 220mm loop. Above 1600mm, a child (even one climbing on furniture) generally can't reach.

70N — the tension force a cord guide or tensioner must withstand. If a cord guide is mounted below 1600mm, it must stay firmly attached to the wall when 70 newtons of force is applied in any direction for 10 seconds. In practical terms: a determined tug from a child shouldn't be able to pull it loose.

Put together, the rule is this: anything below 1.6 metres either can't loop 220mm or wider, or it's tensioned strongly enough that it won't come loose and form one.

The Warning Label Is Mandatory Too

Every corded internal window covering supplied in Australia must carry a warning label or swing tag. The ACCC's mandatory wording is direct:

WARNING: Young children have died by wrapping loose curtain and blind cords or chains around their necks.

If you're installing (not just supplying), you're also required to attach a label with your own name and contact details, and you must not remove any warning label or swing tag that came with the product.

Cord Guide vs Cleat: What's the Difference?

Both are hardware, and both are commonly confused, but they do different jobs:

• A cord guide holds a continuous cord loop taut against the wall, usually fixed with a screw. It's designed to stay permanently in place and take load — this is the component the 70N test applies to.
• A cleat is a small hook or bracket you wrap a loose cord or chain around after each use. It only works if the cord is actually wound around it every time — an unused cleat with the cord hanging free provides no protection at all.

For continuous-loop blinds (the type most vertical and roller blinds use), a correctly installed cord guide is the standard fix. For blinds with a separate pull cord or chain, a cleat mounted above 1600mm is common — but it relies on someone using it consistently, which is exactly why cordless designs are considered the safer long-term option.

Self-Check: Is Your Current Blind Compliant?

A 2016 ACCC compliance survey of display homes found that only around 1 in 10 corded window coverings would have passed inspection as installed. If you have older blinds in the house, it's worth checking:

• Is there any loose cord or chain hanging below 1600mm?
• If so, can it be pulled into a loop 220mm or wider?
• Is there a cord guide or cleat fitted, and is it actually being used?
• If a cord guide is fitted below 1600mm, is it firmly screwed to the wall (not just adhesive-mounted)?
• Is the original warning label or swing tag still attached?
• Are cots, beds, or climbable furniture positioned away from any window with a corded blind?

If any of these raise a question mark, the safest fix — for a rental, a nursery, or any room a child spends time in — is to retrofit a cord tensioner correctly or move to a cordless or motorised option entirely.

Why Cordless and Motorised Are the Real Fix

Every rule above exists to manage the risk a cord creates. The simplest way to remove that risk is to remove the cord. Cordless blinds — operated by a spring mechanism or a wand — and motorised blinds, controlled by remote or app, aren't covered by the corded standard at all, because there's no loose cord to form a loop in the first place.

We offer both across our range — see our motorised blinds and curtains options if you're upgrading a nursery, playroom, or any room where you'd rather not think about cord checks at all.

A Common Mix-Up to Avoid

You may come across window covering marketing that cites "AS/NZS 60335" as the relevant child-safety standard. That's worth knowing is incorrect for this purpose — AS/NZS 60335 covers the electrical safety of household appliances (things with a plug), not the mechanical strangulation risk from window covering cords. The two standards that actually apply here are the ones named above: the 2010 supply regulation and the 2014 installation standard.

Rental Properties Have Extra Obligations

If you're a landlord or managing agent, corded window coverings in a rental property are covered by the same installation standard, and landlords carry a general legal obligation to keep a rental property safe and habitable. Non-compliant blinds and curtains are a recognised hazard the same way a faulty smoke alarm or an exposed electrical fault would be. If you manage several properties, it's worth having compliance checked as part of routine inspections rather than only after a tenant raises it.

Further Reading

For day-to-day tips on childproofing beyond the legal minimum — furniture placement, teaching kids about window safety, ongoing maintenance checks — see our guides on keeping kids safe with the right blinds and cordless window treatments for child safety. This article covers the legal standard those pieces don't — read together, they cover both the "why" and the "how."

FAQs

What is the maximum cord loop size allowed under Australian law? 220mm. Below 1600mm from floor level, a loose cord must not be able to form a loop of 220mm or more.

How high do cord guides and cleats need to be mounted? Above 1600mm from the floor, wherever possible. If a cord guide is mounted below that height, it must be able to withstand 70 newtons of pulling force without coming loose.

Which Australian standard applies to blinds I buy online? The Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard — Corded Internal Window Coverings) Regulations 2010 applies to anyone supplying corded window coverings in Australia, including online retailers.

Do cordless blinds need to meet the same cord safety standard? No — since there's no loose cord, cordless and motorised window coverings aren't subject to the corded internal window coverings standard.

Are landlords legally required to fix non-compliant blinds? Landlords have a general obligation to keep rental properties safe. Corded window coverings that don't meet the installation standard are treated as a hazard that should be addressed, similar to other safety issues in a tenancy.

Is a cleat enough to make a blind compliant? Only if the cord is wound around it every time the blind is used. An unused cleat with the cord left hanging doesn't meet the standard. A properly fitted cord guide is a more reliable fix for continuous-loop cords.

Does this apply to curtains as well as blinds? Yes — the standard covers all "corded internal window coverings," which includes corded curtain tracks and traverse rods, not just blinds.

This article provides general information about Australia's mandatory corded window covering safety standards and isn't legal advice. For guidance on a specific installation or compliance question, consult the ACCC's product safety guidance directly or a qualified professional.