Aluminium Windows from China for Double Brick Homes in WA

How to read sizes from your plans, what to measure in double brick, what arrives assembled, and how to brief your installer.

How to Read Window Sizes on a Plan

Match the window tag on the floor plan to its row in the window schedule and read the size there. Many Australian plans give it in millimetres, height first.

That is the opposite of the width-first habit in North American guides, so check your drawing legend before copying any numbers. Each drawing tells you something different: the floor plan shows where the window is, the elevation shows how it opens, the schedule lists size, glass and quantity, and the section shows how it sits in the brickwork.

What do window sizes mean?

A window can be described by three different numbers, and only one of them is what we manufacture to.

How to identify window size from a code

Read the code as height, then width, both in hundreds of millimetres, followed by a type code. For example, 15-12SW is a sliding window 1570 high × 1210 wide (Australian marker convention). Because the code is rounded, always order from the full millimetre size in the schedule.

Why Double Brick Changes Window Sizing

Brickwork is laid in fixed steps, so openings are usually sized to whole courses and half bricks. Matching the frame to those steps means no cut bricks and even mortar joints.

That is why Australian standard frame widths run 610, 730, 850 … 1810, 2170, 2410 mm, each step a multiple of 120. You don't have to follow a standard chart, though: we make every unit to order within each series' size range. Sticking to the module simply gives a cleaner finish.

Brick Opening vs Frame Size: Which Number to Send

Send the frame sizes from your schedule, or send the full plans and we will work them out with you. Ignore the "add half an inch" rule from American articles. It is for timber stud walls.

In cavity brick, aluminium frames are usually built in as the wall goes up. They are fixed with galvanised lugs at no more than 450 mm centres, tied into the mortar (industry installation guide). The brick opening therefore ends up as the frame size plus the small clearance your frame system needs. We show that clearance on your approval drawing for the series and installation option you choose.

Brickwork already built? Measure it like this

• Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom, and the height at the left, centre and right. Send us all six readings.
• Measure brick to brick, and tell us how thick any planned render will be.
• Compare the two diagonals. If they differ by more than a few millimetres, the opening is out of square.
• For doors, measure from the finished floor level and add the tile or timber thickness.
• Photograph each opening with the tape visible, labelled with its tag (e.g. W03).

Ordering Process and Lead Time

We quote from your drawings, you confirm the sizes, and orders ship about 40 days after confirmation. Sea freight comes on top of that.

1. Send your plans: floor plan, elevations, window schedule, and your wind classification if it has been nominated.
2. Quote from drawings: our sales team matches a series to each opening.
3. Confirm sizes: check height vs width, opening direction, glass and colour for every tag.
4. Production: extrusion, assembly and glazing in our Guangdong factory (see our process).
5. Shipping: about 40 days from confirmation to shipment.

Build-in or prepared opening?

Decide before you order. Frames that are built in must be on site before the brickwork reaches sill height.

What Arrives Assembled?

Windows arrive as complete glazed units. Sliding and bi-fold doors arrive with their panels glazed, and the outer frame is assembled on site.

On site, store frames upright on their sills, off the ground, under cover, and away from cement and acid.

Choosing a Series and Wind Rating

Choose a series whose ratings meet your site's window rating and whose size range covers your largest opening. Your designer sets that rating from the site's wind classification.

All glass is double tempered clear unless noted. Installation options: sub sill & head, timber reveal, T fin or bracket (bi-fold: L angles, timber reveal or bracket). Full details on our products page.

What do N ratings mean?

N1–N6 are AS 2047 window ratings. Each one sets a wind pressure the window must withstand and a water test pressure it must pass.

• When you order, give us the window rating, the exposure classification, and whether any window is a corner window. Corner windows take the next rating up.
• WA's building regulator has found Perth plans with wind classifications lower than the site needed, and frames with no rating label (Industry Bulletin 138).
• N ratings cover non-cyclonic regions only. For northern WA, send us your designer's wind requirements first.
• We hold an AS 2047-2014 StandardsMark licence and are an AGWA member (about us).

Finding Bricklayers and Installers

Choose an installer trained in residential window installation who has built frames into cavity brick before, and give them your confirmed drawings before they start.

• Training unit MSFGG3034 Install residential windows and doors.
• Membership of the Australian Glass and Window Association.
• A bricklayer who has built frames in with lugs and fitted flashings in a cavity wall.
• Work of $20,000 or more in WA needs a registered builder or owner-builder approval.

Key installation points for double brick

Source: AGWA Guide to Residential Installation. Video: installing a sliding window into double brick (North Metro TAFE).

Window Types and Where to Use Them

The seven common types are awning, sliding, casement, double hung, louvre, fixed and tilt-and-turn. The right one depends on the room, how much ventilation you need, and how exposed the wall is.

Our focus is aluminium, but the same measuring rules apply to uPVC and timber. Each material has its own fixing details.

See more on our projects page.

Common Ordering Mistakes

Most errors come from swapping height and width, sending the brick opening as the frame size, or guessing the wind rating. Each one shows up on the approval drawing if you check it.

FAQ

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