What is Dimout Fabric?

Dimout is a densely woven interior fabric designed to reduce the amount of light entering a room without necessarily creating complete darkness. It is mainly used for curtains, drapes and lining applications where privacy and light control are important. Unlike full blackout fabrics, Dimout allows some light to remain depending on the colour, density and construction. At Nooteboom Textiles, the current Dimout quality is a soft, non-stretch 100% polyester fabric developed for decorative interior use.

Specifications

Construction: densely woven interior fabric for light reduction and privacy.
Composition: within the current Nooteboom Textiles range, Dimout is 100% polyester (PL).
Weight: the current Nooteboom Dimout quality is 250 g/m².
Stretchability: no stretch.
Abbreviations: PL = polyester.

What Are the Properties of Dimout?

Dimout combines decorative appearance with functional light control. The dense woven construction limits the amount of light passing through the fabric and also increases privacy. Polyester gives the fabric good dimensional stability and makes it suitable for curtains that need to hang consistently. The current Nooteboom quality has a soft surface and is designed as a plain interior basic.

How Does Dimout Feel?

Dimout generally feels soft, dense and relatively substantial compared with lightweight curtain fabrics. It has enough body to hang neatly while remaining suitable for folds and pleats in curtain construction.

Applications

Curtains and drapes: suitable where reduced daylight and increased privacy are required.
Decoration: useful for interior applications where a dense, soft fabric is preferred.
Lining: can be used behind decorative curtain fabrics to improve light reduction and privacy.
Bedrooms: suitable when a darker room is desired without requiring complete blackout.
Living spaces: useful for reducing glare while still allowing some ambient light into the room.

Wash Instructions

Washing temperature: follow the care label of the specific quality and use a gentle wash cycle where machine washing is permitted.
Drying advice: air drying is preferable to avoid unnecessary heat and distortion.
Ironing instructions: iron at low temperature if permitted, preferably from the reverse side.
Dry cleaning: only when allowed by the specific care instructions.
Special considerations: avoid high heat and always test care behaviour before producing large curtain quantities.

Other Information

Certifications: the current Nooteboom Dimout quality carries OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Product Class I.
Width: the current Nooteboom quality is 150 cm wide.
Colour effect: darker shades can appear to reduce visible light more strongly than lighter shades, even within the same fabric construction.
Privacy: Dimout improves privacy by limiting visibility through the curtain, especially when the room behind it is not strongly backlit.

What Is the Difference Between Dimout and Blackout?

Dimout and Blackout are both used to control incoming light, but they are not the same. Dimout is designed to reduce light significantly while still allowing some light to pass through, whereas Blackout is developed for much stronger light blocking and can approach complete darkness depending on the quality. This makes Dimout suitable for living rooms, offices and bedrooms where reduced light is enough, while Blackout is more appropriate for spaces that require maximum darkening. Read more in our Blackout Fabric Guide.

Does Dimout Block All Light?

No. The term Dimout indicates light reduction rather than complete light blocking. The exact result depends on factors such as fabric density, colour, window size and how the curtain is installed. For projects where almost all incoming light must be blocked, a Blackout quality is usually the more appropriate choice.

Practical Tip

Test the Dimout fabric in front of the actual window before production, preferably both in daylight and in the evening. Light reduction can look different depending on colour, window orientation and the amount of light behind the curtain.

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Written by

Dave Van der Steen Nooteboom Textiles

Posted on

12/10/2026