Best Velux and Skylight Blinds: UK Picks for 2026

Roof windows let in a striking amount of light, which is the point - until it isn't. A south-facing skylight in a bedroom can make sleeping past 5am difficult from April through to September, and the same window in a loft conversion or attic room traps heat in a way that a vertical window simply doesn't. This guide focuses on blackout roof blinds for Velux, Keylite, and other common skylight makes in the UK. We've kept the picks list tight rather than filling it out with options we think are weaker, so if you have one of these window types you should find a relevant starting point here.

What makes a roof blind different

The key difference between a roof blind and an ordinary roller or Roman blind is fitting. Vertical windows sit in a frame on a wall; you can measure the recess, order a blind, and fix brackets with standard wall fixings. A roof window sits at an angle - typically between 15 and 75 degrees from horizontal - and the blind needs to stay taut across that slope whether the window is fully open, half-open, or closed.

Most roof blinds achieve this with side channels: slim tracks that run along both sides of the blind's fabric, holding it flat against the glass. Without side channels, a fabric blind on an angled surface would sag away from the glass, letting light leak in around the edges and, if the window is open, flapping in any air movement. The side-channel system is what makes a blackout claim credible on a roof window - without it, even the densest blackout fabric will leak light at the edges.

The second difference is sizing. Roof windows aren't measured by recess like vertical windows; they're sold in specific model sizes tied to the manufacturer's product range. Velux, Keylite, Fakro, Rooflite, and Dakstra all use their own sizing conventions, and a blind sized for one manufacturer's window won't necessarily fit another's even if the overall glass area looks similar. Getting the right blind means knowing your window manufacturer and the size code stamped on the window's frame - usually visible when you stand on the inside and look up at the top edge of the frame.

What to look for

Match the blind to the window manufacturer, not just the dimensions. Roof blind retailers typically list blinds by window brand and size code (for example, "Velux MK04" or "Keylite TW 06"). Check the code on your window's frame before ordering. If you can't find a code, measure the glass width and drop and compare against the retailer's size chart, but matching the code directly is more reliable.

Blackout fabric for bedrooms and sleeping areas. Light-filtering or translucent fabrics are available for roof windows if you want to soften direct sun without full darkness - they're more common in living areas and home offices where full blackout isn't the priority. For a bedroom, and especially a children's bedroom in a loft conversion, blackout fabric is usually the right call. Be aware that "blackout" is a retailer's claim and describes the fabric's opacity; even blackout fabric will let some light in around the frame edges if the side channels aren't sitting flush.

Colour choice and heat. A roof window faces the sky, which means the blind takes more direct solar radiation than a vertical window does. Lighter-coloured fabrics - whites, creams, and pale greys - reflect more heat than dark ones. If the room tends to overheat in summer, a white or ivory fabric will perform better than black or deep brown at reducing the solar gain, even if both are equally effective at blocking visible light.

Side channels or no side channels. Most roof-specific blinds include side channels as part of the system, and they're the right choice for bedrooms. Some ranges offer options without full side channels for rooms where the priority is glare reduction rather than blackout. If you need genuine darkness, confirm that the blind includes side channels before ordering.

Handling and operation. Roof blinds are operated from below, often at arm's length. A wand control - a rigid pole that you use to push or pull the blind - is common on manual versions. Motorised options exist but sit in a different price bracket; this guide covers manual blinds.

Cord safety. If the room is used by children, confirm the blind uses a cordless or wand-operated mechanism. Dangling cords on a roof window can be harder to keep out of reach than on a vertical window, particularly in a low-ceilinged loft room. UK regulations require blinds sold for domestic use to be cord-safe by design, but it's worth verifying the specific mechanism before you order.

Our picks

Best for Velux

Skye (Blackout) Blinds For Velux Windows

at So Easy Blinds

A blackout roof blind from So Easy Blinds sized for Velux roof windows.

from £29.96 in 8 colours

Read review →

Best for Keylite

Skye (Blackout) Blinds For Keylite Windows

at So Easy Blinds

The same blackout roof blind sized for Keylite windows.

from £46.85 in 8 colours

Read review →

Best general skylight

Skye Windows

at So Easy Blinds

A broader roof-blind range from So Easy Blinds for other skylight makes.

from £53.51 in 24 colours

Read review →

Pick details

Best for Velux

Skye (Blackout) Blinds For Velux Windows

at So Easy Blinds

A blackout roof blind from So Easy Blinds sized for Velux roof windows.

from £29.96 in 8 colours

Read review →

So Easy Blinds' Skye blackout range for Velux windows is our pick for households with a Velux roof window. Velux is by far the most common roof window brand in UK homes - the name is used generically in the same way that "Hoover" gets used for vacuum cleaners - so this is the pick that will apply to most readers. The blind is described by the retailer as blackout and comes with the side-channel system needed to hold the fabric taut at the window's angle.

