Article Courtsey: NBMCW J uly 2013

Fenestrations: uPVC vs Aluminium

Ar. Apurva Bose Dutta
The Indian Fenestration Industry
The term 'fenestration' is derived from the word 'fenestra' in Latin terminology and is used to
refer to facades and openings (typically doors and windows) in buildings and wall envelopes.
Although faced with numerous challenges, the Indian fenestration industry has been accepted
as an emerging industry looking at the advancement in its size, technology and potential.
Today's well travelled customers have started comprehending the actual value of fenestrations
rather than treating them as just 'aesthetic elements which act as barriers between the
outside and the interior worlds'. Today, there has been no dearth of discussions of energy
efficiency in the backdrop of the alarmingly increasing global warming. India, as the highest
recipient of solar radiation in the world needs to maximise on the benefits of this renewable
power and mitigate the ill-effects in the form of abundant heat gained at places where it is not
required. Here, comes the actual value of fenestrations which if designed on ideal principles
can aid us in combating such challenges.

The fenestration industry witnessed a leap in the 90s with an incredible growth in the demand
of doors and windows with the rising demand of the housing sector. Aluminium windows
started in the early 90s while uPVC (unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) windows entered in the
late 90s. All thanks to the surge in the construction industry and rapid industrialisation and the
modernisation of airports in India, a number of global players especially dealing with
aluminium products have stepped into the Indian fenestration industry.


The energy efficiency factor in fenestrations has caught up in an unprecedented manner and it
has been accepted globally that windows are the 'single most important area in the envelope
or shell of the building for preventing energy loss'. Quality products like double glazed and
laminated glass are being considered as serious options by users when it comes to sound
efficiency, thermal comfort etc.

Newer technological advancements have not only enhanced the design of fenestrations but
have also stepped into the management part of their logistics. The days of excel sheets, faulty
quotations which would lead to trouble for the fabricator (leading to problems like raw material
wastage, errors in profile calculations etc) are over. The market today has versatile softwares
for the fabricators like a Window Maker (founded in UK with regional headquarters in
Vadodara) that takes care of all these concerns by providing up-to-date information for
analysis and decision making.
Materials for Fenestrations
The materials for fenestrations include aluminium, wood, steel and uPVC. Reports suggest that
the traditional materials of aluminium, wood and steel dominate the market with a market
share of 45%, 25% and 25% respectively; while the newer material of uPVC (which presently
has a low market share of 5%) is the fastest growing material. Steel windows haven't been
observed to give much performance and have been bogged down by lack of standardisation
while the wooden windows market (with limited availability of wood due to environmental
concern) is totally fragmented (with individual or group of carpenters working on site) and
only a couple of state-of-the-art industrial manufacturers. The introduction of uPVC has been a
steadfast initiative to develop fenestrations best suited to the Indian climate.

There have been ongoing deliberations on the comparisons between uPVC and aluminium in
terms of strength, performance, costeffectiveness and eco-friendliness . While aluminium
scores with its numerous advantages of high strength to weight ratio (making feasible light
structures with innate stability), design flexibility (its extrusion enabling numerous range of
forms) and its durability, alloys of aluminium make it very efficient for light management and
are corrosion-resistant and immune to the harmful effects of UV rays. It has an easy
maintenance (a mere routine cleaning is required) that leads to lots of cost savings over the
product's lifetime. Other advantages with the material are its environmentfriendly nature,
various colour as well as finishes availability.



Mumbai headquartered Hindalco Industries Limited, the market leader in aluminium offers
aluminium extruded profiles used for a wide range of architectural applications like Windows,
Doors, Hardwares, Curtain Wallings/Structural Glazing etc. Mr A Jayagopal, Vice President &
SBU Head - Extrusions while dwelling on the advantages of aluminium over uPVC says,
"Aluminium scores over uPVC in almost all attributes like strength, aesthetics, temperature
stability, fire resistance, sound proofing, maintenance and in being endlessly recyclable."

Hindalco has introduced quality aluminium windows under their brand 'Eternia'. This brand
contains three sliding and three casement systems from Italy with different typologies (such
as external / internal opening, pivot, top hung, tilt and turn etc for casement systems and 2
Track / 3 Track, with fixed frame for sliding systems and mosquito mesh system). Fine quality
hardware and accessories (sourced from renowned European companies) ensure effective
functioning of the windows.
While uPVC has enjoyed a global popularity over many years, it has recently started getting
adequate attention in India. Though with a higher cost as compared to other materials like
aluminium and wood, it has some inherent features that are indispensable. It has a heat
insulation that has been found to be 2.2 times better than aluminium windows, thus leading to
saving of more energy; it gives an excellent sound proofing, is completely selfextinguishing
and there is no discolouration when subjected to intense heat and UV exposure. It also
prevents condensation. Its multipoint tilt and turn hardware can make the transformation from
a sash window to a vertical tilting window easily. As also in the case of aluminium, it doesn't
need any special maintenance, is corrosion resistant, has an attractive appearance, is
environmentfriendly, recyclable and has a high durability. Though achievable at a higher
cost, yet uPVC in terms of solar heat gain coefficient and thermal transmittance U values is
much superior to aluminium. It is said that the life cycle savings come out to be more incase
of uPVC. Its initial challenge of its low aesthetics have also been overcome now, with
availability of diverse options in colour and texture; however aesthetically it still can't match
the sheer brilliance of aluminium and its joints and corners and the slimmer profiles. It is also
suited the best for all weather conditions prevailing throughout India. Its earlier sensitivity to
UV rays has also been dealt with technological advancements and by addition of anti-oxidants
and stabilisers. The water tightness and sound proofing are also reported to be better in uPVC
units due to the difference in the joinery details of both the materials. Incase of aluminium the
joints can emerge as areas of weakness as the frame sections can move due to climate
expansion and contraction.

