Superior Quality Aluminium Doors

This week we wanted to write to you about our flagship door range – Spitfire Doors.

Whilst we know aluminium doors aren’t for everyone, over the past 12 months we have seen dramatic rises in popularity of these superior quality entrance doors. We are all aware of the issues that composite door suppliers have faced lately, so it makes aluminium the next viable alternative.

As self-confessed ‘door nerds’, we feel the buzz around aluminium entrance doors is similar to the noise composite doors were making when they first came onto the scene around 2008. Now might be the perfect time to add this product to your portfolio…

But Aluminium Doors Cost A Fortune, My Customer Won’t Pay That!

This is where you might be surprised. Most people when they think of Spitfire assume a price point of anywhere between £5k – £10 depending on specification. Whilst there are doors out there that sit in this very exclusive price bracket, for that range you are looking at the Spitfire S-500 or Pivot options (not what we supply).

The S-500 sits alongside Pirnar, Smart, Duteman and Schuco doors as the very ‘best of the best’. These are the kind of doors that are usually reserved for multi-million pound homes, and whilst they are breathtaking to look at, it’s not something most people can sell in any volume.

This is what makes the Spitfire S-200 door we offer such an attractive proposition. Whilst the door still comes in at a realistic price, it’s actually not a million miles away from the ‘big boys’ above in terms of specification. It’s also a far superior product to the cheaper aluminium doors on offer that are basically an aluminium panel sat in an outer frame.

As an example, here’s a price comparison on the same door design between Spitfire and Solidor. As you can see the difference is not what you’d expect for two completely different products…

Why Are Aluminium Doors So Much Better Than Composite Doors?

There’s a multitude of reasons, but here’s the short version:

• They are stronger (a 78mm thick door leaf against 44mm/48mm on composite).
• They have a better frame (Schuco aluminium as opposed to PVC).
• They have better energy ratings (0.9 U value against 1.4-1.8 on composite).
• They are triple glazed as standard.
• They have more colours available (including matching frames on any colour).
• They have custom finishes available (stone, carbon fibre, concrete etc.).
• They have a flush sash and frame on the external (very nice!).
• They allow for higher profit margins.
• They don’t bow, warp or drop like composite doors do.
• Once fitted, they sell themselves.

The only real downside of the Spitfire product is the 8 week lead time. Having said that, every door is made completely bespoke in Europe, so most customers are happy to wait.

So…should I throw all my composite door brochures in the bin?

That might be a bit hasty! Composite doors are going nowhere, and there should be no doubt they will continue to cater for a much larger part of the market than aluminium for some time.

That being said, it might be time to get ahead of the aluminium door curve and add Spitfire to your portfolio. As the composite door market gets more and more saturated, people will be looking to undercut each other more and more. A Spitfire door could just be the ace up your sleeve…