Steel look windows and doors are aluminium products designed to give the appearance of traditional black metal glazing, with slim frames and a distinctive grid of glazing bars. You will also see them called Crittall® style, Art Deco, 1920s, 1930s, industrial, heritage or simply black framed.

The style has been in demand for nearly ten years and shows no sign of fading. It works on a Victorian terrace, a 1930s semi, a barn conversion and a contemporary new build, which is unusual for anything this distinctive.

What has changed is the amount of choice. When this trend started there were only a handful of products. You now have a substantial choice of steel look windows and doors , with a distinct gap between the luxurious top-of-the-market brands and the more mid-range. A properly designed steel look system and a standard casement with bars glued to the glass are sold using the same photographs and the same language. They do not look the same on the wall, and they do not cost the same.

This page explains what is available, how to tell the difference, and what to check before you commit.

Steel look windows and doors in aluminium is a term for iconic thin black-framed windows and doors with a distinctive box grid design. They are also referred to as Art Deco, 1920s, 1930s, black steel, industrial, heritage, and Crittall® style windows and doors. The minimalist black steel look windows and doors appeal to architects and homeowners who desire a traditional yet modern contemporary aesthetic.

The Crittall® style, strongly associated with the Art Deco and Modernist movements of the 1920s and 1930s, is currently experiencing a revival, proving its timeless appeal. Crittall Windows Ltd., an English manufacturer of steel-framed windows and doors, has a rich history in the style; the original company led by Francis Henry Crittall began manufacturing metal windows in 1884. Aluminium steel look will never be the same at Crittall® and any description of aluminium windows as Crittall® style, replacement or similar terms are misleading of an established brand and registered trademark.

The best steel look windows and doors

Find out who makes some of the best steel-look doors and windows, covering both exterior-grade windows and products that transform the inside of the home.

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Steel look windows buying guide

There’s never been so much choice. Discover everything you need to know about aluminium steel-look window products, designs, and systems.

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Types of Steel Look Windows and Doors

While aluminium offers a credible alternative to steel, steel is still the best. Nothing beats a genuine steel window’s authenticity, quality and longevity; they are the real deal and offer the slimmest sightlines and arguably the finest aesthetics for this glazing style.

However, the incredible quality and craftsmanship of steel windows also come at a higher price; this is where aluminium steel look windows and doors offer a similar look and meet today’s trend without the cost of the genuine product.

picture of white rendered house with steel-look windows

Steel look aluminium windows and doors are not intended to replicate steel 100% or a particular steel window brands such as Crittall®; however, they do come with similar details found in the genuine product. These include:

The grid-like pattern with slim glazing bars
Slim frames with traditional or modern styling
Huge colour choices including the traditional matt black matt and popular anthracite grey
Doors with deep bottom rails and a panel or backplate behind the handles
Available as exterior-grade windows and doors as well as internal doors and screens

What separates a good steel look product from a poor one

outside view of classic steel look tripe and single window with plants and garden bench

There are all manner of brands claiming to offer a steel look product and it’s important to understand what is a genuine steel look window before you start obtaining quotations. There are three ways to get a grid onto a window and they produce three different results.

The cheapest is a standard window with bars applied to the glass on the inside and outside. From a distance these windows and doors can look convincing, but close up, the dimensions are not in the genuine steel window proportion, the shadow line can look out of place and the window and door frames do not replicate the stepped or putty line appearance of metal windows and doors.

The frame profile. Genuine steel windows have a stepped, square-edged profile with a particular shadow line. and some with a cubic, projecting or other steel-inspired style. Purpose-designed steel look systems replicate this detail well and are instantly recognisable from a regular window with bars on it.

For the doors, the same details apply. Steel doors have the feature backplate housing the handle, an optional deep bottom rail as well as the correctly proportioned transoms or glazing bars. Products designed for this style include those details. Products adapted for it usually do not.

The colour and finish. Matt black is the traditional choice, and a textured matt finish reads far closer to painted steel than a smooth gloss. Anthracite grey has become equally popular and is more forgiving on a modern extension.

Steel look replacement windows and doors

Aluminium steel look products are available as external windows, single, double, bifolding and sliding patio doors, and internal screens and doors.

Windows

Thanks to product innovation, there’s never been so much choice; find out about the various products, designs and systems.

Bifolding doors

Find out how to achieve bifolding doors with glazing bars, which are perfect for opening up a space for easy living.

