| 01 — Residential casement specialist | Side-hung or top-hung casement windows for houses and apartments. | Frame and sash profiles, insulating-glass compatibility, glazing thickness, and thermal-break material. | Whole-window U-factor, air leakage, water penetration, and structural-load results for the quoted configuration. | Ask for reports or certificates applicable to the destination market and exact window series. Verify test laboratory, model, and report validity. | Confirm site measurement, configuration drawings, hardware options, installation guidance, and warranty terms. |
| 02 — Sliding-window specialist | Horizontal sliding windows for residential and light-commercial openings. | Track design, sash overlap, weather seals, drainage details, and available insulating-glass units. | Request air, water, and structural-test results; sliding operation and locking details should match the specified size. | Check that test documentation covers the sliding configuration, dimensions, glazing, and hardware being offered. | Confirm screen availability, replacement-roller support, spare-parts supply, packaging, and delivery terms. |
| 03 — Lift-and-slide system supplier | Large-panel sliding doors and windows for wider openings and access to terraces or balconies. | Maximum tested panel dimensions, sill options, frame depth, glass weight limits, and thermal-break continuity. | Request tested air and water performance, structural capacity, operating-force information, and limits for panel size and weight. | Review project-specific test reports and confirm that the tested hardware, panel dimensions, and glass build-up match the order. | Confirm engineering review, lifting and handling requirements, installation details, adjustment guidance, and after-sales hardware support. |
| 04 — Folding-window and door supplier | Bi-folding window and door assemblies with multiple hinged panels. | Panel count, opening direction, threshold type, hinge and roller specification, and weather-seal arrangement. | Request system-specific air, water, and structural results, plus documented panel-size and hardware-weight limits. | Verify documentation for the complete assembly rather than relying only on component certificates or profile data. | Confirm opening-layout drawings, handing, installation sequence, adjustment instructions, and availability of replacement hardware. |
| 05 — Commercial window and façade supplier | Commercial punched windows and window-wall or façade-related assemblies. | System depth, mullion and transom options, pressure-equalized drainage details, and integration with adjacent construction. | Request project-relevant air, water, structural, and thermal data; confirm whether values apply to the complete assembly. | Ask for applicable local-code documentation, test reports, and evidence for the specified assembly and project conditions. | Confirm shop drawings, coordination with façade or structural teams, mock-up support, installation interfaces, and project scheduling. |
| 06 — Energy-performance-focused supplier | Window systems designed to support lower heat transfer in residential or commercial projects. | Compare frame thermal breaks, glass coatings, gas fill, spacer type, and whole-window performance as a combined system. | Request whole-window U-factor and, where relevant, solar heat gain and visible transmittance for the exact size and glazing option. | For North American projects, check whether NFRC-rated values are available for the quoted product. Confirm the rating applies to the exact configuration. | Confirm support for energy-code submittals, glazing selection, calculations, and clear documentation of tested configurations. |
| 07 — Coastal-project-oriented supplier | Window and door options considered for coastal or other exposure-prone locations. | Compare finish specification, drainage, seal materials, hardware material, and glass-retention details for the project exposure. | Request relevant air, water, and structural tests, along with written limits for wind exposure and product size. | Check finish and hardware documentation against the project specification. Do not treat a general material claim as proof of finished-product performance. | Confirm advice on exposure conditions, maintenance instructions, installation details, and warranty exclusions related to location. |
| 08 — High-rise project supplier | Project-specific windows and façade assemblies for multi-story buildings. | Compare pressure-management details, fixing methods, drainage paths, glass make-up, and interfaces with the building envelope. | Request project-relevant structural, air, water, and thermal evidence; confirm the scope and specimen size of each test. | Review applicable building-code submittals and third-party reports. Confirm that the project design and supplied assembly are within tested limits. | Confirm engineering coordination, sample or mock-up process, revision control, installation documentation, and quality inspections. |
| 09 — OEM and export-oriented supplier | Made-to-order window and door products prepared for export or buyer-defined specifications. | Compare available profiles, glazing options, hardware sourcing, finishes, packing methods, and permitted customization. | Request product-specific test reports and verify the tested configuration, laboratory, test date, and destination-market relevance. | Check each certificate directly with its issuer where possible. An ISO 9001 certificate concerns a quality-management system; it is not a product-performance rating. | Confirm export documentation, communication process, production lead time, inspection arrangements, packaging, and responsibility for installation support. |
| 10 — Custom and architectural-project supplier | Non-standard sizes, special shapes, mixed opening types, or project-specific window schedules. | Compare achievable geometry, corner details, hardware limits, glass availability, finish options, and system compatibility. | Request confirmation of which custom sizes are covered by existing tests and which require additional engineering or testing. | Ask for written confirmation that compliance evidence covers the final design; do not assume standard-system reports cover custom assemblies. | Confirm design-assistance boundaries, drawing approvals, sample review, change management, and replacement-part support. |