SAM KIT slats· 3 min read
Rotating Slats for a Balcony: How Many Slats and SAM KIT Pairs
Rotating slats for a balcony or loggia: worked sizes in wood and aluminium, slat and SAM KIT pair counts, and what to watch for at the railing.
On a balcony you usually want two things at once: shade and privacy, without shutting yourself in a box. SAM KIT rotating slats tilt from 0 to 140°, so you can close them against the sun during the day and open them in the evening. The SAM KIT product description lists balconies among its uses. Here are three typical situations.
What to measure
- Clear width between the posts, frame or walls the slats will fit into.
- Clear height of the space the slats should fill — for example the height of a frame behind the railing, or the full floor-to-ceiling height of a loggia.
Three examples
| Space (w × h) | Slats | Slat length | SAM KIT pairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balcony side 1,200 × 1,000 mm, wood | 11 | 1,164 mm (buy 1.2 m) | 3 |
| Balcony front 2,800 × 1,000 mm, wood | 22 (2 sections) | 1,364 mm (buy 1.5 m) | 6 |
| Balcony front 2,800 × 1,000 mm, aluminium | 11 | 2,764 mm (buy 3 m) | 3 |
| Loggia side wall 1,500 × 2,200 mm, wood or aluminium | 23 | 1,464 mm (buy 1.5 m) | 5 |
At a height of 1,000 mm the slats fill 975 mm (the height minus 25 mm of clearance). That is 10.26 pitches of 95 mm — the calculator counts a remainder above 0.2 of a slat as a whole slat, hence 11. You need 3 SAM KIT pairs, because one pair covers 475 mm of height.
A 2,800 mm front is too long for wood; the slat would be 2,764 mm. The calculator splits it into two 1,400 mm sections. With aluminium you keep one section and half the slats and pairs — at the price of longer slats, bought in 3 m lengths.
A longer loggia front, say 3,600 × 1,100 mm, is too long even for aluminium: the slat would be 3,564 mm. The calculator splits it into two 1,800 mm sections with 1,764 mm slats (buy 2 m) — 24 slats and 6 SAM KIT pairs in total.
SAM KIT slatsCalculate slats for my balconyStep by step
- 1Decide where the slats go: behind the railing in their own frame, on the side of the balcony, or floor to ceiling in a loggia.
- 2Measure the clear width and height at both ends and use the smaller value.
- 3Enter the sizes in the calculator, choose wood or aluminium and see whether the opening has to be split.
- 4If it is split, plan a post between the sections and subtract its width from the clear width.
- 5Buy slats in the length the calculator shows, and SAM KIT pairs for every section.
Balcony tips
- The slats slot into SAM KIT without screws, and all the slats in a section tilt together with one movement.
- The mechanism is made of glass-fibre-reinforced composite and, according to the product description, resists UV, frost and salt water.
- On narrow balconies, think about which way the slats swing out when opened so they do not hit plant pots or the railing.
- Slats are sold in 0.5, 1, 1.2, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 m lengths — the calculator shows which one to buy.
Slats are not a railing and must never take over its protective role. Closed slats catch the wind — if you want to fix them to the railing or the facade, have a structural engineer check the anchoring. In an apartment building, check with the building management first whether changing the look of the balcony needs the owners' approval.
Flowgarden is the shop of the same team behind Planmero.