Thermal storefront
A polyamide thermal break or poured-and-debridged pocket separates inner and outer aluminium. Accepts 25 mm (1 in) insulating units with Low-E glass and is required by most energy codes on exterior storefronts.
Commercial façade systems
Aluminium Storefront & Shop Front Systems
An aluminium storefront (shop front) system is a framework of extruded mullions, transoms, sills and door frames that holds large display glass and commercial entrance doors at street level. It is lighter and simpler than curtain wall, spans one storey between floor and head, and can be thermally broken for energy codes. Metline supplies storefront framing and entrance door profiles with accessories, cut and labelled to drawings, to shop front fabricators and installers worldwide.
- Framing alloy
- 6063-T5 / T6
- Common frame
- 1-3/4 × 4-1/2 in, 2 × 4-1/2 in, 2 × 6 in
- Glass
- 6 mm (1/4 in) monolithic or 25 mm (1 in) IGU
- Finishes
- Anodised, powder, PVDF, wood-grain
What is an aluminium storefront system?
A storefront is the glazed front of a shop, café, showroom, office lobby or mall unit. In façade terms it is a non-load-bearing framing system installed within a single storey: it sits on the floor slab or a sill and is fixed to the structure at the head, carrying its own weight and the wind load on the glass. That is the key difference from curtain wall, which hangs from the edges of floor slabs and runs continuously past several storeys.
A complete shop front system normally includes vertical mullions and horizontal transoms, head and sill members, glazing stops (beads), gaskets and setting blocks, door frames, entrance doors with their hardware, sidelights and transom lights above the door, and the anchors and flashings that connect it all to the building. Because the framing is a family of extrusions, the same profiles can be used for a single small shop or repeated across every unit of a shopping centre.
Aluminium is the dominant storefront material because 6063 extrusions give straight, accurate members with crisp edges that anodise or powder coat to a high standard, at a weight and cost far below steel. Thermally broken versions let the same look meet modern energy codes on exterior façades.
| Feature | Storefront | Curtain wall |
|---|---|---|
| Height | One storey, typically up to about 3 – 4 m between supports | Multi-storey, continuous |
| Support | Floor or sill to head, within the opening | Anchored to floor-slab edges, outside the structure |
| Frame depth | Usually 100 – 150 mm (4 – 6 in) | Usually 150 – 250 mm or more |
| Water management | Water drains down to a sill flashing | Each lite or zone drains separately |
| Wind loads | Moderate; ground-floor exposure | Higher, increasing with building height |
| Cost and installation | Lower; often stick-built on site | Higher; stick or unitised |
Where a ground-floor glazed wall is taller than about one storey, or the frontage carries on up the building, a curtain wall is usually the right system. See curtain wall systems.
Storefront system configurations
Non-thermal storefront
Simpler and lower cost, for interior mall frontages, partitions and mild climates. Usually glazed with 6 – 10 mm monolithic toughened or laminated glass.
Centre-glazed
Glass sits in the middle of the frame depth, giving equal shadow lines inside and out. The most common general-purpose layout.
Front (offset) glazed
Glass sits close to the outer face for a flatter external look, with deeper frame showing inside. Useful when matching adjacent systems or details.
Flush or structural silicone glazed
Vertical joints closed with silicone or flush covers, so glass appears to run continuously. Needs higher fabrication precision and qualified structural silicone work.
Reinforced storefront
Steel or heavier aluminium reinforcing in mullions for taller bays, heavier glass or higher wind loads.