Sliding doors

Sliding doors with glazing bars offer the advantages of larger glass panels, improved views, and increased natural light into the home.

Internal doors

Steel look internal doors and screens create a stylish interior and let the light flood through the home.

External steel look windows and doors

Aluminium steel look products are available as windows, single and double doors, French doors, bifolding doors, all to full external specification with the security, thermal performance and weather protection required by current Building Regulations and expected with modern product.

For replacement work, one of aluminium’s genuine advantages is how well it fits into existing stone surrounds and hardwood subframes. Odd leg frames suit a stone or timber surround where the window sits behind the opening face; equal leg frames suit a more standard opening. Getting this wrong is the most common reason a replacement looks heavier than the window it replaced.

fully open aluco french doors in a rear house extension with garden furniture and plants

Steel look sliding doors are not purpose-designed products and consist of standard slimline doors with applied bars on the glass. However, chosen well, these too can look authentic. Most steel look bifolds are also regular products with bars on the glass with only three genuine steel-look bifolds presently on the market.

Internal steel look doors and screens

Internal steel look glazing has gone from a niche architectural detail to something close to a standard feature in kitchen extensions, loft conversions and open-plan renovations. These products are now widely available for most internal door replacements as well as bathroom doors, shower screens, understairs doors, cellar doors and more.

The products are different from external ones and better for the job. Internal systems are not required to keep weather out, so the frames can be considerably slimmer, single glazed, and the whole product is lighter and less expensive. Sliding, pivoting, single and double doors and fixed screens are all available as well. Even better, internal doors have a visible or no threshold, letting internal flooring run uninterrupted.

If the screen sits in a location requiring compartmentation, steel fire rated doors with certification and professional installation provide solutions. One should never accept aluminium doors with fire rated glass. Aluminium has no fire rating, so these will have to be a steel fire-rated product.

Steel look versus genuine steel

Whilst there are excellent aluminium steel look windows and doors, these are based on the genuine steel article and as such, steel is still the authentic product. Nothing else gives quite the same sightlines or the same authenticity, and a well-made steel window will outlast most of the building around it.
It also costs considerably more, takes longer to make, and has historically struggled on the best in thermal performance. Modern steel systems are insulated and double glazed, but aluminium will generally still perform better for less money.

Aluminium steel look products are not trying to replicate steel exactly, and any supplier claiming otherwise is overselling. What they do is give you the grid pattern, the slim frames, the deep bottom rails and the colour, at a price that makes the style achievable on an ordinary house. And the more premium brands do this with greater authenticity.

If you have listed building consent or a conservation officer to satisfy, ask early. Some authorities accept aluminium steel look products and some insist on genuine steel. That decision is worth having before you specify anything.

Replacing Crittall® and old metal windows

Original metal windows were single glazed, uninsulated and fitted with basic catches. Replacing them improves comfort, security and running costs substantially, whatever you replace them with.

Before you do, work out what you actually have. Crittall® and other manufacturers produced several distinct styles. Putty line windows, hopper windows, French casements and the W20 range among them. The replacement should reference the original rather than a generic modern casement.
Photograph the existing windows, including a close-up of the frame edge and the bar detail, before anyone takes them out. It is the only reference you will have. Get in touch for expert advice on replacing your old metal windows with steel or aluminium alternatives.

What steel look windows and doors cost

Steel look products cost more than standard aluminium of the same size. Manufacturing takes longer, there is more material involved and the better brands have substantial hand-finishing. The glazing bars are cut and applied by hand, there is more labour in every unit.
Expect somewhere in the region of 30% above an equivalent plain aluminium window, with structural bars costing more again than applied ones.
Internal screens are considerably cheaper than external products, because they are single glazed and without the security, insulation and weather protection requirements of their exterior counterparts.

Getting independent advice on steel-look windows and doors

We have worked in the aluminium industry since 1989 and we do not sell windows and doors. The Door and Window Experts Website knows virtually every product and brand. We know which systems are purpose-designed for this style and which are ordinary products with bars added, and we know the fabricators and installers nationwide, providing the right products at various price points.

Help for Homeowners.

If you are a homeowner, send us your quotations. We will tell you what you are actually being offered, whether the bar detail is what you think it is, and whether the price is reasonable. We can also put you in touch with installers we know and rate.

Architects and Specifiers

If you are an architect or specifier, we can give an independent view on which system suits the building and where a product is being stretched beyond what it is designed for. We can also help with specifications and putting you in touch wiht professional residential and commercial products and installers.