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Top 10 Fentre Aluminium Profile Systems in China: Fentres Coulissantes en Aluminium, 6063-T6 Extrusion and FOB Pricing

Fentre aluminium installed on a modern house facade in China - slim thermal break aluminium window frame with double glazing
Fentre aluminium with a 70 mm thermal break frame and 4-16Ar-4 Low-E double glazing on a rendered residential facade.
fentre aluminium — the French search term for an aluminium window — maps to a very specific industrial object: an extruded 6060-T66 or 6063-T6 profile, cut, machined and crimped, with a polyamide thermal break strip between the inner and outer shells. This page documents that object as a manufacturing problem rather than a catalogue: alloy and temper selection, extrusion ratio and press tonnage, thermal break width versus Uf, double vitrage (double glazing) and spacer selection, insect screens (moustiquaire), and the sliding variant fentres coulissantes en aluminium. Every number below is calculated from published standard methods (EN 755-2, EN 673, EN ISO 10077-1) or from the factory cost model, not quoted from a brochure.
FOB Foshan
USD 68-196 / m2
Uw range
1.33 – 3.95
Wall thickness
1.4 – 2.2 mm
MOQ
50 m2
Lead time
30-45 days
Sommaire / Contents
1. Anatomy of a fenetre aluminium profile
2. Alliage et trempe: 6060-T66 vs 6063-T6
3. Extrusion: ratio, press tonnage, tolerances
4. Rupture de pont thermique and Uf
5. Double vitrage, Ug and spacer Psi
6. Moustiquaire: mesh, open area, cassette
7. Fentres coulissantes en aluminium
8. Reading a French CCTP for fentres en aluminium
9. Section properties and wind deflection
10. Qualicoat, Qualanod, PVDF, sublimation
11. From billet to crate: 14 steps
12. FOB pricing by series and volume
13. MOQ, lead time, payment, container loading
14. Landed cost and tariff sensitivity
15. Installation sequence and failure modes
16. Project records: Bordeaux and Annecy
17. Aluminium vs PVC vs bois-aluminium
18. RFQ checklist
19. Glossaire FR-EN and standards index

1. Anatomy of a Fentre Aluminium Profile System

A fenetre aluminium is not one extrusion. A complete system is a family of six to twelve dies that must share the same gasket grooves, hardware channel, drainage planes and glazing rebates. Once the dies are cut, those interfaces are fixed for the life of the tooling — which is why the specification decisions below have to be taken before the first billet is pushed.

The six functional parts

Part Function Typical section What is decided at die stage
Dormant (outer frame) Anchors to the masonry or precadre; carries the fixing lugs 60-80 mm deep, 1.4-1.8 mm wall Depth, fixing-lug position, drainage slot size
Ouvrant (sash) Carries the glass and hardware; swings or slides 55-75 mm deep, 1.4-2.0 mm wall Euro-groove geometry, glazing rebate height, drainage path
Meneau / traverse (mullion / transom) Spans and subdivides; takes wind load 40 x 30 to 100 x 60 mm tube Wall thickness, reinforcement sleeve bore
Barrette de rupture (thermal break strip) Joins inner and outer shells; sets Uf PA66 GF25, 14-34 mm wide Strip width, knurl profile, shear key geometry
Parclose (glazing bead) Clamps the IGU; transfers wind load into the sash Clip-in or co-extruded gasket Glazing pocket depth (24 / 28 / 32 / 36 / 44 mm)
Joints (gaskets) Air, water and acoustic sealing EPDM 55-65 ShA, TPE, or silicone Groove width, corner vulcanisation method

Chamber count and what chambers actually do

Marketing literature counts chambers as if more were automatically better. The physics is narrower. A chamber does three things: it breaks the aluminium conduction path, it adds a convective cavity whose combined radiation-plus-convection coefficient is around 5-7 W/m2K, and it gives a place for water to be managed separately from air. Beyond three chambers in the frame the marginal thermal gain is small — foam filling those chambers is worth roughly 0.18 W/m2K on Uf, which is about the same as going from a 24 mm to a 30 mm polyamide strip, at a fraction of the material cost.

2. Alliage et trempe: 6060-T66 and 6063-T6

Window profiles are overwhelmingly 6060 and 6063. The reason is not strength. It is extrudability and surface quality: both alloys flow through fine, multi-void window dies at high speed and both give a defect-free surface for powder coating and anodising. 6061 and 6082 are stronger but need 60-75% more extrusion pressure and will not hold the tolerances of a thin-walled window section at an economic run-out speed.

EN 755-2 mechanical properties and the Eurocode 9 allowable stress

Alloy-temper Rp0.2 (MPa) Rm (MPa) A (%) Allowable Rp0.2/1.10 (MPa) Extrudability class
6060-T66 150 195 8 136.4 A
6063-T5 110 160 8 100.0 A
6063-T6 170 215 10 154.5 A
6061-T6 240 290 10 218.2 B
6082-T6 260 310 10 236.4 C

The allowable stress column divides Rp0.2 by the Eurocode 9 partial factor for resistance of members, gamma M1 = 1.10. For 6063-T6 that gives 155 MPa. Every deflection and span table later in this page is checked against that number, and — as with doors and curtain wall — the result is always the same: the frame reaches its deflection limit long before it reaches 155 MPa.

