Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town businesses order from Coetz™ are made to measure at our workshop in Laser Park, Johannesburg, and measured, delivered and installed on site by MC Automations, our parent company. Shops, clinics, offices, restaurants and showrooms across the Western Cape can price a framed frontage online before anyone visits site.
This page covers what a frontage includes, what it costs, the doors and glass that suit Cape Town conditions, where we work in the city and how a project runs from 1 400 km away. MC Automations has already installed automatic entrance doors in Cape Town, including at the Museum of Illusion.
In this guide
What aluminium shopfronts Cape Town include
- Frame: our 44 mm commercial aluminium frame, in fixed bays with transoms (toplights) above the door line where you need a sign band.
- Glass: 6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass as standard, up to 3 000 mm high per pane; toughened, tinted, solar and obscure glass are quoted with the project.
- Doors: single or double hinged doors, a pivot door, or an automatic sliding or swing door.
- Colour: any powder-coat colour, all at the same price, so the frame can match the brand.
- Installation: measured, installed and, for automatic doors, commissioned by MC Automations on site in Cape Town.
Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town prices
Framed frontages are priced per square metre for the aluminium and glass in the online estimator, with hinged doors included in the area. The rate is the same in Cape Town as in Johannesburg; examples, excluding VAT:
| Shopfront | Area | Price, excl. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| 3 000 × 2 400 mm, single hinged door | 7.20 m² | R13 323 |
| 4 000 × 2 700 mm, double hinged doors | 10.80 m² | R19 984 |
| 6 000 × 3 000 mm, double hinged doors | 18.00 m² | R33 306 |
| 4 000 × 2 400 mm, MC-125 automatic sliding door | 9.60 m² | R17 763 + R27 590 operator = R45 353 |
Installation and transport to Cape Town are quoted together by MC Automations after a site measure. Frameless frontages, pivot doors and special glass are quoted per project. See aluminium shopfront cost for what changes the price.
Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town: weather and glass
Cape Town has winter rainfall, often driven sideways by the north-westerly storms, and a strong South-Easter through much of the summer. Close to the sea, on the Atlantic seaboard, in Sea Point, Blouberg and along False Bay, the air carries salt.
Two things follow for a frontage. First, a hinged door on a windy street is hard to control: the South-Easter catches the leaf and slams it, so an automatic sliding door, or a hinged door with an automatic swing operator that holds it, is the better entrance on exposed corners. Second, salt air settles on every metal surface, so rinse the frames and door tracks with fresh water every few weeks near the coast; powder-coated and anodised aluminium does not rust, but a clean finish lasts longer.
Every frontage is glazed in safety glass, as SANS 10400-N requires at entrances and low level; the standard is published by the SABS. See aluminium shopfront glass for every glass option.
Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town: entrance doors
- Automatic sliding doors: the MC-125 automatic sliding door system, R27 590 excluding VAT, with sensors, remotes, battery backup and an electric lock, for openings 1 600 to 6 000 mm wide.
- Automatic swing doors: the MCW-100 automatic swing door operator, from R15 900 excluding VAT, for a hinged door that must stay.
- Pivot doors: aluminium pivot doors from R10 494 excluding VAT, or frameless glass pivot doors quoted per project.
- Hinged doors: single and double aluminium hinged doors, included in the shopfront area.
MC Automations services automatic doors every six months, and the operator carries a 24-month warranty. In Cape Town, see our page on automatic door services in Cape Town for servicing and call-outs.
Where we install in Cape Town
MC Automations installs aluminium shopfronts Cape Town-wide, including:
- the CBD, Bree Street and Long Street
- the V&A Waterfront and Green Point
- Century City and Milnerton
- Claremont and the Southern Suburbs
- Bellville, Tyger Valley and Durbanville
- Somerset West, Stellenbosch and Paarl
Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town projects range from units in large regional centres such as Canal Walk and Tyger Valley, and neighbourhood centres across the suburbs to stand-alone shops on the main roads and offices in business parks. Mall tenants should also read shopfronts for shopping centres.
Businesses we build for in Cape Town
Cape Town frontages are shaped by tourism and food. Restaurants, coffee shops and galleries along Bree Street and in the Waterfront want glass that opens the room to the street; wine farms and tasting rooms in the Winelands want large glazed fronts onto the view; and the medical suites, offices and showrooms of Century City and the Northern Suburbs want a crisp corporate entrance.
