A blinds quote must say who you are and who the customer is, list every window with its room, product, color, exact size, mount, controls and options, show the price per window and the total with tax, state the deposit and balance, and spell out your terms: lead time, final measure, no returns on custom product, warranty, and the customer's right to cancel. Below is a template you can copy into your own quote form, a filled-in example, and a checklist to run before the customer signs.
Why the quote matters more for blinds than for most trades
A custom blind is built to a size you wrote down. If the quote says 35 1/4" and the window needed 35 3/4", the quote is the record of whose mistake it was. If it says "white" and the customer pictured a warmer white, the quote is what you both look at.
A good quote does three jobs at once. It sells, because the customer sees exactly what each room gets. It protects you, because sizes, colors and terms are in writing and signed. And it orders, because the office can place the order straight from it without calling the rep to ask what "LR left" meant.
The template
Copy these sections in order. The left column is the field, the middle is what goes in it, the right is an example.
Header
| Field | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Your business | Legal name, address, phone, email, license number if your state issues one | Example Blinds Co., 100 Main St, Anytown |
| Quote number and date | A unique number and the date written | Q-1042, Nov 5 |
| Valid until | How long the price holds | 30 days |
| Customer | Name, phone, email | Pat Rivera |
| Job address | Where the product goes, if different from billing | 22 Oak Lane |
| Sales rep | Who measured and quoted | Jordan |
Line items, one row per window
| Room | Window | Product and color | Width × height | Mount | Control and options | Qty | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living room | Left of fireplace | 2" faux wood, Bright White | 35 1/4 × 60 1/8 | Inside | Cordless, 3" valance | 1 | $413.60 |
| Living room | Right of fireplace | 2" faux wood, Bright White | 35 1/4 × 60 1/8 | Inside | Cordless, 3" valance | 1 | $413.60 |
| Primary bedroom | Center | Cellular shade, light filtering, Linen | 47 7/8 × 59 3/4 | Inside | Top-down/bottom-up, cordless | 1 | $528.00 |
Example prices, not a price list. Write sizes width first, then height, to the nearest 1/8". If you measured an outside mount, say so and say whether the size is the finished product or the opening.
Totals
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Product subtotal | $1,355.20 |
| Discount or promotion (name it) | −$0.00 |
| Installation | $105.00 |
| Removal and haul-away | $30.00 |
| Sales tax (if your state charges it) | per your state |
| Total | $1,490.20 + tax |
| Deposit due at signing (for example 50%) | half of the total |
| Balance due | at installation |
Terms
- Lead time: an estimate in weeks from order, and that you'll call to schedule installation when the product arrives.
- Final measure: whether you re-measure before ordering, and that the order goes in at the sizes above once signed.
- Custom product: made to these sizes and colors, so it can't be returned or exchanged after it's ordered.
- Color: colors can differ slightly from samples and screens. If you showed a photo preview, say it's an illustration.
- Warranty: whose warranty covers the product (the manufacturer's), what your labor warranty covers, and for how long.
- Payment: what methods you take, and when the balance is due.
- Right to cancel: the cancellation notice, if the sale is covered (next section).
- Signature and date: the customer's, and yours.
The cancellation notice for sales made in the home
If you sell in the customer's home, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule probably applies. According to the FTC's consumer guide to the rule, it gives buyers three days to cancel certain sales made at their home, including when they invited the salesperson to present there. Sales made at home for under $25 aren't covered.
At the time of the sale, the seller has to tell the buyer about the right to cancel and give them two copies of a cancellation form and a copy of the contract or receipt. The contract has to be dated, show the seller's name and address, explain the right to cancel, and be in the same language as the sales presentation. The right lasts until midnight of the third business day after the sale; Saturday counts as a business day, Sundays and federal holidays don't. The FTC also notes that some state laws give buyers more rights.
That's a summary, not legal advice. Read the rule itself, check your state's requirements, and have your notice and form reviewed once. Then put them in every in-home quote.
It also affects ordering. If the customer can cancel for three business days and you place the custom order on day one, you could end up holding product for a sale that no longer exists. Decide when you order, and say it on the quote.
Before-you-hand-it-over checklist
Run through this at the table, before you turn the tablet or the paper around.
- Every window you measured is on the quote, and every window on the quote was measured.
- Each line has a room and a window name the installer will recognize.
- Sizes are width × height, to 1/8", with inside or outside mount marked.
- Product, color and fabric names match the manufacturer's names, not a nickname.
- Every option is listed and priced: lift, valance, motor, cloth tape, top-down/bottom-up.
- No size is over a product's or option's limit.
- Discounts and promotions are named and shown as their own line.
- Install, haul-away and any trip charge are on the quote, not added later.
- Tax, total, deposit and balance add up.
- Lead time, no-returns and warranty terms are on the page.
- The cancellation notice and forms are attached if the sale is covered.
- The customer has signed and dated it, and has a copy.
Common quote mistakes
Room totals with no window detail
"Living room, 3 blinds, $1,200" doesn't tell the office what to order or the installer where each blind goes.
Sizes in the notes field
If sizes live anywhere but the line item, someone will order from the wrong number.
Prices from memory
A quote typed from what a rep thinks a blind costs will drift from the price book, and the difference is your margin. If you need a refresher on setting the price, see how much to charge for custom blinds and margin vs markup for blinds dealers. The free markup and margin calculator checks the margin on any line.
Showing your cost
Never put list price, your factor or your cost on a customer's quote. They see the selling price.
Quotes that wait until tonight
A quote that arrives the next day gives the customer time to cool off. Price it and present it while you're still at the table.
How HeadRail builds the quote for you
In HeadRail, the rep photographs and measures each window room by room, picks the product from your catalog, and the price comes from your price books as they type, with upcharges, size limits and billing minimums included. A size that can't be made is flagged instead of priced at zero.
Every room lands on one proposal with its preview, product, size and price, plus your terms. The customer signs on the rep's tablet or later from a private link, and the deposit due comes from your deposit percentage. Customers see the selling price only, never list or cost. Once a deal is marked Proposed, follow-ups are scheduled 1, 3, 7 and 14 days later, and a proposal signed online moves the lead to Closed won and records the order. HeadRail does not add a cancellation notice, so add your own notice and any paperwork your state requires. The rep guide shows the visit step by step, and you can book a demo to see it with your own products.
If you're just getting started, how to start a window treatment business covers the steps before your first quote.
Frequently asked questions
What should be included in a blinds quote?
Your business details, the customer and job address, a quote number and date, every window with room, product, color, width and height to 1/8", mount and options, the price per line, any discount, install and other charges, tax, total, deposit and balance, your terms (lead time, no returns on custom, warranty), the cancellation notice for covered in-home sales, and signatures.
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
In everyday use, an estimate is an approximate price that may change, and a quote is a firm price for the work described. For custom blinds, give a quote from measured sizes so the customer signs a price you'll honor, and make clear whether a final measure can change it.
How long should a blinds quote be valid?
That's your call. Long enough for the customer to decide, short enough that a manufacturer price change doesn't eat your margin. Write the date on the quote so there's no argument about it later.
Do I need to give a cancellation notice for an in-home blinds sale?
If the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule covers the sale, yes: the seller must tell the buyer about the three-day right to cancel and give two copies of a cancellation form. Sales at home under $25 aren't covered, and some states add their own rules. Check your state's requirements.
Should a quote show the price per window?
Yes. Per-window prices let the customer drop or change a window without asking for a new quote, and let the office check each line against the price book. Show room subtotals as well if it helps the customer compare rooms.