At product scale, durability concerns the ability of a construction product to retain its intended functions and technical performance over time. For windows, doors and façade systems, this includes maintaining characteristics such as watertightness, air permeability, wind resistance and thermal transmittance, alongside the reliable operation of hardware and opening and closing mechanisms.

The durability of the materials used in a construction product directly influences how long the complete product can perform as intended. Exposed to air, aluminium naturally forms a protective oxide layer that shields the underlying metal from atmospheric corrosion. Furthermore, aluminium maintains its structural integrity and mechanical properties under standard service loads and thermal fluctuations. When combined with appropriate alloy selection and protective surface treatments (anodising or powder coating), aluminium can effectively withstand severe environmental factors, including UV radiation and coastal or high-moisture exposure.

Then, when it comes to aluminium-based construction products such as windows, doors or curtain walling, system design and component selection are equally critical to ensure durability of the overall products, as they rely on the synergistic performance of profiles, gaskets, thermal breaks, and hardware. Selecting, integrating and optimising suitable components can help aluminium systems maintain their intended performance over an extended service life, subject to appropriate installation, use and maintenance.
Even if organic-based components gaskets and thermal breaks can degrade earlier than aluminium, many modern aluminium building systems are designed to allow individual components to be inspected, maintained or replaced during use. Depending on the system design, components may also be separable at end of life. Replaceable parts can remain accessible for inspection, maintenance or replacement while the aluminium framework of the window, door or curtain walling system remains in use. The possibility to inspect, maintain or replace individual components can help preserve the functionality of the overall system and may contribute to extending its service life.

Published industry data and life-cycle assessments report design service lives of several decades for aluminium-framed windows, doors and curtain walling systems, with reported values typically depending on product design, components, exposure conditions and maintenance. For the applications and studies reviewed, reported design service lives range from 25 years, reflecting typical market replacement cycles in some assessments, up to 75 years depending on product design, components, exposure conditions and maintenance.
Read more here about durability of aluminium.