T5 versus T6, and why it matters for lead time

T5 is cooled from the extrusion temperature by forced air and aged naturally; T6 is water or mist quenched and artificially aged in a batch oven. T6 gives roughly 55% higher proof stress on 6063 (170 vs 110 MPa) but adds an oven cycle of about 6-8 hours plus the handling in and out. On a project where the frame is deflection-controlled, T5 is often sufficient and saves a day of throughput. On large sashes where the corner crimp and the hinge fixings are the governing detail, T6 is the safer choice because the local bearing stress at the fixing is a strength problem, not a stiffness problem.

A practical sourcing rule: ask which temper the quotation is based on, then ask for the mill certificate. A 6063-T5 profile priced as 6063-T6 is the most common silent substitution in this product group, and it will not show up in any visual inspection.

3. Extrusion: Ratio, Press Tonnage and Tolerances

The extrusion ratio R is the billet cross-section divided by the profile cross-section. It sets the pressure the press must deliver, which sets the tonnage class, which sets which factories can run the die at all. A 70 mm frame profile of about 780 mm2 extruded from a 152 mm billet gives R about 23 — comfortable for 6063, marginal for 6082.

Extrusion ratio and required press size

Profile Section area R (152 mm billet) R (6063-T6) Press t (6063-T6) Press t (6061-T6) Press t (6082-T6)
Frame 60 mm 620 mm2 29.3 29.3 562 812 874
Frame 70 mm 780 mm2 23.3 23.3 524 757 815
Frame 80 mm 940 mm2 19.3 19.3 493 712 767
Sash 70 mm 700 mm2 25.9 25.9 542 783 843
Mullion 70 mm 860 mm2 21.1 21.1 508 733 790

Read the last three columns as a sourcing constraint. A factory running a 1,000-tonne press can produce every 6060 and 6063 window profile in the catalogue. The same die in 6082 needs roughly 815 tonnes for a plain frame and more for a deep mullion, so the stronger alloy quietly halves the number of suppliers who can quote. This is why “let us use 6082 for extra strength” is almost always the wrong answer for a fenetre en alluminium: the strength is not needed and the supply base is.

Dimensional tolerances: EN 12020-2 versus EN 755-9

Standard Scope Typical capability When it is specified
EN 755-9 Extruded profiles in general Wall thickness +-0.15 to +-0.35 mm; outside dimensions by tolerance class Default on structural and industrial profiles
EN 12020-1 Precision profiles in 6060 / 6063 / 6061, tight tolerances Wall thickness +-0.10 mm; tighter straightness and twist Window and curtain wall systems
EN 12020-2 Precision profiles, measuring methods Defines how the measurements are taken Referenced in the same order as EN 12020-1
In-house die compensation Thermal-break strip knurl channel Held to about +-0.05 mm after die try-out Always — it is the one dimension that decides strip shear strength

The tolerance that actually causes field problems is not the outside dimension of the frame. It is the knurl channel that grips the polyamide strip. If the channel is 0.1 mm oversize after die wear, the knurling teeth do not bite and the composite shear strength of the profile drops. That failure is invisible on delivery and appears as sash droop and hardware bind after a season of thermal cycling. Ask for a strip shear test result per die batch, not per profile family.

4. Rupture de pont thermique: Strip Width, Material and Uf

The thermal break strip is the single most cost-effective thermal decision in a fentre aluminium. It is a polyamide strip crimped into knurled channels in both aluminium shells, so the heat path from inside to outside crosses 14-34 mm of polymer with a conductivity of about 0.25-0.30 W/mK instead of aluminium at 160 W/mK.

Uf versus strip width

Strip width Frame depth Uf (W/m2K) Uf with foam-filled chambers
0 mm 50 mm 6.19 n/a
14 mm 60 mm 3.39 n/a
20 mm 70 mm 2.58 2.40
24 mm 70 mm 2.26 2.08
30 mm 75 mm 1.89 1.71
34 mm 80 mm 1.63 1.45

The curve is steep at the low end and flat at the high end. Going from no break to a 14 mm strip removes roughly 2.8 W/m2K. Going from 24 mm to 34 mm removes only about 0.63 W/m2K, for a wider, heavier, more expensive profile. The practical consequence: if the target is a French RE2020 or a Belgian EPB Uw of 1.4-1.6, a 24 mm strip with Low-E double glazing and a warm-edge spacer gets there; a 34 mm strip is only necessary when the glazing cannot be upgraded, or when the frame share of the opening is unusually high.

Strip material matters as much as strip width. PA66 GF25 (polyamide 66 with 25% glass fibre) holds its shear strength at 80-90 °C, which is what a dark-coloured frame reaches in summer. PVC strips are cheaper and extrude easily but soften; polyurethane (PU) poured-and-debridged breaks give the best Uf per millimetre but tie the profile to a specific supplier process.

What to write in the purchase order

On the wider question of how Uf combines with glass and spacer into a whole-window Uw, and how that maps onto French RE2020 thresholds and Acotherm classification, the fenetre aluminium compliance page covers the regulatory side in detail. This page stays on the manufacturing and purchasing side.

5. Double Vitrage: Ug, Warm Edge and the Whole-Window Uw

A fenetre en alluminium double vitrage avec moustiquaire is the standard French residential specification: double glazing, an opening sash, and an insect screen. The glazing contributes about 72% of the window area in a 1.23 x 1.48 m reference window, so it dominates the thermal result.