The range covers eight colour finishes: Karo Natural, Raven Black, Aruba Blue, Henna Brown, Grace Ivory, Flint Grey, Lava Red, and Ultra White. That's a reasonable spread from neutral to bold, and it includes the pale end of the palette (Grace Ivory, Ultra White, Flint Grey) that tends to perform better on south-facing windows where summer heat is a concern. The range starts from £29.96, making it the lowest entry point of the three picks in this guide.

Eight size variants cover the most common Velux window size codes. Before ordering, confirm your window's size code from the frame rather than estimating from the glass area - Velux uses a coded sizing system and the blind is manufactured to those specific dimensions.

Best for Keylite

Skye (Blackout) Blinds For Keylite Windows

at So Easy Blinds

The same blackout roof blind sized for Keylite windows.

from £46.85 in 8 colours

Read review →

The Skye blackout range for Keylite windows is the counterpart pick for households with a Keylite roof window. Keylite is a common alternative to Velux, particularly in newer UK builds, and the window dimensions don't map directly to Velux size codes even where the glass area appears similar. Using the Keylite-specific version ensures the side channels and bracket fittings are designed for Keylite's frame dimensions.

The colour palette is identical to the Velux version: the same eight finishes from Karo Natural through to Ultra White. The fabric is described by the retailer as the same blackout construction. The main practical difference between the two picks is the fitting - one is sized and bracketed for Velux frames, the other for Keylite - which is exactly the kind of distinction that matters when ordering a roof blind and that general "skylight blind" searches don't always surface.

Starting price is £46.85, higher than the Velux equivalent. That difference is likely a function of the variant economics rather than a different product specification - Keylite has a smaller installed base in the UK than Velux, so the range covers a smaller number of size variants, which typically affects manufacturing cost per unit.

If you have a Keylite window, this is the version to look at. If you're not sure which brand you have, look for the manufacturer's name on the frame or the installation paperwork; don't assume it's Velux because the windows look similar.

Best general skylight

Skye Windows

at So Easy Blinds

A broader roof-blind range from So Easy Blinds for other skylight makes.

from £53.51 in 24 colours

Read review →

The Skye Windows range from So Easy Blinds is the general pick for skylight makes that aren't Velux or Keylite. The range covers three other manufacturers - Fakro, Rooflite, and Dakstra - across the same eight colour finishes, giving 24 variants in total (eight colours across three manufacturer fittings). This is the pick to start with if you have a Fakro window (common in UK self-builds and renovations), a Rooflite, or a Dakstra.

The colour and fabric names are the same as the Velux and Keylite versions, which suggests a consistent underlying product with manufacturer-specific fittings rather than a different blind designed from scratch. Each variant is described as blackout and includes the roof-blind side-channel system.

Starting price here is £53.51, the highest entry point of the three picks. Again, this is likely a variant-economics effect: 24 variants across three less-common window manufacturers rather than one. The fabric and blackout performance described by the retailer are the same as the other two picks.

One practical note: if you have an older or less common skylight brand not covered by any of the three picks - a loft conversion from the 1990s with a non-branded window, for example, or an obscure import - the right step is to measure the glass area carefully and contact the retailer before ordering, since none of these ranges will fit correctly if the frame dimensions don't match a supported size code.

What we didn't include

This guide focuses on blackout fabric blinds with side channels, because that's the specification that matters most for the bedrooms and sleeping areas where most roof blinds are needed. Light-filtering roof blinds - designed to soften direct sun rather than block it - serve a different purpose and suit living rooms, home offices, and reading areas in loft conversions. They're a real category but a separate buying decision from blackout, and mixing them into a blackout-focused guide wouldn't help readers who need one or the other.

We didn't include motorised or electric roof blinds. They're available from several retailers and solve a real problem - a roof window in the centre of a ceiling is difficult to reach with a manual wand control - but the price step is substantial and puts them in a genuinely different budget bracket. A guide focused on manual roof blinds is more directly useful for the majority of searches on this topic.

We also limited this guide to fitted, manufacturer-matched blinds. Universal or "one-size-fits-most" roof blinds exist but rely on the buyer measuring accurately and accepting that the fit will be approximate. A blind that doesn't sit flush in the channels on a sloped window will let light around the edges; for blackout purposes that matters, and it's why manufacturer-matched sizing is generally the right approach.