Coetz™ Guides & Knowledge Centre

Expert guides on choosing, measuring and caring for aluminium windows and doors — plus glass, safety and glazing compliance in South Africa. Written by the Coetz™ team to help you order with confidence.

These aluminium windows and doors guides are the reference set we point customers to before they order. Each one covers a decision people get wrong often enough to cost money — choosing a system, measuring an opening, specifying the glass, or keeping the finish right once it is installed.

Everything here is written by the Coetz™ team from what we supply, not rewritten from a manufacturer brochure. Where a guide touches a standard, it says so plainly — South African glazing sits under safety glass requirements that are worth understanding before you specify.

Aluminium windows and doors guides: buying & choosing

Product guides: one per product

Each product has one guide that covers how it works, where it suits, sizes, care and real prices.

• Top hung windows – the most popular opening window, hinged at the top.
• Side hung (casement) windows – hinged at the side for maximum ventilation.
• Sliding windows – panels that slide past each other, with nothing projecting outside.
• Folding windows – panels that fold open across the full width.
• Sliding doors – five ranges, from Patio to Horizon.
• Stacking doors – Premier Multi sliding and Vistafold folding doors for wide openings.
• Folding doors – Vistafold and Vista Duo bi-fold doors.
• Hinged doors – single hinged doors that open in or out.
• French doors – double hinged doors that open from the centre.
• Pivot doors – wide entrance doors on a pivot.
• Stable doors – top and bottom leaves that open separately.

For prices across the range, see aluminium windows cost and aluminium doors cost; for sizes, aluminium window sizes; and for fitting, aluminium window installers.

Measuring & sizing guides

Glass, safety & compliance guides

Care & efficiency guides

Ready to order?

Browse aluminium windows and aluminium doors, explore automatic doors, order glass cut to size, or contact the Coetz™ team for advice.

Aluminium windows and doors guides: which one answers your question

If you are not sure where to start, find your question here first. Each of these aluminium windows and doors guides answers one thing properly rather than everything vaguely.

Your question	Start here
Which window or door type suits my opening?	The buying guides — they compare sliding, folding, stacking, hinged, pivot and top-hung side by side
How do I measure so the order is right?	The measuring guides — structural opening, not the old frame
What glass do I need, and is it required by law?	The glass, safety and compliance guides
Is aluminium the right material at all?	The aluminium versus uPVC comparison
How do I keep the finish looking new?	The care and efficiency guides
What will it cost?	Each product page carries live pricing, and the buying guides explain what moves the number

Four mistakes these aluminium windows and doors guides prevent

Almost every order that goes wrong goes wrong in one of four ways, and each has a guide behind it:

• Measuring the old frame instead of the structural opening. The single most common error, and the most expensive, because a made-to-order unit cannot be adjusted afterwards.
• Choosing a system for looks rather than the opening. A folding door needs somewhere for the panels to stack; a slider needs side space. The buying guides cover what each configuration actually requires.
• Under-specifying the glass. Glass in a door or a low-level panel is a critical location. Our standard is 6.38 mm clear laminated safety glass for good reason.
• Assuming maintenance is nothing. Aluminium is low-maintenance, not no-maintenance, particularly in coastal air.

Aluminium windows and doors guides written from what we supply

These are not generic articles. Every one is written against the ranges we actually stock and build, with the sizes, systems and glass specifications we quote on. Where something depends on your site — a span, a load, a compliance sign-off — the guide says so rather than inventing a number, and points you to the people who can confirm it.

How to use these aluminium windows and doors guides

Our aluminium windows and doors guides work best in order: read the buying guide for your product type first, then the measuring guide before you request a quote. Most ordering errors we see come from measuring the old frame rather than the structural opening. If a specifier or landlord has asked about compliance, start with the glass and safety section — it is the part that gets challenged.

These aluminium windows and doors guides are updated as our range changes. If something you need is not covered, tell us and we will write it.

Reading paths: which aluminium windows and doors guides to read first

Different buyers need different starting points. Pick the path closest to your situation and read the guides in that order.