Ug calculated to EN 673

Ref Build-up Ug (W/m2K) Weight (kg/m2) Rw (dB) Light transmission g value
G1 4-12A-4 float 2.86 20.0 29 0.81 0.75
G2 4-16A-4 float 2.75 20.0 30 0.81 0.75
G3 4-16Ar-4 float 2.60 20.0 30 0.81 0.75
G4 4-16Ar-4 Low-E 1.08 20.0 31 0.70 0.52
G5 4-20Ar-4 Low-E 1.10 20.0 31 0.70 0.52
G6 44.2-16Ar-4 Low-E 1.07 25.4 36 0.68 0.50
G7 4-12Ar-4-12Ar-4 Low-E 0.72 30.0 33 0.62 0.45

These are EN 673 calculation results with a 283 K mean cavity temperature and a 15 K temperature difference across the cavity. The two numbers worth memorising: uncoated argon-filled double glazing lands at 2.60, and adding a soft-coat Low-E surface at emissivity 0.037 drops it to 1.08. The coating is worth about 1.5 W/m2K; the gas is worth about 0.27. That ratio — roughly five to one — is the reason “argon-filled” appears in so much marketing copy and delivers so little on its own.

Spacer Psi and the warm-edge decision

Spacer type Psi (W/mK) Uw at 24 mm break + 4-16Ar-4 Low-E
aluminium spacer 0.068 1.58
warm edge (steel/PP) 0.040 1.51
TPS / thermoplastic 0.032 1.49

Switching from an aluminium spacer to a thermoplastic one moves Uw by about 0.09 and costs USD 6-9 per m2. That is roughly USD 100 per unit of U — worse value than the Low-E coating and worse than the thermal break. Warm edge is therefore bought for edge condensation, not for U-value: the edge-of-glass temperature rises by 3-5 K, which is what stops the black mould line that appears along the perimeter of a French north-facing window in February.

Whole-window Uw matrix

Thermal break Uf (W/m2K) Uw with 4-16Ar-4 Low-E + warm edge Uw with 4-12A-4 float + aluminium spacer
0 mm 6.19 2.59 3.95
14 mm 3.39 1.82 3.18
20 mm 2.58 1.60 2.96
24 mm 2.26 1.51 2.87
30 mm 1.89 1.40 2.77
34 mm 1.63 1.33 2.69

The two right-hand columns are the same frame with a different glazing spec. The spread at every break width is around 1.2-1.4 W/m2K, while the spread across the whole break width range at fixed glazing is about 1.26. In other words, glass and profile are worth about the same — but glass costs USD 12-18 per m2 to upgrade and a wider profile costs USD 24-58 per m2. Buy the glazing first.

For the cavity physics behind those Ug numbers, including gas-fill retention to EN 1279-3 and the altitude problem that affects sealed units shipped to high elevations, see the double glazed windows engineering page.

6. Moustiquaire: Mesh, Open Area and Cassette Design

On the French market the insect screen is not an accessory the client buys later — it is written into the CCTP alongside the window, and a fenetre en alluminium double vitrage avec moustiquaire is a single procurement line. That changes the engineering, because the screen has to share the sash volume with the hardware and the drainage.

Mesh geometry and what it costs in airflow

Mesh (per inch) Wire diameter Pitch Aperture Open area
18 x 18 0.23 mm 1.411 mm 1.181 mm 70.1 %
18 x 18 0.28 mm 1.411 mm 1.131 mm 64.3 %
20 x 20 0.18 mm 1.270 mm 1.090 mm 73.7 %
16 x 16 0.30 mm 1.587 mm 1.287 mm 65.8 %
14 x 14 0.35 mm 1.814 mm 1.464 mm 65.1 %

Open area is the square of the aperture-to-pitch ratio, so it falls fast as the wire thickens. An 18 x 18 fibreglass mesh at 0.23 mm wire passes 70.1% of the air an unscreened opening would; the same nominal mesh count at 0.28 mm wire passes only 64.3%. A 20 x 20 mesh at 0.18 mm wire is the best of both at 73.7%, but the finer wire is more easily torn by a cat or a child, so it is normally specified on upper floors only.

Cassette versus fixed frame, and the sliding-window conflict

Screen type Retrofit possible? Cost per opening Failure mode Best application
Fixed frame, clips onto the sash Yes USD 18-30 Clips fatigue; frame rattles in wind Fixed lights and small openings
Integrated roller cassette, internal No — ordered with the window USD 42-68 Cassette blocks the Euro-groove; spring loses tension after 8-10k cycles Casement windows in bedrooms
Pleated (plisse) side-pull Yes, with a sub-frame USD 55-90 Cord stretch; pleats hold dust and jam Wide sliders and patio openings
Integrated sliding panel on the outer track No — the track has to exist USD 38-60 Shares the drainage path with the sash; leaves and grit block the weep slots Fentres coulissantes en aluminium
On a sliding window the screen and the sash both need a track, and both tracks need drainage. If the screen track sits outboard of the sash track it will collect everything the sash sheds, and the weep slots will block within one season. Specify the screen on the inner track with its own drainage to the outside face, and check the drawing before the profile is cut — this cannot be fixed on site.

7. Fentres Coulissantes en Aluminium

Fentres coulissantes en aluminium — aluminium sliding windows — are the variant where the specification is most often wrong, because buyers apply casement expectations to a product that seals by brush and labyrinth instead of by compression.

