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Crittall-style windows and doors: four ways to get the grid
Crittall is a long-established UK steel-window brand whose name is often used informally for slim black-grid glazing. We use “Crittall-style” only to describe a look and do not imply affiliation. That appearance can be built in real steel, steel-look aluminium or heritage-bar uPVC, each with a different frame and price.
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The same grid, different construction
Look past the black bars
These photographs show why the room, weather line and frame material must be agreed before the pattern.
What the search term means
A visual shorthand, not one generic product
The original name belongs to a specific manufacturer. In the wider market, homeowners often use it for slender metal frames and regular glazing bars. A responsible quote replaces that shorthand with a named material, system, thermal role and construction.
- Real steel: welded corners and 20–32 mm category sightlines
- Steel-look aluminium: mechanically joined 47–70 mm frames
- Heritage-bar uPVC: the grid applied to a uPVC base system
- Cold and thermally broken steel must never be confused
Windows4You is not affiliated with Crittall Windows Ltd. “Crittall-style” describes an architectural appearance only.
The four-tier ladder
Start at the technical job, then choose the material
Hot-rolled internal steel
LOFT and NORM for doors, fixed screens, folding, sliding and pivot openings inside the home.
Steel windows →Thermally broken external steel
Unico and Unico XS for heated external doors and windows where steel remains the actual material.
Steel windows →Steel-look aluminium
A broader, mechanically joined frame in a lower indicative price band, available for windows and doors.
Reynaers SlimLine route →Heritage-bar uPVC
The budget-led route for windows and French doors, using astragal or glazing bars to make the grid.
Entrance doors →How we serve each tier
One survey can price the sensible routes
Inside the home
Use LOFT or NORM because no external thermal break is needed. Choose the door action around the room.
Heated external openings
Compare thermally broken real steel with steel-look aluminium on the same glass and grid.
French-door budget route
Use heritage bars on a uPVC set, then compare aluminium and steel before committing to the premium material.
The honest choice
Do not buy a search term
Ask which material forms the frame, whether an external frame is thermally broken, how the corners are made and what the visible junction actually measures.
Get a written comparison →Turn a mood-board word into a specification
Five questions stop the quote drifting
“Crittall-style” is useful as a visual starting point. It is not enough for an order.
Where is it?Internal, unheated external or heated external decides whether a thermal break is needed.
What material?Real steel, steel-look aluminium and heritage-bar uPVC have different corners, sightlines and price bands.
What actually opens?Fixed, hinged, sliding, folding and pivot layouts change the frame and hardware.
Which bars are real?Structural mullions divide frames; applied or between-pane bars create a pattern without dividing the frame.
What is included?Survey, glass, finish, removal, fitting, making good and controls need the same written scope.
Four routes to the grid
See the material before choosing the pattern
Three ways homeowners use the look
Choose by the job, not by the search phrase
Broken-plan interior
A genuine internal steel screen gives the welded frame and narrow sections without paying for an external thermal break. We set the door position around the walking line and arrange fixed panes to keep the grid calm.
Steel windows →Heated garden opening
Real steel moves to a thermally broken external system. Steel-look aluminium can be priced beside it using the same drawing, glass and fitting scope.
Reynaers systems →Heritage look on a tighter budget
uPVC French doors or windows can use between-pane or applied bars to create the grid. They do not become steel, but the route may fit a wider window package.
Entrance doors →Windows4You is not affiliated with Crittall Windows Ltd. The term “Crittall-style” is used only as a factual description of the familiar slim, grid-led appearance.
Compare one elevation
Draw the bars once, then price the sensible constructions
For a useful comparison, every supplier needs the same overall size, opening leaves, pane pattern, colour, glass brief, threshold and installation scope. Otherwise a lower total may simply omit a fixed screen, use a broader meeting rail or exclude making good.
We mark cold and thermally broken steel clearly, because a photograph cannot show that difference. We also name aluminium and uPVC alternatives honestly rather than describing every dark grid as steel.
The final route is confirmed after survey and specification. For frame comparison, see our Reynaers SlimLine 38 route alongside real steel options.
Bring references, but approve a specification
How to use inspiration images without buying the wrong frame
Save the photographs that capture the proportion you like, then mark what matters: narrow outer frames, a particular pane rhythm, a black or bronze finish, a pair of doors, or a full-height fixed screen.
We translate the reference into a measured elevation. Every opening leaf, fixed pane and bar is drawn. The quote then names real steel, steel-look aluminium or heritage-bar uPVC.
Ask to see the critical junctions rather than one glamour photograph. Corner construction matters: welded steel reads differently from mechanically joined aluminium when viewed closely.
Planning or listed-building positions are confirmed with your local authority before manufacture.
Questions
Crittall-style FAQs
Straight answers on steel, aluminium and uPVC grid routes.
01Do you sell genuine Crittall-branded windows?
We supply independent steel and alternative systems. We do not claim affiliation with Crittall Windows Ltd.
02What does Crittall-style mean?
It describes the familiar slim, dark frame and regular glazing-bar look. The actual frame may be real steel, steel-look aluminium or uPVC with heritage bars.
03Which option has the slimmest frame?
Real steel sits in the 20–32 mm category, compared with 47–70 mm for steel-look aluminium.
04Can the look work in a heated external wall?
Yes, using a checked thermally broken steel or aluminium system. Cold internal steel is not suitable merely because the glass performs well.
05What is the cheapest route?
Heritage-bar uPVC is normally the budget starting point; steel and aluminium are quoted on a matched specification.
06Can I compare samples?
Call before travelling if the frame junction is the main comparison you need — we will confirm showroom samples.
Questions
Crittall-style FAQs
Crittall-style questions before you compare quotes.
01Do you sell genuine Crittall-branded windows?
We supply independent steel and alternative systems. We do not claim affiliation with Crittall Windows Ltd.
02What does Crittall-style mean?
It describes the familiar slim, dark frame and regular glazing-bar look. The actual frame may be real steel, steel-look aluminium or uPVC with heritage bars.
03Which option has the slimmest frame?
Real steel sits in the 20–32 mm category, compared with 47–70 mm for steel-look aluminium.
04Can the look work in a heated external wall?
Yes, using a checked thermally broken steel or aluminium system. Cold internal steel is not suitable merely because the glass performs well.
05What is the cheapest route?
Heritage-bar uPVC is normally the budget starting point; steel and aluminium are quoted on a matched specification.
06Can I compare samples?
Call before travelling if the frame junction is the main comparison you need — we will confirm showroom samples.
Style-led enquiry
Show us the grid you like
Send the inspiration image, a photograph of the opening and rough dimensions. We will translate the look into honest material options.
Style-led enquiry
Show us the grid
Send inspiration, opening photos and rough sizes.