Replacing windows in an existing home

1. Start with the aluminium windows guide to understand the styles and what suits each room.
2. Read how to measure aluminium windows before you take a single measurement. Replacement jobs are where people most often measure the old frame instead of the opening.
3. Check safety glass explained for any window that is low, large or near a door.
4. Finish with the maintenance guide so the new frames stay looking new.

Building or renovating

1. Use the aluminium doors guide to choose door systems early, because a folding or stacking door changes how the wall is built.
2. Read both measuring guides before the openings are finished, so the builder leaves openings that match standard sizes where possible.
3. Read the glazing compliance centre if an inspector, architect or engineer will sign off the glazing.

Comparing materials and options

1. Read aluminium vs uPVC windows if you are still deciding on the material.
2. Use the comparison centre to see the main choices side by side.
3. Read window energy efficiency if heat, glare or comfort is the reason for the project.

Specifying for a client or a landlord

1. Read the AAAMSA glazing certificate guide to understand what a certificate confirms and when it is asked for.
2. Read safety glass explained for the glass requirements in critical locations.
3. Use the product pages for exact sizes and published prices when you build the schedule.

Room by room: what the aluminium windows guide recommends

Most homes need only a few window and door types. This room-by-room summary draws on the aluminium windows guide and the aluminium doors guide, and helps you shortlist before you open the shop.

• Bedrooms. Top hung or side hung windows give good ventilation and can be left slightly open. Check the opening size if the window may need to serve as an escape route.
• Bathrooms. Top hung windows give privacy and ventilation without opening wide. All glass is clear, so add a frosted film after installation for privacy.
• Kitchens. A sliding window over a counter is easy to reach and open. Avoid a sash that swings into a tap or a high-traffic path.
• Living areas. Sliding, stacking or folding doors open the room to the garden. The aluminium doors guide explains how much wall space each system needs.
• Passages and stairwells. Fixed panes bring in light where no ventilation is needed. Low panes near stairs are critical locations for safety glass.
• Entrances. Hinged or pivot doors suit a front door. Sidelights and toplights add light without adding another opening leaf.

Coastal, Highveld and Lowveld conditions

South Africa’s climate varies widely, and it affects both the choice of product and its care.

• Coastal homes. Salt air is hard on every metal. Rinse frames and tracks with fresh water regularly. Choose sliding and folding systems with good drainage, and keep the drainage holes clear. The maintenance guide explains the routine.
• Highveld homes. Hail, strong storms and large temperature swings mean good seals and correctly fitted glass matter more than appearance. Check seals once a year.
• Lowveld and bushveld homes. Heat and sun dominate. The energy-efficiency guide covers solar-control glass, orientation and shading for west-facing glazing.
• Windy sites. High or exposed sites put more load on large glass panels and doors. Where a span or wind load matters, the guide tells you to confirm it with an engineer or the building’s professional team.

Whatever the climate, laminated safety glass, sound seals and clean drainage paths do most of the work. These aluminium windows and doors guides explain how to keep all three in good order.

A short glossary for aluminium windows and doors

Our aluminium windows and doors guides use a handful of trade terms. Here is what they mean.

• Structural opening. The hole in the wall the unit fits into, measured brick to brick or between the finished reveals. This is what you measure, not the old frame.
• Frame. The fixed outer part of a window or door that is fixed into the opening.
• Sash or vent. The part of a window that opens.
• Top hung. A window sash hinged at the top that opens outwards from the bottom.
• Side hung or casement. A window sash hinged at the side that opens like a door.
• Fixed pane. Glazing that does not open.
• Mullion and transom. Vertical (mullion) and horizontal (transom) bars that divide a frame into separate panes.
• Cill. The bottom part of a window frame that sheds water away from the wall.
• Toplight and sidelight. Fixed glazed panels above or beside a door.
• Bi-parting. A sliding door or automatic door where two panels open away from the centre.
• Stacking door. A sliding door whose panels slide behind each other to one side.
• Folding door. A door whose panels fold back against each other, opening most of the width.
• Laminated safety glass. Two layers of glass bonded with a plastic interlayer, so the glass holds together if it breaks. Our standard is 6.38 mm clear laminated.
• Toughened safety glass. Glass heat-treated to be stronger, which breaks into small, blunt pieces.
• Powder coating. A baked-on coloured finish. White is our standard colour; Charcoal and Bronze are also available.
• Anodising. A treated metal finish, such as Natural Anodised, rather than a coating.
• Threshold. The bottom track or sill of a door that you step over.
• Opening direction. Whether a door or sash opens in or out, and which side it is hinged on. Always confirm it before ordering.