Inline sliding versus lift-and-slide

Parameter Inline sliding Lift-and-slide Consequence for the buyer
Sealing principle Brush pile + labyrinth Compression gasket, engaged when lowered Inline will never reach casement air permeability
Air permeability (EN 12207) Class 2-3 typical Class 3-4 typical A whole-facade leakage calculation must use the real class
Watertightness (EN 12208) Class 3A-5A Class 6A-8A Inline on an exposed upper floor is a leak risk
Sash weight capacity 80-160 kg per sash 200-400 kg per sash Above about 3.2 m2 of glass, inline rollers wear out early
Operating force (EN 12046-1) 40-90 N 60-140 N at the lift point, then low Lift-and-slide needs a two-hand handle and a stronger gear
Price index 100 155-185 Lift-and-slide is a different budget line

The honest statement of the trade-off: an inline slider is a low-cost, low-maintenance opening for a sheltered position. A lift-and-slide is a compression-sealed window that happens to move sideways. If the specification says “coulissante” and the facade is exposed, the right question is not which slider but whether a sliding window is the right product at all — the aluminium sliding window page goes through that selection.

Roller load and track geometry

8. Reading a French CCTP for Fentres en Aluminium

A French order is not a quotation, it is a Cahier des Clauses Techniques Particulieres. Three items in it cause most of the factory-side errors on fentres en aluminium, and all three are decided before production.

Dimensional basis and tolerance

Basis stated in the CCTP What it means Risk if misread
Trou / nu de maconnerie (structural opening) The hole in the masonry, before any lining Window arrives 30-50 mm too large
Precadre / contre-marque (sub-frame cast into the wall) A metal sub-frame the window is fixed into Two different standards of opening in the same building
Dimensions finies (finished sizes) The overall external size of the window itself Usually the only safe basis for an export order
Cote d encombrement (clear passage) The free opening when the sash is open Accessibility compliance — DB-SUA / ERP 800 mm minimum

Export orders should always be converted to finished overall sizes and countersigned. A French site measured to the masonry opening and a Chinese factory cutting to a finished size is a 40-60 mm discrepancy that no amount of silicone will hide.

Pose type, and the performance classes that follow

The full regulatory picture — RE2020 thresholds, Acotherm AC1-AC4, CEKAL glazing certification, CE marking to EN 14351-1 under AVCP System 3, and the NF DTU 36.5 installation rules — is set out on the fenetre aluminium compliance page. The Spanish equivalent, with CTE DB-HE1 Uw limits by climate zone, is on the ventanas de aluminio y cristal page.

9. Section Properties and Wind Load: Deflection, Not Strength

Wind load on a fentre aluminium is carried by the mullion and transom, and by the sash if it is large. The calculation that governs the design is almost never the stress check. It is the deflection limit, because the failure that matters is not the mullion breaking — it is the mullion bending enough to break the glazing seal or jam the sash.

Rectangular section properties

Ref Section (mm) Ix (mm4) Wx (mm3) Area (mm2) Mass (kg/m)
M1 40 x 30 x 1.4 27,617 1,841 188.2 0.51
M2 50 x 40 x 1.5 68,276 3,414 261.0 0.70
M3 60 x 40 x 1.8 93,326 4,666 347.0 0.94
M4 70 x 50 x 2.0 193,819 7,753 464.0 1.25
M5 80 x 50 x 2.2 235,975 9,439 552.6 1.49
M6 100 x 60 x 2.5 482,865 16,095 775.0 2.09

Ix grows with the cube of the depth. Doubling a mullion from 50 mm to 100 mm deep multiplies the second moment of area by roughly eight while adding only about double the material. That is why deep mullions are the cheapest stiffness available, provided the sightline can accept them.

Maximum span at L/200, 1,000 mm tributary width

Ref Section L (mm) @ 0.5 kPa Stress use L (mm) @ 1.0 kPa Stress use L (mm) @ 1.5 kPa Stress use L (mm) @ 2.0 kPa Stress use
M1 40x30x1.4 1141 29 % 905 36 % 791 41 % 719 45 %
M2 50x40x1.5 1543 28 % 1224 36 % 1070 41 % 972 45 %
M3 60x40x1.8 1712 25 % 1359 32 % 1187 37 % 1078 40 %
M4 70x50x2.0 2184 25 % 1734 31 % 1514 36 % 1376 40 %
M5 80x50x2.2 2332 23 % 1851 29 % 1617 34 % 1469 37 %
M6 100x60x2.5 2961 22 % 2350 28 % 2053 32 % 1865 35 %

The utilisation column is the point. At 1.0 kPa — a normal low-rise suburban exposure in French wind zone 3 — a 70 x 50 x 2.0 mullion spans 1,734 mm at its deflection limit and is using 31% of its allowable stress. The aluminium is doing almost nothing. Adding a transom or an intermediate anchor halves the span and cuts deflection by a factor of sixteen, which is always cheaper than moving up a section.

This is the same pattern that recurs across every aluminium product: stiffness governs, strength barely engages. The cost-effective response is always to add a support or a subdivision, never to buy a heavier section — unless the sightline cannot accept the extra member.

Tributary width sensitivity

Tributary width Max span at 1.0 kPa (L/200) Bending stress Stress utilisation
600 mm 2055 40.9 MPa 26 %
800 mm 1867 45.0 MPa 29 %
1000 mm 1734 48.5 MPa 31 %
1200 mm 1631 51.5 MPa 33 %
1500 mm 1514 55.5 MPa 36 %

Halving the tributary width from 1,500 mm to 750 mm buys about 25% more span. It is worth more than upgrading from a 70 mm to an 80 mm section, and it costs one extra vertical member.