Each type of business has its own guide: retail shopfronts, clinic shopfronts, commercial shopfronts for restaurants and showrooms, office entrance doors, petrol station shopfronts and frameless shopfronts. Inside the building we also install glass partition walls and frameless glass doors.
Choosing aluminium shopfronts Cape Town: a quick checklist
- Beat the South-Easter: An automatic sliding door, not a door the wind can slam.
- Coastal finish care: Rinse frames and tracks of salt every few weeks.
- Heritage areas: Check City approval in the CBD and Bo-Kaap.
- Glass for the view: Tall clear laminated panes up to 3 000 mm.
- Any colour, one price: Match the brand or the building.
- Measured and installed: By MC Automations, on site in Cape Town.
Run through the list before you price the frontage. Most of the cost and almost all of the problems on a shopfront come from three decisions made early: the type of entrance door, the glass, and getting the opening measured properly. Settle those and aluminium shopfronts Cape Town customers order are quick to approve, make and install.
Looking after the frontage
Aluminium needs little care, but a little care keeps it looking new. Wash the frames with mild soapy water and the glass with an ordinary glass cleaner; avoid abrasive pads and strong solvents on the powder coat. Keep the drainage slots at the bottom of the frame clear so rain can run out, and keep the floor track of an automatic door free of grit. Check the door seals and the lock once a year, and book the six-monthly service on any automatic door, so small adjustments are made before they become call-outs.
Why choose Coetz™ in Cape Town
- Published prices: the frontage is priced online before anyone travels to site, so the budget is clear from day one.
- Made in our own workshop: frames are cut, assembled and glazed in Laser Park, not bought in.
- One company from measure to service: MC Automations measures, installs and services the frontage and any automatic door.
- Safety glass as standard: 6.38 mm laminated glass in every pane, not cheap float glass.
- Any colour, one price: match the brand without paying extra.
Because MC Automations installs aluminium shopfronts Cape Town-wide and across the Western Cape, the same team that measures your opening comes back to fit it, and is the team you call if anything needs attention later.
Approvals in Cape Town
Parts of the city, including the CBD and the Bo-Kaap, sit in heritage areas where the City of Cape Town reviews changes to street frontages. Check with the City before you change a frontage on an older building; the drawing from our estimator helps with the application. Shopping centres have their own tenant design rules, so send the centre the elevation drawing from the estimator before ordering.
Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town: how a project runs
- Price it: lay out the frontage in the estimator and download the drawing, or send us your architect’s drawings.
- Site measure: MC Automations measures the opening in Cape Town, checks the floor, the structure and the power for any automatic door.
- Quote: one quote for the frontage, the doors, any operator, transport and installation.
- Manufacture: the frame and glass are made to measure in Laser Park.
- Delivery: the frontage travels about 1 400 km by road to Cape Town, insured by us in transit.
- Installation: MC Automations installs and commissions it, planned around your trading hours where possible.
More from Coetz™ in Cape Town
We also supply automatic sliding doors Cape Town, aluminium windows Cape Town, aluminium doors Cape Town, and MC Automations handles automatic door services in Cape Town. For the full design process, see custom shopfronts; for Johannesburg and Pretoria, see aluminium shopfronts Gauteng.
Aluminium shopfronts Cape Town: frequently asked questions
How much do aluminium shopfronts cost in Cape Town?
Framed frontages are priced per square metre in the online estimator: a 3 000 × 2 400 mm frontage with a single door is R13 323 excluding VAT for the aluminium and glass. Installation and transport to Cape Town are quoted after a site measure.
Do you install shopfronts in Cape Town?
Yes. MC Automations, our parent company, measures and installs shopfronts in Cape Town and in major cities and towns across South Africa.
Where are the shopfronts made?
In our workshop in Laser Park, Johannesburg, and delivered by road to Cape Town, insured by us in transit.
Which door is best for a Cape Town shop?
For most busy shops, an automatic sliding door. The MC-125 system is R27 590 excluding VAT and includes battery backup and an electric lock.
Can the frame match our brand colour?
Yes. Any powder-coat colour is available, all at the same price.
How high can the glass be?
Shopfront glass is limited to 3 000 mm high per pane.
Coetz™, Unit 2, 84 Ridge Road, Laser Park, Johannesburg. Call 010 412 0062, WhatsApp 076 613 4418 or use our contact page.