Market Supply
Aluminium Windows and Doors for South Africa: Salt, Hail, Fire Doors
Cape Town takes Atlantic fog and salt, Durban takes Indian Ocean heat and humidity, and the Gauteng highveld takes hail in summer. A window specified for one of those regions fails in another, so South African orders tend to arrive as one schedule split by region. Adam Alux Systems has produced aluminium windows and doors since 1997 at three bases in China, and runs a fire door line for apartment work.
SOUTH AFRICA · COVERED STOEP
Cape Town: fog, salt, cold water air
Atlantic air off the Cape carries salt through the winter fog, and it settles on north-facing glass for weeks at a time. Fluorocarbon is the finish for anything within a few kilometres of the water, with anodising kept for sheltered courtyards and interiors. EPDM foam gaskets and open drainage matter more here than frame thickness, because a sill that holds water grows mould through the wet months.
Durban: heat and humidity
Indian Ocean humidity runs high through summer, and a Durban unit closed for air-conditioning shows the load on the glass. The 110 series casement window, six chambers in a 2.0 mm wall, takes the larger openings and holds a 5-20 A-5 unit without a heavy sightline. The 95 series sliding window covers the wide balcony fronts that coastal apartment blocks are built around.
Highveld hail and tempered glass
Summer storms on the highveld drop hail that damages roofs and glazing in the same afternoon. Sliding door leaves ship with automotive-grade tempered glass as standard, and the window series can be quoted with tempered panes on exposed elevations. A 50 series casement on a Gauteng house keeps its 1.2 mm wall and 5-20 A-5 unit, with the glass build set to the hail exposure.
Fire doors for apartment projects
Apartment work brings the fire door line into the schedule. Four catalogue lines cover hotel, apartment, institutional and metal work, and the metal line runs a steel leaf with a panic bar. Catalogue fire ratings sit at 20, 45, 60 and 90 minutes. No South African approval or fire listing is claimed for any line, so the responsible party signs the door off against the project drawing.
Packing and ports
Durban and Cape Town both take FCL containers, and glass travels in separate crates from the frames so a hail-belt order can be glazed on site. Every quotation carries a PDF dimension pack with CAD drawings on request, and packing can carry a distributor's own brand.
FAQ
Frequently asked
What certification exists for South Africa?
One CE attestation, EN 14351-1, no. M.2024.206.C101817, with UDEM as the issuing body. No South African approval, agreement certificate or fire listing is held for any line, and the fire doors are supplied against catalogue ratings and the project's own sign-off.
Can fire doors be supplied for an apartment building?
Yes, from four catalogue lines covering hotel, apartment, institutional and metal work. The metal line uses a steel leaf with a panic bar. Catalogue fire ratings run at 20, 45, 60 and 90 minutes, and each door is built to the opening size and hardware set on the schedule.
Which glass handles highveld hail?
Tempered glass on the exposed elevations, and on every sliding door leaf as standard. The window series keeps 5-20 A-5 insulating glass behind it where the thermal figure matters. The pane count and thickness are set against the elevation and confirmed with the quotation.
What finish survives the Cape coast?
Fluorocarbon, on elevations that take Atlantic spray. It holds colour and edge coverage longer than a thin anodised layer, and it can be RAL matched. Anodising suits sheltered courtyards and interior returns, and two-tone faces let the outside and inside read differently.
How do the three regions change the series choice?
The coast pushes toward heavier walls and a salt-grade finish, so the 110 series with six chambers covers Durban and the 50 series covers smaller Cape openings. The highveld keeps the 50 series with tempered glass. Sliding fronts take the 95 series in all three regions.
Reference projects in comparable climates
villa · day scene
Three-storey villa, glass corner
Three-storey villa with a structural glass corner and pool-side elevation.
apartment · day scene
Mid-rise apartment tower
Mid-rise apartment tower with a green roof terrace and corner glazing bay.
villa · night scene
Modern villa at night
Modern villa rendered at night: light lines under the eaves and a lit gate front.
Send your opening schedule
Series, glazing and finish come back as one quotation, with the full dimensional pack on PDF and CAD on request.