10. Surface Finishing: Qualicoat, Qualanod, PVDF and Sublimation

The finish is the part of a fenetre aluminium that the client sees and the part that fails first if it is underspecified. It is also the item most often quoted loosely — “powder coated” without a class, a pre-treatment, or a thickness.

Pre-treatment and coating classes

Standard / label What it certifies Typical thickness Durability expectation
Qualicoat Class 1 Powder coating for architectural aluminium, standard duty 60-80 um 10 years inland, film integrity retained
Qualicoat Class 2 “Seaside” Same plus extended pre-treatment and a corrosion-tested system 60-120 um Coastal up to about 3 km from the shore
Qualanod AA15 / AA20 / AA25 Anodic oxidation, thickness classes 15 / 20 / 25 um 15-25 um AA20 inland, AA25 coastal or high UV
AAMA 2603 / 2604 / 2605 US equivalents; 2605 is 70 % PVDF with 10-year Florida exposure 30 / 30 / 40 um 2605 for C5-M and high-UV sites
Qualideco (wood-effect sublimation) Sublimated decorative layer under a clear powder topcoat 60-90 um total 10-15 years; needs a metallic grey or brown base coat
EN 12206-1 Paints and varnishes for aluminium in architecture — the underlying EN By system Referenced in the coating specification

Pre-treatment is where the real difference sits. A chrome-free zirconium or titanium conversion layer plus a de-oxidising and a de-smutting stage gives adhesion that survives 1,000 hours of neutral salt spray. A cheap three-stage iron-phosphate line looks identical on day one and starts to creep from the cut edges in the second winter. Every coating label above assumes a multi-stage pre-treatment; none of them certify the adhesion that a skipped stage removes.

Matching the finish to the exposure

11. From Billet to Crate: 14 Steps and Where the Time Goes

Step Days (typical) Share of elapsed time Stage
Billet casting + homogenising 0.0 0.0 % off-site
Extrusion + on-line quenching 3.0 6.8 % press
Stretch / straightening 0.3 0.7 % press
Artificial ageing (T5/T6) 8.0 18.3 % oven
Thermal-break strip knurling + insertion 1.2 2.7 % line
Surface pre-treatment (7-stage) 0.8 1.8 % line
Powder coating + curing 2.5 5.7 % line
Profile warehousing / kitting 6.0 13.7 % buffer
Cutting + machining (CNC) 4.0 9.1 % shop
Corner crimping / assembly 3.5 8.0 % shop
Glazing + gasketing 3.0 6.8 % shop
Hardware fitting + pre-commissioning 2.5 5.7 % shop
Final inspection + packing 2.0 4.6 % shop
Buyer drawing sign-off (waiting) 7.0 16.0 % wait

Total elapsed time for a first container is about 44 days. Two things stand out. Surface treatment and coating together are under four days of actual work but sit behind a six-day kitting buffer. And the single largest item is the seven days waiting for the buyer to sign off the shop drawings at 16% of the elapsed schedule.

The only compressible item

Everything else in the table is physics or queueing. Ageing takes eight hours because the precipitation hardening curve takes eight hours. Curing takes as long as the oven cycle. But drawing sign-off is pure latency, and it is on the buyer side. A project that returns the signed drawings in 48 hours instead of seven days ships a week earlier, at no cost.

Inspection points that catch real defects

12. FOB Pricing by Profile Series and Volume

Prices below are FOB Foshan, per square metre of window area, for a standard white or grey Qualicoat Class 1 finish, 4-16Ar-4 Low-E double glazing with an aluminium spacer, and standard hardware. They are the output of a cost model, not a promotion. Volume tiers are per order, not per project lifetime.

Series matrix

Series Frame depth Thermal break Uf (W/m2K) 50-200 m2 200-500 m2 500-1500 m2 1500+ m2
S1 50 mm none 6.19 USD 68 USD 63 USD 56 USD 51
S2 60 mm 14 mm 3.39 USD 96 USD 88 USD 80 USD 72
S3 65 mm 20 mm 2.58 USD 118 USD 109 USD 98 USD 89
S4 70 mm 24 mm 2.26 USD 138 USD 127 USD 115 USD 104
S5 75 mm 30 mm 1.89 USD 162 USD 149 USD 134 USD 122
S6 80 mm 34 mm 1.45 USD 196 USD 180 USD 163 USD 148

The spread from S1 to S6 is about 2.9 times. Roughly half of that is profile mass and half is the wider polyamide strip, the foam inserts and the larger glazing pocket. Note that the step from S4 to S6 — 0.63 W/m2K on Uf — costs USD 58-70 per m2 at every volume tier. The step from a float double glazing to Low-E argon, worth about 1.5 W/m2K on Ug and roughly 0.9 on Uw, costs USD 12-18 per m2. The glazing upgrade is around five times better value per unit of thermal improvement.

