Ask three suppliers for a quote on the same opening and you'll likely get three different numbers — sometimes by a wide margin. That's not necessarily a sign someone's overcharging; aluminium window pricing genuinely depends on more variables than most homeowners are told about upfront.
Profile and glazing are the two biggest levers. A basic single-glazed sliding window in a standard section costs meaningfully less than a double-glazed casement or tilt-and-slide unit in a heavier-duty profile — the difference isn't padding, it's more aluminium, more hardware, and a sealed air gap between two panes of glass instead of one.
Pre-engineered, factory-assembled systems also sit at a different price point than site-fabricated windows built from extruded sections by a local fabricator, and it's worth understanding why before comparing two quotes as if they're the same product. A factory-tested, window-in-a-box unit has quality control and certification built into the price; a site-built window's final quality depends heavily on the fabricator, for better or worse.
The honest way to compare quotes is by exact specification, not price per square foot: profile brand and series, glass type and thickness, hardware (lock type, hinge or track quality), and whether the coating is a genuine TEXGUARD or anodised finish or a cheaper powder coat. Two windows that look identical in a showroom can be built to very different standards — and that's usually where the price difference actually comes from.

