European windows in the USA
by state
European windows are bought in the USA as made-to-order imports: you send a window schedule, I price it on 2-3 European systems, you approve shop drawings, and the units arrive DDP at your site 9-16 weeks later with freight, customs clearance and duty already in the price. This hub is the buying guide: the five steps, the three ways to buy, every material I source, and the state pages with IECC zones, code U-factor and SHGC targets and the port of entry. New to the product? Start with what European windows are and how they differ from US windows.
How to buy European windows in the USA in 5 steps
Buying European windows in the USA takes five steps: a window schedule, a comparison of 2-3 systems, signed shop drawings, production with DDP delivery, and installation by your local team. One number per step tells you what to expect at each one.
01Send a window schedule
1 working daySizes, opening types, glazing and the jobsite ZIP code are enough; plan and elevation PDFs are better. I take off the openings and return a budget estimate the same or next working day. A window schedule example shows the format.
02Compare 2-3 systems on the same schedule
U-factor 0.11 to 0.16The schedule is priced on 2-3 European systems that fit the openings - aluminum, uPVC, wood or aluminum-clad wood - with whole-window U-factors down to 0.11 to 0.16 triple glazed on the systems I quote. You pick the material and the system from a like-for-like comparison, not from a single dealer's line.
03Approve the shop drawings
2-3 working daysShop drawings in inches for every position - dimensions, handing, glass, finish, attachment - arrive 2-3 working days after the quote review and are signed off by you or your architect. Nothing is cut before that signature, and a revision after it restarts the production queue.
04Production, container and customs
9-16 weeksPlan on 9-16 weeks from approved shop drawings to delivery on site for uPVC and aluminum, by material and coast; wood and aluminum-clad wood are confirmed per order. The US quote is DDP: ocean freight, customs clearance and duty are inside the number, and I own that chain. The step-by-step is in how to import windows from Europe.
05Install with your local team
10-year warrantyYour crew installs the units - bracket or screw fixing, nailing fin on selected systems - and I brief them on the system before the crates arrive. Windows Guy sp. z o.o. issues the 10-year written warranty on aluminum, uPVC, wood and aluminum-clad wood; steel terms are confirmed per project.
Lakehouse, Oxford, MS: Aluprof MB-79N CSF units set in the framed openings by the local crew. Step 5 of the process above.
Where to buy European windows in the USA
There are three ways to buy European windows in the USA: a US importer or dealer, a European fabricator selling direct, or an independent sourcing agent. The product is the same European profile system on every route. What changes is the range you can compare and who owns the chain between the factory and your site.
US importer or dealer
A showroom or distributor that carries one or two European lines. The simplest route and a local contact; the range is whatever that dealer stocks, and a second system for the same opening usually means a second dealer.
Direct from a European fabricator
Often the lowest sticker price. You own the shop-drawing review, export paperwork, ocean freight, US customs, damaged-crate claims and a warranty across an ocean. Most buyers who try it end up researching windows from Poland, because that is where much of Europe's capacity is.
Independent sourcing agent
What I do. I am not tied to a factory or a system, so one schedule is priced on 2-3 systems, the quote is DDP, the shop drawings are in inches, and the warranty is written by my company. Your local team installs.
Vetting a supplier on any route? Use my supplier evaluation checklist, and for the Polish route specifically, windows from Poland.
Which European windows can you buy in the USA?
Five material families, two opening types and the passive house configurations, each on its own page with the systems, the published performance and the sizes. Aluminum and uPVC are priced in the estimator; wood, aluminum-clad wood and real steel are quoted from drawings.
Thermally broken aluminum
Reynaers, Aluprof, Aliplast and Cortizo systems; slim sightlines, sashes to 9 ft 2 in, any RAL color
View Thermally broken aluminum →uPVC
Aluplast Ideal Neo, 3.35 in (85 mm) six-chamber frame, U-factor 0.13 triple glazed
View uPVC →Wood
Timber Classic and Timber Estate, laminated pine, meranti, oak or mahogany, quoted from drawings
View Wood →Aluminum-clad wood
Clad Flush, Clad Hidden Sash and Clad Passive; timber inside, powder-coated aluminum outside
View Aluminum-clad wood →Real steel
Jansen Janisol profiles, quoted from drawings; delivery and warranty terms confirmed per project
View Real steel →Tilt and turn windows
The default European operable unit: tilt in to ventilate, swing in to clean; screens and egress covered
View Tilt and turn windows →European casement windows
Outswing casements on the same thermal platforms for schedules that expect a crank and an interior screen
View European casement windows →Passive house windows
Systems and configurations for sub-0.14 targets; certificates confirmed for the exact unit
View Passive house windows →European windows by state: code targets and port of entry
Each state page covers the IECC zones for that state, the reference U-factor and SHGC targets, the port of entry and typical delivery route, and my projects there or nearby. U-factor and SHGC are part of the permit review; your design team and plan reviewer need documentation that applies to the actual configuration and compliance path.