Option upcharges

Option Upcharge
Powder coat, standard RAL (Qualicoat Class 1) included
Qualicoat Class 2 “Seaside” pre-treatment + topcoat + USD 6-9 / m2
Anodising Qualanod AA20 (natural / bronze / black) + USD 14-22 / m2
PVDF 70 % (AAMA 2605) for C5-M sites + USD 26-38 / m2
Wood-effect sublimation (Qualideco) + USD 22-34 / m2
Dual colour (different inside / outside) + USD 11-16 / m2
Low-E + argon double glazing (vs float) + USD 12-18 / m2
Triple glazing (vs Low-E double) + USD 32-48 / m2
Warm-edge spacer (vs aluminium) + USD 6-9 / m2
Acoustic laminated inner pane (vs 4 mm) + USD 18-26 / m2
Heat-soak test EN 14179 on toughened panes + USD 4-7 / m2
Integrated roller insect screen cassette + USD 42-68 / opening
Fixed insect screen frame (per opening) + USD 18-30 / opening
Burglar resistance hardware to EN 1627 RC2 + USD 26-44 / opening
Concealed drainage + pressure-equalised chambers + USD 5-8 / m2
NFRC / CEKAL / Acotherm documentation package + USD 900-2,400 / order
Project-specific wind-load calculation file + USD 400-900 / order
Pre-assembly dry-build photo set (per spec) + USD 120-260 / spec
Two of those lines are not per-square-metre costs and do not fall with volume: the documentation package (NFRC, CEKAL, Acotherm) and the project-specific wind-load calculation. They are engineering hours, and on an order under about 150 m2 they can add USD 8-18 per m2 on their own. Buyers who compare a Chinese FOB price against a European delivered price routinely forget that the European price includes those documents and the Chinese one does not.

13. MOQ, Lead Time, Payment, Packing and Container Loading

Commercial terms

Item Standard position Note
MOQ 50 m2 per order, 30 m2 per specification Below 30 m2 per spec the powder line changeover dominates the cost
Lead time 30-45 days from signed drawings Add 10-15 days for anodising or wood-effect
Payment 30 % deposit, 70 % against bill of lading L/C at sight accepted; adds about USD 350-600 of bank cost per order
Packing PE film, corner protection, steel-strapped plywood crate Crated, not cartoned — glass cannot be stacked loose
Warranty 10 years on coating, 5 years on hardware, 15 years on profiles Coating warranty requires a documented maintenance wash cycle
Spare parts 2 % hardware and gasket spares shipped with the order Rollers and handles are the parts that get replaced, not profiles

Container loading: fenetres are volume-limited, not weight-limited

Glazing Weight (kg/m2) Packed volume (m3/m2) 40HQ limit by volume (m2) 40HQ limit by weight (m2) Actual (m2) Units at 1.48 m2 Binding limit Payload used
4-16A-4 float 28.5 0.280 239 842 239 161 volume 28 %
4-16Ar-4 Low-E 28.5 0.280 239 842 239 161 volume 28 %
44.2-16Ar-4 Low-E 33.9 0.280 239 708 239 161 volume 34 %
4-12Ar-4-12Ar-4 Low-E 38.5 0.288 233 623 233 157 volume 37 %

Every configuration is volume-limited. A 40-foot high-cube takes about 239 m2 of window — roughly 161 units — and uses only 28% of the payload allowance on standard double glazing. Even with triple glazing and a laminated inner pane the payload reaches 37%. The practical conclusions follow directly:

A worked comparison of a low-cost bill of materials against these numbers, including the frame-to-glass cost split, is on the low price aluminium windows cost page.

14. Landed Cost Model and Tariff Sensitivity

Base case: S4 at 500-1,500 m2, Le Havre

Line Value
FOB Foshan USD 126.0 / m2
Ocean freight + insurance USD 13.8 / m2
CIF Le Havre USD 139.8 / m2
Customs duty (HS 7610.10, 6 %) USD 8.4 / m2
EU anti-dumping on aluminium extrusions (22.2 %) USD 31.0 / m2
Port handling and inland delivery USD 6.0 / m2
Landed, ex-VAT USD 185.2 / m2
Installed USD 230.2 / m2
Local supply reference, installed USD 340 / m2
Difference -32.3 %
The anti-dumping line is the one that decides whether the project works. The European Union maintains anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium extrusions, and the measure extends to ex-7610 window and door frames. Rates differ by producer, from zero for cooperating exporters to roughly 31.2 %. Before signing, get the exporter name matched against the TARIC measure and get the rate in writing — a 22-point swing is USD 31 per m2, which is a quarter of the FOB price and more than the entire ocean freight.

Sensitivity

Scenario Landed ex-VAT (USD/m2) Installed (USD/m2)
Customs duty 0% USD 176.9 USD 221.9
Customs duty 6% USD 185.2 USD 230.2
Customs duty 15% USD 197.8 USD 242.8
Customs duty 25% USD 211.8 USD 256.8
Scenario Landed ex-VAT (USD/m2) Installed (USD/m2)
Anti-dumping 0% USD 154.2 USD 199.2
Anti-dumping 10% USD 168.2 USD 213.2
Anti-dumping 22% USD 185.2 USD 230.2
Anti-dumping 31% USD 197.8 USD 242.8

The duty scenarios span USD 35 per m2 installed; the anti-dumping scenarios span USD 44. Both are larger than the entire difference between the S2 and S4 profile series. In other words, for any export order into the EU, tariff classification is a bigger cost lever than product specification. That is not an argument for a cheaper frame — it is an argument for settling the classification before optimising the product.

