Bronze vs Steel
Bronze or steel
windows?
Steel windows are the most common choice for architects and contractors looking to specify metal windows into a building.
Strong and readily available, steel has been the material of choice for metal windows since the mid-20th century, with advances in technology delivering greater design flexibility, durability, and production volumes. But bronze windows offer some key aesthetic, design and performance advantages that steel windows can’t.
Steel Windows
• Made from an alloy of iron and carbon
• Extremely strong and hard
• Mainly structural properties
• Heat treated to enhance fracture resistance
• Rusts/corrodes readily – needs to be galvanised
• Requires regular maintenance
Bronze windows
• Made from an alloy of copper and tin
• Extremely hard and strong
• More ductile than steel
• Can be cast or extruded into very fine decorative and structural forms
• Naturally corrosion-resistant – does not rust or rot
• Minimal maintenance needed
Nature’s protection:
Bronze patina
A key difference between bronze and steel is the way the metal reacts when exposed to air and moisture in a process called oxidization.
When steel oxidises, it forms rust on the surface that eventually eats into the base metal, causing it to weaken and eventually break. To prevent this, steel windows must be galvanized.
When bronze oxidises, it forms a patina – a distinctive brown or green-gray coating on the surface. Unlike rust, bronze patina actually protects the metal underneath, preventing further oxidization. This means that bronze can survive unscathed for many years, even in exposed and coastal locations.
Bronze Finishes
The main aesthetic difference between bronze and steel windows is the color or finish.
Natural solid bronze starts off a golden color that ages to a rich brown with grayish-green accents as part of the patina process. At Renaissance, we’re able to control this process using chemical solutions that permanently change the color. Our bronze windows are available in five standard bronze patina shades.
Galvanized steel typically has a gray or silvery finish that can be painted or powder coated in a variety of colors.
Caring for bronze windows
Bronze windows are supremely easy to maintain, requiring very little care to keep them looking beautiful for generations.
Apart from caring for hinges, latches, locks and seals, all that’s required is some gentle cleaning to remove dirt and environmental pollutants. Our bronze patina finish is permanent and never needs to be retouched.
Steel windows do require maintenance of the metal itself, with regular painting or re-lacquering needed every few years.
Bronze window lifespan
Bronze is an extremely durable metal that can endure for hundreds of years. We estimate that our bronze windows will last at least 150 years with appropriate maintenance of the moving parts.
By contrast, hot-dipped galvanised steel has a lifespan of around 70-75 years, making bronze windows a multi-generational investment.
Are bronze windows more expensive?
Bronze windows from Renaissance GSB typically come in around 10-15% more expensive than the equivalent, high-quality steel window. However, since bronze has a much longer lifespan and requires much less maintenance than steel, the cost of bronze window ownership is typically less.
More benefits of bronze vs steel
Greener
Our bronze windows are made from 90% recyclaed material and do not require galvanizing, which is a highly polluting process
Greater design freedom
We buy our custom bronze extrusions mill direct and manufacture on a project-by-project basis – bespoke design is a speciality
Complete & ready to fit
We supply our windows glazed, with all hardware installed, reducing cost and delays on site
What our customers say
Download our catalog
Explore our range of captivating solid bronze architectural products in our product catalog.
If you’d like to receive a hard copy by post, send us an email.
Our Dealers
Almost
200 dealers
in
31 states
We’re proud to partner with innovative window, kitchen, bathroom and wine cellar dealers nationwide, tapping into their hands-on expertise to bring the beauty and distinctiveness of genuine solid bronze to discerning homeowners, architects and designers.
In the majority of cases, your Renaissance Genuine Solid Bronze journey will begin in one of their inspiring showrooms. Our dealer network also provides measurement, delivery and installation (MDI) services worldwide.