Texas
IECC Zones 2A and 3A (hot-humid), with 3B (hot-dry) in West Texas
View Texas →Colorado
IECC Zone 5B on the Front Range, 6B and 7 in the mountains, and a sliver of 4B on the southeastern plains
View Colorado →California
Title 24 and 16 state climate zones instead of IECC
View California →Canada
Projects in Canada ship DAP to the site, duty-free under CETA with an origin declaration I prepare; code documentation is confirmed per project with your building official.
View Canada →| State | IECC zones | U-factor max | SHGC max | Port of entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2A, 3A, 3B | 0.40 / 0.30 | 0.25 | Port of Houston |
| Colorado | 4B, 5B, 6B, 7 | 0.30 | 0.40 / not required | Port of Houston |
| California | 1,, 2,, 6-10, 15 | 0.27 / 0.30 | not required / 0.23 / 0.20 | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach for Southern California |
Typical 2021 IECC residential baseline, by zone within each state. Verify against the local jurisdiction's adopted amendment before locking a spec - the climate zone cheat-sheet covers every zone nationally, and the U-value converter turns a European Uw into the US U-factor.
Don't see your state yet? Code and delivery logistics work the same nationwide; this page just saves you the lookup. Run your schedule through the project estimator or send it directly.
European windows in the USA - common questions
How do I buy European windows in the USA?+
Send a window schedule or drawings, get a budget estimate the same or next working day, compare 2-3 European systems priced on the same schedule, approve shop drawings 2-3 working days after the quote review, and plan on 9-16 weeks from approved drawings to a DDP delivery at your site for uPVC and aluminum. Your local team installs, and the 10-year written warranty on aluminum, uPVC, wood and aluminum-clad wood is issued by Windows Guy sp. z o.o.; steel terms are confirmed per project. Send your schedule.
Where can I buy European windows in the USA?+
Three routes: a US importer or dealer who stocks one or two European lines, a European fabricator selling direct, or an independent sourcing agent who prices your schedule on several systems and delivers it DDP. The product is the same European profile system on each route; what changes is the range you can compare and who owns freight, customs, claims and warranty between the factory and your site.
Do European windows meet US energy code?+
On the numbers, yes. The 2021 IECC residential baseline limits window U-factor to 0.30 in climate zones 3 to 8 and 0.40 in zone 2; double-glazed European aluminum and uPVC windows run about 0.22 to 0.26 and triple-glazed units 0.11 to 0.16 on the systems I quote. The permit set still needs documentation for the exact configuration, and NFRC labels are confirmed per system and configuration before the order. Read about NFRC and NAFS on European windows.
Which US states do you deliver European windows to?+
The DDP quote prices the ocean leg to the nearest port and the trucking to your site, so the route changes by state but the process does not; impact or HVHZ approvals are confirmed per project before I quote. The state pages on this hub cover the IECC zones, code targets and port of entry where I have the most projects; the projects page shows work in 10+ US states from specification to installation. See the projects.
What do European windows cost in the USA?+
The supplied price depends on material, size, operation and glazing, and the landed price adds freight, duty and installation. The full price list by size, from the same estimator model that prices schedules on this site, is in the European windows cost guide; the estimator gives a quick range for uPVC and aluminum, and wood, aluminum-clad wood and real steel are quoted from drawings. See how much European windows cost.
Can I buy European windows for a project in Canada?+
Yes. Canadian orders ship DAP to the site, with the Canadian buyer as importer of record; EU-origin aluminum, uPVC, wood and aluminum-clad wood enter duty-free under CETA with an origin declaration I prepare, and GST at import is recoverable for GST/HST-registered businesses. Code documentation is confirmed per project with your building official. See European windows in Canada.
Start with step one
Send me your window schedule or drawings with the jobsite location and I'll have a budget estimate back to you the same or next working day, priced on the systems that fit your openings.