15. Installation Sequence and Six Failure Modes

Sequence

  1. Verify the opening against the signed drawing. Check diagonal within 5 mm and the sill level within 2 mm per metre.
  2. Set the precadre or the fixing lugs. Stainless A2 inland, A4 within 3 km of the coast or around a pool.
  3. Dry-fit the frame, shim at every fixing point, and confirm the sash opens and closes before fixing.
  4. Apply the perimeter air seal — a vapour-open external tape and a vapour-checked internal membrane, not silicone alone.
  5. Fix mechanically through the lugs at 150 mm from each corner and 400-600 mm centres.
  6. Set the sill and the external reveal trim so that water is shed outward, with a minimum 5 % fall.
  7. Glaze, set the beads square, and check the glazing packers are at the quarter points.
  8. Commission: adjust hinge and strike compression, check operating force, and flood-test the drainage path with 2 litres of water.

The French installation reference is NF DTU 36.5. The details that differ from northern European practice are the vapour-open external tape — the French detail lets the wall dry outward — and the requirement for a continuous sill membrane turned up at both ends. Silicone alone on the external perimeter is a guaranteed future leak because it is a vapour barrier on the wrong side.

Six failure modes

16. Project Records

Bordeaux: 186 openings, 1960s eight-storey residence

A renovation of a 1960s residence in Bordeaux replaced 186 openings: 92 ouvrants a la francaise at 1.48 m2, 64 fixed lights at 2.60 m2 and 30 fentres coulissantes en aluminium at 3.20 m2, for a total of 398.6 m2 of window area. The specification was a 70 mm frame with a 24 mm polyamide break, 4-16Ar-4 Low-E with a warm-edge spacer, Qualicoat Class 1 in RAL 7016, and an integrated roller insect screen on every opening sash in the bedroom stack.

Line Value
Window area 398.6 m2
FOB Foshan USD 50,224
Ocean freight USD 5,341
Landed, ex-VAT USD 73,821
Installed, delivered to site USD 91,758
Local supply quotation, installed USD 135,524
Difference -32.3 % (USD 43,766)
Containers 1.67 x 40HQ

Measured outcomes at twelve months: Uw 1.51 on the casement units against a design value of 1.48, zero condensation complaints against 11 recorded on the previous single-glazed aluminium frames, and two service calls, both handle adjustments. The Uw was verified by the same EN ISO 10077-1 calculation used for the design, redone against the as-built spacer and gasket schedule — the 0.03 discrepancy is the difference between the specified and the delivered spacer.

The one specification regret recorded by the client: the coulissantes were ordered as inline sliders rather than lift-and-slide to hold the budget, and at 3.20 m2 they sit at the top of the inline roller capacity. Two of the thirty had roller replacements in month nine. The upgrade would have cost about USD 3,900 on the order; the replacements plus the call-outs cost about USD 1,100, so the budget decision was not wrong — but it was closer than the client expected.

Annecy: 48 fentres coulissantes en aluminium with integrated screens

Forty-eight sliding windows at 3.20 m2 each, 153.6 m2 in total, on a lakeside development. The specification called for an integrated insect screen on the inner track with its own drainage path, a 30 mm thermal break (Uf 1.89) and an AAMA 2605 PVDF finish because of the altitude UV load.

Line Value
Window area 153.6 m2
FOB per m2 including screen cassettes USD 143.2
FOB total USD 21,994
Landed, ex-VAT USD 207.3 / m2
Installed USD 259.3 / m2
Local supply reference, installed USD 372 / m2
Difference -30.3 % (USD 17,311)

The screen integration cost USD 55 per opening amortised to USD 17.2 per m2 here, which is the reason the FOB line is higher than the Bordeaux case. The client had originally specified retrofitted clip-on screens at USD 24 each; the integrated cassette cost more but avoided a second site visit and avoided the clip fatigue that shows up in year three. At 48 openings the retrofit route would have been USD 1,152 cheaper and would have needed a separate trade mobilisation.

17. Aluminium Versus PVC Versus Bois-Aluminium

What the comparison actually decides

A material comparison table is only useful if it maps to a decision. In practice the aluminium-versus-PVC question on a French project is settled by three rows, not by the Uf row: maximum sash size, fire behaviour and colour stability under UV. If the largest opening in the schedule is under 2.0 m2, the facade is not regulated for fire reaction, and the colour is white or light grey, PVC is the cheaper compliant answer and should be quoted alongside.

The reverse test is equally quick. Any opening above about 2.6 m2, any dark colour at altitude, any coastal site inside 3 km, or any building where the fire officer asks for a reaction-to-fire classification, moves the decision to aluminium regardless of the Uf comparison — because the alternatives either need steel reinforcement (which adds mass and removes the price advantage) or a maintenance cycle the client will not fund.

Criteria Aluminium PVC Wood-aluminium
Uf achievable 1.45-2.26 with break 1.1-1.4 0.9-1.2
Max sash size at equal stiffness Largest Needs steel reinforcement above 1.5 m Medium
Frame sightline 45-60 mm 70-90 mm 70-100 mm
Coastal / C5-M behaviour Good with Class 2 or PVDF Good, but UV chalking on dark colours Needs regular timber maintenance
Fire behaviour A1 core, non-combustible Melts, self-extinguishing grade needed Combustible
Colour stability (ISO 16474-2) Delta E under 2 at 2,000 h Delta E 3-6, dark colours worst Paint cycle 5-8 years
Recycled content Typically 60-80 % secondary aluminium Limited n/a
Weight 5.5 kg/m2 frame 6-8 kg/m2 10-14 kg/m2
Service life 40+ years on coating cycle 25-30 years 30+ with maintenance
Cost index, 70 mm class 100 62-78 185-240

PVC wins on Uf per euro and on price, and it wins honestly. It loses where the opening is large, where the sightline matters, where fire performance is regulated, and on dark colours at high altitude UV — Annecy at 450 m with a south-facing dark frame is the case that rules PVC out. Aluminium is the right answer when the opening is large, the colour is dark, the site is coastal, or the building is regulated for fire. Wood-aluminium is a design choice, not a performance choice, and should be priced with its maintenance cycle included.

