Aluminium Doors & Windows from China – buyer’s guide
Dali town in Nanhai, Foshan is the aluminium extrusion capital of China, and the window and door assembly factories are next to the extruders. Thermally broken casement windows, lift-and-slide doors, folding doors, slim-frame sliding systems and curtain wall units are all made to your drawings.
Systems you will be offered
- Casement windows – tilt-and-turn or outward opening, 55–75 mm frame depth, thermal break, double or triple glazing.
- Sliding windows and doors – standard sliding, and heavy lift-and-slide (提升推拉) for large openings up to 3 m tall.
- Slim-frame / minimal systems – 20–35 mm sightlines, popular for villas; check the hardware load rating.
- Folding (bi-fold) doors, fixed picture windows, skylights and curtain wall units for commercial facades.
- Aluminium entrance doors and security screens.
Profile: alloy, wall thickness, finish
Export windows use 6063-T5 alloy. Wall thickness of 1.4 mm is the Chinese standard minimum for windows and 2.0 mm for doors; 1.8–2.2 mm is safer for large panes and windy sites. The thermal break should be PA66 polyamide (not PVC) strip, 14–34 mm wide. Finishes: powder coating (most common, RAL colours, 60–80 µm), anodising, PVDF for coastal areas, and wood-grain transfer. Ask which extruder supplies the profile – the good ones (all in Dali) have their own quality marks.
Glass and hardware
Standard glazing is 5+12A+5 mm tempered insulated glass; Low-E and argon are cheap upgrades in China and worth specifying. Laminated glass is used for safety and acoustic requirements. Hardware determines how the window feels in ten years. Locally made systems such as KinLong and Hopo are widely used and cost effective; imported European hardware such as Roto or Siegenia costs more, in our experience commonly somewhere around 15-30% more, and can be specified on request. We have no affiliation with any of these brands and name them only so you can specify what you want. Ask which hardware is included in the quote and have the brand and model written into the specification. Multi-point locks, stainless friction stays and EPDM gaskets should be standard.
Price ranges (ex-works, 2026)
| System | Indicative EXW price |
|---|---|
| Thermal-break casement window, 5+12A+5 tempered, Chinese hardware | USD 90 – 140 / m² |
| Same with Low-E argon and German hardware | USD 130 – 190 / m² |
| Sliding window, non-thermal (warm climates) | USD 60 – 95 / m² |
| Lift-and-slide door, 2 panels | USD 160 – 320 / m² |
| Slim-frame sliding system | USD 180 – 350 / m² |
| Bi-fold door | USD 170 – 300 / m² |
Prices depend heavily on average pane size – many small windows cost more per m² than a few large ones.
Drawings, measurement and installation
The factory produces shop drawings from your architectural drawings or from site measurements; you (or your installer) approve every opening size, opening direction and handle height. Frames are shipped fully assembled and glazed for small sizes, or knocked-down with glass packed separately for large ones. Installation is usually done locally with the factory’s installation manual; for large projects Foshan factories can send a supervisor.
Packing and shipping
Frames are wrapped in foam and film and shipped in wooden A-frames or crates. Glass is crated separately. A villa with 25–40 openings typically fills a 20ft container or shares a 40ft with doors and cabinets. Never accept loose stacking of glazed frames.
Before you sign the pro-forma
- System name, profile series, wall thickness (mm), alloy and thermal-break material
- Glass build-up (e.g. 6 Low-E + 12A argon + 6 tempered) and any laminated/acoustic panes
- Hardware brand per function: hinges/stays, handles, locks; number of locking points
- Powder coat colour (RAL), coating thickness and salt-spray hours for coastal sites
- Signed shop drawings with opening sizes and directions – this is your contract
- Crated packing with glass separate; photos before container doors close
Related guides: Glass & facade · Hardware · Cabinets
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