Framing components and their functions
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Vertical mullions | Carry wind load from the glass to head and sill; divide the façade into bays |
| Horizontal transoms | Separate glass zones, support transom lights over doors and carry glass dead load to mullions |
| Head and sill | Fix the system to the structure; the sill with its flashing collects and drains water |
| Door frames | Heavier jamb and header sections that take hinges, pivots, closers and locks |
| Sidelights and transom lights | Fixed glass beside and above doors that widen the glazed entrance |
| Glazing stops and gaskets | Hold the glass in place, allow replacement and seal against air and water |
| Setting blocks and anti-walk blocks | Support glass at quarter points and stop it migrating sideways |
| Anchors, clips and receptors | Connect the frame to the structure and allow for building movement |
| Common profiles | F, U, Z, H, T and J channels, hat channels and angles for subframes and trims |
| Reference frame size (face × depth) | Typical use | Confirm |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3/4 × 4 in (44 × 102 mm) | Interior and light exterior storefronts, centre-glazed | Glass thickness, bay size |
| 1-3/4 × 4-1/2 in (44 × 114 mm) | Standard exterior storefronts and entrances | Wind load, door connection |
| 2 × 4-1/2 in (51 × 114 mm) | Thermal storefronts, offset glazing, 1 in IGUs | Thermal and glazing requirements |
| 2 × 6 in (51 × 152 mm) | Taller bays, flush appearance, premium frontages | Span, appearance, fabrication accuracy |
| Custom section | Brand stores and project-specific designs | Drawings, wall thickness, finish |
Storefront door options
| Door type | Application | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow stile (about 2-1/8 in stile) | Boutiques, offices, low to moderate traffic | Maximum glass, slimmest look |
| Medium stile (about 3-1/2 in stile) | Retail and general commercial | Balance of strength and appearance; room for locks and panic devices |
| Wide stile (about 5 in stile) | Schools, hospitals, public buildings, heavy traffic | Most robust; heavy-duty hinges and hardware |
| Double doors (pairs) | Malls, restaurants, hotels | Wider passage for crowds and deliveries |
| Sliding shop front door | Cafés, compact stores | No swing space; manual or automatic |
| Folding / bifold shop front | Restaurants and showrooms opening to terraces | Opens most of the frontage. See bifold doors |
Bottom rails of about 10 in (254 mm) are common where accessibility rules call for a smooth kick zone at the base of the door. Hardware typically includes offset pivots or butt hinges, overhead or floor closers, push-pull handles, deadlocks and, where the building code requires it, panic or fire exit devices.
Choosing storefront glass
Toughened glass
Standard for doors, sidelights and low display glass; required as safety glazing in hazardous locations under EN 12600, 16 CFR 1201 and similar codes.
Laminated glass
Holds together when broken, so it resists smash-and-grab and protects people in busy streets and malls. Also cuts UV fading of displayed goods.
Insulating glass units
Typically 25 mm (1 in) overall, for exterior storefronts in hot or cold climates, with Low-E coatings for energy codes.
Low-iron clear glass
Removes the green tint of standard float glass for the truest view of products, popular for luxury retail.
Tinted and solar-control glass
Reduces glare and heat gain on sunny frontages; balance against visibility of the display.
Frosted or patterned glass
Privacy for clinics, offices and partitions while keeping daylight.
Alloys and technical specifications
| Item | Typical specification |
|---|---|
| Framing alloy and temper | 6063-T5 standard; 6063-T6 or 6061-T6 for higher-strength members |
| Profile standard | ASTM B221 / EN 755-2; tolerances to ANSI H35.2 or EN 12020 |
| Wall thickness | Typically 2.0 – 3.2 mm on mullions and door frames |
| Glass pocket | 6 mm (1/4 in) monolithic or 25 mm (1 in) IGU; others to order |
| Thermal break | Polyamide strips or poured-and-debridged polyurethane |
| Performance testing (North America) | ASTM E283 (air), ASTM E331 (water), ASTM E330 (structural), NFRC 100/200 (thermal) |
| Performance testing (Europe) | EN 13830 for glazed façades, EN 14351-1 for doors and windows |
| Finishes | Anodising (AAMA 611 / Qualanod), powder coat (AAMA 2603/2604, Qualicoat), PVDF (AAMA 2605), wood-grain |
| Processing | Cutting, drilling, notching, slotting, labelling and export packing |
Because mullions span between sill and head, their design is normally governed by deflection under wind: typical limits are L/175 of the span, or 19 mm (3/4 in), whichever is less, so that glass edges are not overstressed. Taller bays need deeper sections or reinforcement rather than a stronger alloy. See 6063 extrusions.