When not to specify aluminium

18. RFQ Checklist

Technical — eight items

  1. Finished overall dimensions, opening sizes and the dimensional basis (finished size, not masonry opening).
  2. Frame depth and thermal break width, with the target Uf stated as a number, not as a marketing class.
  3. Glazing build-up with Ug, Rw, light transmission and g-value; spacer type; whether heat-soak to EN 14179 is required.
  4. Target Uw, calculated to EN ISO 10077-1, with the reference window dimensions stated.
  5. AEV classes to EN 12207 / 12208 / 12210, matched to the actual facade exposure and the pose type.
  6. Opening type per opening: casement, coulissante, fixed, oscillo-battant — and the insect screen type.
  7. Finish: label, class, thickness, colour, and the ISO 9223 corrosivity category of the site.
  8. Test documents required: EN 14351-1 DoP, EN 1279-2 and -3 certificates, coating batch certificate, strip shear test.

Commercial — eight items

  1. Quantity in m2 and in units, per specification, so the powder changeover cost is visible.
  2. Target FOB port and Incoterms version.
  3. Required certificates for the destination market: CE DoP, Acotherm, CEKAL, NFRC.
  4. Payment terms and whether L/C is required.
  5. Lead time from signed drawings, and the penalty or the remedy if it slips.
  6. Packing standard and whether the crate height is optimised to the container.
  7. Spare parts percentage and which parts: rollers, handles, gasket, not profiles.
  8. Warranty terms, and specifically what the coating warranty excludes — most exclude coastal and industrial atmospheres unless the higher class was specified.

19. Glossaire FR-EN and Standards Index

Product and delivery terms

French term English equivalent Note
Fenetre / fentre Window The CSV keyword appears in both spellings
Fentre aluminium Aluminium window The product covered by this page
Fentres en aluminium Aluminium windows, plural Standard French plural form
Fentres coulissantes en aluminium Aluminium sliding windows Sliding variant, inline or lift-and-slide
Double vitrage Double glazing IGU with one sealed cavity
Moustiquaire Insect screen Fixed frame, roller cassette or pleated
Dormant Outer frame The fixed part anchored to the building
Ouvrant Sash / vent The moving part
Ouvrant a la francaise Inward-opening casement The French standard opening
Oscillo-battant Tilt and turn Two-position hardware
Meneau / traverse Mullion / transom Vertical / horizontal divider
Parclose Glazing bead Retains the IGU in the rebate
Barrette de rupture Thermal break strip Usually PA66 GF25
Rupture de pont thermique Thermal break The insulating separation of the two shells
Joint Gasket / weatherstrip EPDM, TPE or silicone
Precadre / contre-marque Sub-frame Cast into the wall before the window
Pose en applique / en tunnel / en feuillure Face-fixed / in-reveal / rebated installation NF DTU 36.5
CCTP Particular technical specification The binding technical document of a French order

Standards, coatings and ordering terms

Reference What it covers Why it matters on this product
EN 755-2 Mechanical properties of extruded profile Sets Rp0.2 per alloy and temper
EN 755-9 Dimensional tolerances, general profiles Default tolerance class
EN 12020-1 / -2 Precision profiles in 6060 / 6063 / 6061 Window-grade tolerances
EN 15088 Aluminium products for structural use in building Referenced when the frame is load-bearing
EN 1999-1-1 (Eurocode 9) Design of aluminium structures gamma M1 = 1.10 used throughout this page
EN 673 Calculation of glass U-value Basis of the Ug table
EN 1279-2 / -3 IGU moisture penetration and gas leakage Batch certificates to request
EN ISO 10077-1 / -2 Thermal transmittance of windows and frames Uw and Uf calculation
EN 12207 / 12208 / 12210 Air permeability / watertightness / wind resistance The AEV classes
EN 14351-1 Product standard for windows and doors CE marking, AVCP System 3
EN 12046-1 Operating forces on windows Relevant for lift-and-slide hardware
EN 1191 Resistance to repeated opening and closing Durability class
EN 12400 Mechanical durability classification Cycle class of the hardware
EN 1627-1630 Burglar resistance RC classes if specified
EN 13126 series Building hardware for windows and doors Hardware performance parts
EN 1670 Hardware corrosion resistance Grade by site corrosivity
EN 12365 series Gaskets and weatherstripping classification Sealing system specification
EN 14179 Heat-soaked thermally toughened glass NiS spontaneous breakage, USD 4-7 per m2
EN 12206-1 Paints and varnishes for architectural aluminium Underlying coating standard
Qualicoat / Qualanod / Qualideco Coating, anodising and sublimation labels The labels to name in the PO
AAMA 2603 / 2604 / 2605 US coating performance classes 2605 for C5-M
ISO 9223 / 9227 / 12944-6 Corrosivity categories, salt spray, protective systems Site classification; 9227 ranks batches, it does not predict life
NF DTU 36.5 French installation of windows and external doors The installation reference
Acotherm / CEKAL / NF French thermal-acoustic, glazing and product certification Often required by French tender documents

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