Shop for solar or roller shades and one spec decides most of what the shade does: openness factor. It is the percentage of the weave that is open space. A 1% fabric is nearly solid; a 10% fabric is closer to a screen. Everything about glare, view and privacy hangs on that number.
What each range does
- 1%: maximum glare control and UV blockage, soft view, best on brutal west glass and screens-heavy rooms
- 3%: the Texas workhorse, strong glare control with a usable view through the weave
- 5%: brighter rooms and clearer views, for windows that get sun but not punishment
- 10%: view-first shading for covered or north-facing glass
Direction decides more than taste
A west-facing Texas window in July argues for 1% to 3%. A north-facing window with a view argues for 5% or more, because the sun never hits it hard enough to justify losing the view. Mixing openness by direction on the same house is not inconsistency, it is the right answer, and matching fabric colors keeps the look unified.
The dark-fabric secret
Counterintuitively, darker solar fabrics see through better than light ones at the same openness, because a dark weave swallows reflections instead of lighting up. Light fabrics reflect more heat but glow; dark fabrics preserve the view. Which matters more depends on the room, and holding samples against your own glass settles it in minutes.