Finishes and colours for storefronts
| Finish | Best for | Points to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Anodised (clear, champagne, bronze, black) | Metallic storefronts, offices, malls; very hard-wearing at door handles and kick zones | Shade variation between batches; approve against range samples |
| Powder coating | Black, white, grey and brand colours for chains and restaurants | Coating standard and film thickness |
| PVDF (AAMA 2605) | Exterior storefronts needing long-term colour and gloss retention | Colour and number of coats |
| Wood-grain | Hotels, cafés and boutiques | Grain direction and pattern against samples |
For chain stores, specify the colour by RAL or a manufacturer code and approve a sample per production batch so that frontages in different cities match. Black anodised and dark bronze remain the most popular commercial colours; clear anodised suits offices and malls.
Where storefront systems are used
- Retail stores: full-height display glass with a centre-glazed frame and a narrow or medium stile entrance door to maximise product visibility.
- Shopping malls: non-thermal interior frontages with consistent framing across many tenants, often with sliding or folding entrances.
- Restaurants and cafés: bifold or sliding shop fronts that open to outdoor seating, with laminated glass toward the street.
- Office lobbies and showrooms: thermal storefront with Low-E IGUs and pairs of wide or medium stile doors.
- Renovations: replacement of old steel or timber shop fronts with thermal aluminium framing fitted into the existing opening.
What affects the cost of a storefront system
- Frontage width and height, and the number of mullions and transoms
- Thermal or non-thermal framing, and the frame size
- Glass type: monolithic toughened, laminated, insulating Low-E, low-iron
- Number and type of doors and the hardware grade (closers, panic devices, automatic operators)
- Finish: anodised, powder, PVDF or wood-grain, and colour-matching requirements
- Wind load and any testing or certification required for the market
- Processing scope, packing and the freight route to site
Metline supplies storefront framing with dimensional inspection reports, packing lists and photographs, finish samples for approval, EN 10204 3.1 mill certificates for the extrusions and labels by elevation or position for easy site installation.
How to order storefront framing from Metline
- Send drawingsElevations and sections, or opening sizes with sketches; note interior or exterior, building location and height.
- Select the systemThermal or non-thermal, glazing position, frame size, door types and hardware.
- Confirm glass and finishGlass make-up and thickness; colour and coating standard; samples for approval.
- Shop drawings and cutting listsWe return the framing profile list for approval, or supply to your fabricator's system drawings.
- Production and dispatchCutting, machining and labelling, inspection, export packing and shipping on EXW, FOB, CIF or DAP terms.
References and standards
- ASTM B221 – Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Profiles, and Tubes
- ASTM E283 / E330 / E331 – Air leakage, structural and water penetration tests for exterior windows, doors and curtain walls
- EN 13830 – Curtain walling: product standard
- FGIA / AAMA 611, 2604 and 2605 – Anodic and organic coatings on architectural aluminium
- 16 CFR Part 1201 – Safety Standard for Architectural Glazing Materials (US CPSC)
Aluminium (aluminum) storefront systems: FAQ
What is the difference between storefront and curtain wall?
Storefront is installed within a single storey, supported at sill and head, with shallower frames and drainage to the sill. Curtain wall hangs from the floor-slab edges, spans several storeys and has deeper frames and zoned drainage. Storefront costs less but is limited in height and wind load.
Which alloy is used for aluminum storefront framing?
6063-T5 is standard because it extrudes accurately and anodises well. 6063-T6 or 6061-T6 can be used for members needing extra strength, and steel reinforcement is added in mullions for very tall bays.
Do I need a thermal storefront?
For exterior storefronts in most climates and under modern energy codes, yes. A thermally broken frame with Low-E insulating glass reduces heat loss and gain and prevents condensation. Non-thermal framing suits interior mall units and partitions.
What size is standard storefront framing?
Common North American sizes are 1-3/4 × 4 in, 1-3/4 × 4-1/2 in, 2 × 4-1/2 in and 2 × 6 in (face × depth). Metric projects often use similar 50 × 100 – 150 mm sections or custom profiles.
What glass is used in storefronts?
Toughened glass for doors and low glazing, laminated glass for security and safety, and 25 mm insulating Low-E units on exterior thermal storefronts. Low-iron glass is chosen where the clearest view of products matters.
Can Metline supply cut and labelled framing for site installation?
Yes. Framing can be cut, drilled, notched and labelled by elevation or position, with packing lists, photographs and mill certificates, ready for installers to assemble.
Planning a shop front or storefront?
Send elevations, glass, doors and finish to sales@metline.in. We will propose framing profiles and a delivered price.
