We import curtain motors directly, so the first thing we do with any heavy curtain is not guess — we calculate.

A heavy curtain is not the same job as a normal bedroom curtain. When the fabric alone weighs more than a person, the wrong motor will strain, overheat and eventually strip its own gears. So before we recommend anything, we look at two numbers: how much the curtain weighs, and how wide the track is. Everything follows from those two.

Why heavy curtains need a different motor

Most curtain motors on the market are built for light, standard drapes — the kind that weigh a few kilograms and cover a normal window. They are fine for that.

A heavy curtain is a different problem. Velvet, blackout lining, stage drapes, double-height windows, hotel ballrooms — the fabric can easily run to 50kg, 100kg or more. At that weight, the motor is not just moving cloth; it is pulling a real load every single time, and it has to do it smoothly, quietly and for years.

So the question is never which is the best curtain motor in the abstract. The question is which motor matches your weight and width.

The two numbers that decide the motor

We start every enquiry the same way. Two measurements, and we can usually tell you the right setup in a minute.

Curtain weight

Weight decides how strong the motor has to be. A motor rated for 50kg will not survive long pulling 100kg. That rating is not a marketing number — it is the load the gearbox and motor are designed to pull without failing early.

Weigh the fabric if you can, but almost nobody does. In practice we estimate the weight from the fabric type and the window dimensions — velvet and blackout lining weigh far more than a light sheer, so send us those details and we will work it out.

Curtain width

Width decides how many motors you need. A single motor sits at one end of the track and pulls the whole curtain from that one side. Past a certain width, one motor cannot pull evenly across the whole span — the far end lags, the curtain jerks, and the motor works far harder than it should.

When the track is wider than about 20 feet, or the curtain is heavier than 100kg, you need two motors. Width is the usual trigger — past 20 feet one motor cannot pull evenly across the whole span, so we split the load across two motors.

How we match the motor to your curtain

Here is how we actually decide, using the three situations we see most often.

In short:

  • Up to 100kg and up to 20 feet wide — one Dooya DT52E (remote).
  • Wider than 20 feet, up to 100kg — two Tuya GE82TY motors (WiFi).
  • Over 100kg and wider than 20 feet — two Dooya DT52E motors.

Up to 100kg and up to 20 feet wide — one Dooya DT52E

Yes. A single Dooya DT52E is safety-rated for 100kg, so up to that weight and up to 20 feet wide, one motor is enough. Past either limit, we move to two motors.

The Dooya DT52E is our heavy-duty workhorse — a 75W motor safety-rated to pull 100kg. That covers most large home windows, double-height glass and standard theatre and hall drapes.

One thing to know up front: the DT52E is a remote-only motor. You operate it with the handheld remote, and it is not built to connect to WiFi or an app. For a lot of heavy-curtain jobs that is exactly what people want — simple, reliable and nothing to configure. If you want app or voice control on a heavy curtain, tell us, because that changes which motors we recommend.

Wider than 20 feet, up to 100kg — two GE82TY motors

If the curtain is wider than 20 feet but still weighs up to 100kg, we use two GE82TY motors, one at each end.

Once a track passes about 20 feet, a single motor pulling from one side starts to struggle no matter how strong it is. So we split the load: two Tuya GE82TY motors, each driving half the track.

Each GE82TY is rated for 50kg, so two of them comfortably share a curtain up to 100kg. And because they are WiFi motors, you also get app control, voice control through Alexa or Google Home, and scheduling on top of the remote.

Over 100kg and wider than 20 feet — two DT52E motors

If the curtain weighs more than 100kg and is also wider than 20 feet, we use two Dooya DT52E motors.

This is the heavy end of heavy. When both numbers are high, neither a single motor nor two light motors will do it. Two DT52E motors give us 100kg of rated capacity per side and the strength to pull a genuinely massive span.

A real job: a 42-foot stage curtain at 200kg

We do not have to describe this in theory — we have done it.

Two Dooya DT52E motors, one at each end. We recently installed a 42-foot stage curtain weighing 200kg on exactly that setup.

That is a curtain almost as heavy as three adults, running the full width of a stage. Two Dooya DT52E motors pulled it cleanly and quietly. It is the same setup described above, just at full scale — and it is exactly why we always ask for weight and width before we quote anything.

Why getting this right matters

The wrong motor does not just run a little slower. It overheats, it labours, and its gearbox wears out early. On a heavy curtain that means a motor that dies in months instead of years, and a curtain you still have to open by hand.

A correctly sized motor runs cool, moves the curtain smoothly and lasts. The cost difference between the right motor and the wrong one is tiny next to the cost of replacing a burnt-out motor and reinstalling it.

When you should just ask us

You do not have to work all of this out alone. We are the importers, we keep these motors in stock, and our technical team sizes these jobs every day.

Send us two things on WhatsApp — or through our contact page: the weight of your curtain (or the fabric type and dimensions, and we will estimate it), and the width of the track. We will tell you exactly which motor — or motors — you need and quote you a real price. The advice costs you nothing.