Home › Blog › How to Measure Your Stage for a Custom Scrim or Backdrop
ORDERINGHow to Measure Your Stage for a Custom Scrim or Backdrop
Almost every scrim we build starts with the same question, and it is not about color or fabric — it is ‘how big.’ Getting your finished dimensions and rigging right up front is the difference between a scrim that drops in perfectly on load-in day and one that pools on the deck or leaves a gap of daylight at the top.
Here is exactly what to measure, how stage soft goods are dimensioned, and the handful of numbers that let us cut and sew your piece to your stage the first time.
Start with finished width and finished drop
Every stage drop is specified as finished width (how far it runs left to right, hung and flat) by finished drop (top of the webbing to the bottom of the hem). Measure the actual space you need to cover or mask, not the pipe — and tell us the trim height so we know how high it flies. If you want the scrim to touch or puddle on the deck, say so; otherwise we build it to hang just off the floor.
Account for how it hangs and travels
How the scrim attaches changes the build. Tie-line and webbing across the top suits a fixed pipe; grommets suit some track systems; a sewn top for a specific traveler track is different again. Tell us whether it flies, travels (opens like a curtain), or tensions to a frame, and whether you need center overlap on a two-panel traveler so no light leaks up the middle.
Decide on fullness for masking pieces
Utility scrims and projection surfaces hang flat (0% fullness). Masking legs, borders, and grand drapes are often sewn with 50–100% fullness so they pleat richly — which means we start with 1.5 to 2 times your finished width in fabric. Fullness is a look and a light-trap; if you’re masking, tell us how full you want it and we’ll calculate the goods.
Confirm bottom treatment and FR
The bottom finish keeps a scrim flat: a chain weight sewn into the hem for soft goods that hang free, or a pipe pocket when you batten the bottom. And confirm your venue’s fire requirement — most stages require NFPA 701 certification, which we can supply on FR fabric with documentation for the fire marshal. Getting this on the order now avoids a scramble at load-in.
| Measurement | What it means | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Finished width | Left-to-right coverage, hung flat | Sizes the panel and any seams/overlap |
| Finished drop | Top of webbing to bottom hem | Sets the height and bottom clearance |
| Trim / fly height | How high it hangs in the air | Confirms drop and floor gap |
| Fullness | Flat vs. 50–100% pleated | Determines fabric quantity for masking |
| Rigging | Tie, grommet, track, or frame | Decides the top finish |
Not sure how to measure your space? Send us a photo of the stage and your best rough numbers with your quote request — we’ll walk through the dimensions with you and confirm everything before we cut a single yard.