Canada’s Corded Window Coverings Regulations (SOR/2019-97): What the Text Requires of Blinds, Shades and Curtains with Cords

Roller blinds, Roman shades, Venetian blinds, pleated shades and curtains can be specified with pull cords on hotel, apartment and office schedules. In Canada, window coverings with cords are the subject of a specific regulation made under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act: the Corded Window Coverings Regulations, SOR/2019-97. They set measurable limits on cords and loops, a limit on lead in external components and a rule for small parts, together with labelling, warning and instruction requirements in English and French.

This article reads the Regulations as published on the Justice Laws website, in the XML text we downloaded on 16 October 2026. The file records 1 May 2021 as the date of last amendment, a note in it states that the Regulations came into force on 1 May 2021, and section 16 repeals the earlier Corded Window Covering Products Regulations (SOR/2016-172). We quote or closely paraphrase the text. It is a reading for procurement planning, not legal advice, and it does not decide whether any particular product or project is covered. We did not read any test method or guidance that Health Canada may publish, and we do not set out penalties. For the Act the Regulations are made under, see our reading of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.

What the Regulations cover: the definitions in section 1

Section 1 defines a corded window covering as “an indoor window covering that is equipped with at least one cord.” A cord is a band, rope, strap, string, chain, wire or any other component that, when any tension is removed, is capable of folding in every direction, or any combination of components connected end to end that is capable of folding in every direction once tension is removed. A loop is a shape, the majority of which is formed by a reachable cord, that creates a completely bounded opening. Reachable, for a cord, refers to the part of the cord that any person can touch when the window covering has been installed, whether it is fully opened, fully closed or in any position in between.

The definitions do not list product types. A roller blind, a shade, a Venetian blind or a curtain system falls within them if it is an indoor window covering equipped with at least one cord as defined. The list of components in the definition of cord names chains and wires as well as rope and string, so the material of the cord does not take it outside the definition; the test in the text is whether the component can fold in every direction once tension is removed.

Cord and loop limits: sections 4 to 8

Section 4 says that a cord that is not reachable must remain so, whether the corded window covering is fully opened, fully closed or in any position in between, throughout the useful life of the corded window covering.

Sections 5 to 8 set limits for cords that are reachable, each measured when the cord is pulled in any direction by the gradual application of force attaining 35 N:

• Section 5: a reachable cord with one free end must not exceed 22 cm in length.
• Section 6: a reachable cord with no free end must not exceed 22 cm in length between two consecutive contact points.
• Section 7: the perimeter of any loop, whether existing, created or enlarged, must not exceed 44 cm.
• Section 8: if two reachable cords with one free end each can be connected end to end after each has been pulled, the resulting cord must not exceed 22 cm and the loop created must not exceed 44 cm in perimeter.

For a project schedule, these sections turn into a design question rather than a labelling question. Either the cords are not reachable, and stay that way for the life of the product, or every reachable cord and loop stays within the limits under the stated pull. A design that relies on a long pull cord or a continuous cord loop is therefore something to raise with the maker at the brief stage, and the maker must show evidence for the exact mechanism and size it offers.

Small parts and lead: sections 2 and 3

Section 2 says that every part of a corded window covering that is accessible to a child and is small enough to be totally enclosed in the small parts cylinder illustrated in Schedule 1 must be affixed so that it does not become detached when it is subjected to a force of 90 N applied in any direction. Schedule 1 describes the cylinder as a hollow cylinder with an inner diameter of 31.7 mm and an inner base angled at 45°, so that its depth is 25.4 mm at the minimum and 57.1 mm at the maximum.

Section 3 says that every external component of a corded window covering must not contain more than 90 mg/kg of lead when tested in accordance with the principles set out in the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice, document ENV/MC/CHEM(98)17. The text names the principles to be followed in testing, not a particular laboratory or test report format, so ask the maker which document it holds for the external components of the exact model offered.

Labelling: sections 9 to 13

Section 13 lists the information that must appear on every corded window covering, and on any packaging in which it is displayed to the consumer:

• its model name or model number;
• its date of manufacture, consisting of the year and either the month or the week, listed in that order;
• for a product manufactured in Canada, the name and principal place of business of the manufacturer or of the person for whom it was manufactured;
• for a product imported for commercial purposes, the name and principal place of business of the manufacturer and of the importer.