New Delhi based Profine India Window Technology Pvt Ltd is a 100% subsidiary of Profine
GmbH - the world-wide leading manufacturer of uPVC Window and Door profiles. Under their
successful brand Koemmerling, the extrusion of window profiles and PVC sheets was started in
1967. The product range includes casement window and door system (inward / outward
open), tilt and turn window system, sliding windows and doors, sliding folding doors, tilt and
slide door etc. Komalit Z - a high performance compound used and developed exclusively by
Koemmerling is a uPVC blend of the highest impact grade, especially suited for tropical
climates. The use of calcium-zinc instead of lead in the uPVC profiles renders them more
resistant to the aggressive weather conditions. Mr Farid Khan,CEO of Profine India Window
Technology Pvt Ltd dwelling on the advantages of uPVC over aluminium states, "uPVC is dust
proof, has a versatile colour range, security, easy care and longevity and is a product for
extreme conditions. It scores over aluminium in terms of sound Insulation, Heat reduction and
fire resistance. uPVC windows and doors have a greater energy saving potential than any
other window material and rank at the top of the league in eco-efficiency analyses. They have
the highest thermal insulation property compared to other framing materials like Aluminium,
wood etc. Their extrusion process is also relatively energy efficient compared with aluminium.
They can be fully recycled and reused for production."





Pune based Eureka India is a well known manufacturer and supplier of a varied range of PVC
and wooden doors. Incase of PVC doors, they have Solid PVC Flush Door, Solid PVC Panel
Doors and Solid PVC Laminate Doors. Mr Uttam Khatode, Deputy Manager - production and
key accounts of the firm drawing differences between uPVC and aluminium elaborates, "uPVC
is a petrochemical product and hence is more ecofriendly than aluminium. Cost wise it is
comparable to aluminium since it comes in various grades. The A grade is more costly than
the aluminium section but if the grade drops, the cost also drops. Talking about strength, if we
speak about doors, uPVC has 100 times more strength than aluminium keeping in mind the
utilisation and operation system required in doors which need to be operated atleast 5-6 times
in a day. Incase of fixing, since aluminium sections are fixed with a screw, after a certain while
they start making noise when the door/windows are opened. In case of uPVC and PVC, the
joint is more durable since it is made of using a solvent hence it never becomes loose. PVC
panels are put in doors with cement solvents while aluminium sections are fixed with rubber
gaskets; hence when the rubber gasket comes out, the middle panel also automatically comes
out. While uPVC and PVC doors are made in the factory, aluminium sections are labour and
handmade. We can paint PVC doors with regular oil-based paints while aluminium doors can't
be painted - they have to be powder coated."

One thus concludes that it is difficult to pinpoint on which of the two materials of aluminium or
uPVC is superior. Though aluminium is still preferred by a majority in India, but both
aluminium as well as uPVC windows and doors have their own markets which they cater to.
Though aluminium being a metal is always costlier than uPVC which is actually a plastic
(aluminium of good grade and with thermal break system proves to be costlier than uPVC
doors and windows); the aesthetics of aluminium remain more because of it being a hand
assembled crafted product whereas uPVC products are mass productions. Aluminium products
last longer and are easier to recycle, uPVC scores due to its environmental advantages.
Standards for a Quality Product
Mr Khan while stating that uPVC is a multi-level project which requires extrusion, fabrication
and installation, admits that there has been no standardisation such as BIS so far, which
hampers the marketing of these products in India. Currently, the uPVC doors and windows are
still being made as per international standards however reports suggest that the uPVC
Windows & Doors Manufacturers Association (UWDMA) is in the process of submitting an India
centric draft standard to BIS.

In the absence of any industry standards, the aluminium windows market has its share of
problems too. "It is a heavily fragmented segment, and in the absence of any regulatory body
and industry standards, there is much left to be desired in the quality of aluminium windows.
The concept of branded aluminium windows is not as strong in India like in the US, UK and
Europe where there are several established brands. However now branded aluminium windows
have started entering the Indian market and when branded products are available, one is
certain that some science has gone into designing and developing these window systems and
that there is consistency in quality. On the other hand uPVC windows have emerged quickly to
capture 3-4% of the windows market, aided by heavy advertising," explains Mr Jayagopal.
Challenges for Marketing
As much as is the growing popularity of these products, there exist significant challenges that
the suppliers are facing while marketing these products in India. Lack of awareness of the
quality and the benefits of uPVC, and the lack of awareness of energy conservation are the
challenges for marketing of uPVC in India. "The unorganised manner in which the industry
runs, the high cost of uPVC as compared to conventional products, and workmanship are some
of the other challenges. We still find well entrenched low priced traditional materials being
used like aluminium in urban areas, wood in semi-urban and rural areas, MS in government
buildings. We notice that there is a competition on price and not on quality," adds Mr Khan.
However, Mr Khatode feels that since uPVC doors are already a hit with people and builders
(for whom aluminium extrusion doors are outdated), their marketing is not a problem at all.