Before you order: a checklist drawn from our aluminium windows and doors guides

Use this checklist once you have read the relevant aluminium windows guide or aluminium doors guide. If you cannot tick a line, go back to the guide that covers it.

• I have measured the structural opening in three places for width and height, and used the smallest measurement.
• I know which product type suits each opening, and I have checked the side space or stacking space for sliding and folding doors.
• I have confirmed the opening direction and hinge side for every opening sash and door.
• I know which openings count as critical locations for glass, such as doors, low panels and large panes.
• I have chosen a colour, knowing White is standard and Black and Natural Anodised cost a little more.
• I know that aluminium windows and doors are supplied only, and I have an installer booked.
• I have checked access for delivery, or planned to collect.

Tools that go with the aluminium windows and doors guides

The guides explain the decisions; these tools turn the decisions into an order:

• The shop. Every standard size with a published price, excluding VAT. Start at the shop, or go straight to aluminium windows or aluminium doors.
• The estimator. Prices custom sizes, shopfronts and automatic doors in one place. See the estimator.
• The quote configurator. For anything unusual, the quote configurator collects the details we need.
• Glass cut to size. Laminated safety glass priced from your measurements on the glass cut to size page.
• The FAQ. Short answers to the questions we hear most, on the aluminium windows and doors FAQ.

Troubleshooting and parts: guides for after installation

Some of our most useful articles are for after the unit is in the wall. If something is not working as it should, start here:

• A top hung window will not close properly. See why a top hung window is not closing for the usual causes, from friction stays to a frame that was fixed out of square.
• A sliding door drags or jumps the track. Aluminium sliding door rollers explains how rollers wear, how to clean the track and when to replace them.
• Hinges are stiff, loose or worn. Aluminium window hinges covers friction stays and hinges and how to keep them working.
• Choosing or matching a colour. Aluminium window colours shows the finishes we offer and how they wear over time.

Most problems with aluminium windows and doors are small and cheap to fix when they are caught early. A sash that is left to drag or a track left full of grit becomes a bigger repair later.

Automatic doors: where to read next

These aluminium windows and doors guides cover the aluminium range. Automatic doors are a separate subject with their own rules. The MC-125 sliding and MCW-100 swing operators are supplied and installed by MC Automations, our parent company, with installation included in Gauteng. The automatic doors page covers the systems, pricing and how to book a call-out, and our blog has detailed articles on automatic door safety, servicing and sizing.

How we keep these guides accurate

Every aluminium windows guide and aluminium doors guide on this page is written against the products we actually sell. When the range, a standard or a price changes, the guide changes with it. Where a question depends on your site, such as a structural span, a wind load or a compliance sign-off, the guide says so and points you to the professional who should confirm it, rather than guessing.

If a guide leaves your question unanswered, contact us. The questions customers ask us are how most of these guides started.

Aluminium windows and doors guides: common questions

Which aluminium windows guide should I read first?

Start with the ultimate guide to aluminium windows, then the measuring guide. Those two prevent most ordering mistakes.

Is there an aluminium doors guide for sliding and folding doors?

Yes. The aluminium door buying guide compares sliding, stacking, folding, hinged and pivot doors, including the space each one needs.

Do the guides cover safety glass rules?

Yes. Safety glass explained and the glazing compliance centre cover where safety glass is required and why our standard is laminated safety glass.

Are the guides free?

Yes. Every guide is free to read, with no sign-up.

Do the guides apply outside Gauteng?

Yes. The products, measuring methods and glass requirements are the same across South Africa, and we deliver nationwide.