Section 10 sets how the required information is presented. It must appear in both English and French; be legible and prominently and clearly displayed, with characters in a colour that contrasts sharply with the background; remain legible and visible throughout the useful life of the product under normal conditions of transportation, storage, sale and use; and, where the information is required on the product itself, be indelibly printed on it or on a label permanently affixed to it. Section 11 requires a standard sans-serif type that is not compressed, expanded or decorative and that has a large x-height relative to the ascender or descender, as Schedule 2 illustrates. Section 12 requires the signal words “Warning” and “Mise en garde” in boldfaced upper case type not less than 5 mm in height, and all other required information in type not less than 2.5 mm in height.

Section 9 adds a rule that surprises some buyers: information that appears on a corded window covering, accompanies one or appears in any advertisement for one must not make any direct or indirect reference to the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act or to the Regulations. Read literally, a line such as “complies with SOR/2019-97” on a label or a box would be such a reference.

The warning and the instructions: sections 14 and 15

Section 14 requires instructions, in text, drawings or photographs or a combination of them, to accompany every corded window covering: how to assemble it and a quantitative list of its parts, if it is sold not fully assembled; how to install it; and how to operate it.

Section 15 requires the following warning, or its equivalent, on every corded window covering, its packaging, any accompanying instructions and all advertisements for it:

WARNING • STRANGULATION HAZARD — Young children can be strangled by cords. Immediately remove this product if a cord longer than 22 cm or a loop exceeding 44 cm around becomes accessible.

MISE EN GARDE • RISQUE D’ÉTRANGLEMENT — Les enfants en bas âge peuvent s’étrangler avec des cordes. Enlevez immédiatement ce produit si une corde mesurant plus de 22 cm devient accessible ou si le contour d’une boucle de plus de 44 cm devient accessible.

The section names advertisements alongside the product, the packaging and the instructions. Whether a project quotation sheet, a catalogue page or a product data sheet counts as an advertisement is a question for your adviser; the safe approach is to settle it before the artwork for each of them is approved.

Which projects does this reach?

The Regulations were made under section 37 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, which applies to consumer products. Section 2 of the Act defines a consumer product as “a product, including its components, parts or accessories, that may reasonably be expected to be obtained by an individual to be used for non-commercial purposes, including for domestic, recreational and sports purposes, and includes its packaging.”

The Regulations do not say how window coverings specified for a hotel, an office or a rental apartment building are to be treated, and they draw no line between household and contract supply. That question depends on the product and the facts, and it belongs with your Canadian adviser and, where needed, with Health Canada. Our reading of the Act sets out the importer duties around the definition. For the products themselves, see our guides to roller blind manufacturers in China and blackout curtains, roller blinds and motorised shades for hotels.

Questions to put to the maker before production

The cord and loop limits are decided by the mechanism, and the labelling is decided by the artwork, so both have to be settled before production. These are the questions we would put in writing for each item code.

• Which mechanism does each window covering use, and which of its cords are reachable once it is installed?
• For each reachable cord and loop, what evidence does the maker hold for the lengths and perimeters under the pull described in sections 5 to 8, for the exact model and size?
• Where the design relies on cords being unreachable, how does it keep them so for the useful life of the product?
• Which small parts are accessible, and how are they affixed?
• Which document covers the lead content of the external components of the exact model?
• Where will the model, the date of manufacture, the manufacturer and importer details and the bilingual warning appear on the product and on the packaging, and in what type size?
• Do the instructions cover assembly (with a parts list if the product is sold unassembled), installation and operation, in the form section 14 allows?
• Who approves the label, warning and instruction artwork before production?

Write the answers into the specification next to each item code. The label artwork, the carton print and the instructions can then be approved once, and our own team checks labels and packing against the signed-off specification in the one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment; the client’s project team is welcome to attend.

Questions about Canada’s Corded Window Coverings Regulations

Do the Regulations apply to curtains as well as blinds?

They apply to any indoor window covering equipped with at least one cord, as section 1 defines those terms. They do not list product types, so whether a given curtain system is caught depends on whether it has a cord within that definition.

What are the cord and loop limits?

Under sections 5 to 8, a reachable cord must not exceed 22 cm in length, and a loop must not exceed 44 cm in perimeter, when pulled in any direction by a force gradually attaining 35 N. Under section 4, a cord that is not reachable must remain so throughout the useful life of the product.

Which information must be on the product?

Section 13 requires the model name or number, the date of manufacture as year and month or week, and, for products imported for commercial purposes, the name and principal place of business of the manufacturer and of the importer, on the product and on any display packaging. Section 15 requires the bilingual warning.

Can the label say the product complies with the Regulations?

Section 9 says that information on, accompanying or advertising a corded window covering must not make any direct or indirect reference to the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act or to the Regulations.

How does FBM Sourcing support this kind of project?

We review the brief, collect comparable quotations and manage the package for the project. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and the client’s project team is welcome to attend.

FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. We work with Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers.