How do fiberglass vs vinyl windows match up against one another? Let’s examine these two window materials on price, strength, energy efficiency and overall look.
Bottom Line: Vinyl Windows are certainly the more popular of the two materials, accounting for some 70% of all new windows sold today. Fiberglass is the stronger and significantly more expensive of the two options.
Vinyl Overall Rating: 8.5 — Fiberglass Overall Rating: 8.0
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Fiberglass vs Vinyl Windows | Pricing
Vinyl window prices are the least expensive of the five main window material options (wood, composite, aluminum, fiberglass and vinyl). The price range you can expect might run $400 to $1400 per window fully installed and this is with retrofit installation. If the window requires full frame installation, you can expect to add another $250 per window to the overall cost. This is obviously a big price range.
As a rule of thumb, fiberglass windows prices will be 35% more expensive than vinyl, although there aren’t all that many low end fiberglass windows. My overall price range is $1400 to $2000 per window fully installed and this is with retrofit installation. Just as with my vinyl example above, add $250 for new construction installation.
Vinyl Windows Price Range: $400 to $1400 each
Fiberglass Windows Price Range: $1400 to $2000 each
Winner On Pricing: Vinyl
Compare Window Prices
Simonton Window Cost: $750 installed (vinyl)
Window Universe Cost: $1725 installed (fiberglass)
Harvey Window Cost: $750 installed (vinyl)
Okna Window Cost: $900 installed (vinyl)
Marvin Window Cost: $1925 installed (fiberglass)
Compare On Strength
Fiberglass is the stronger of the two materials. In some sense, the strength question is moot because windows are not load bearing. Therefore, they really only have to support their own weight, which is not a difficult task. Cheap vinyl windows might have a problem in this regard. Good and great vinyl windows will not. However, fiberglass windows are still the stronger of the two.
Winner On Strength: Fiberglass
Compare On Energy Efficiency
The worst vinyl windows will have much worse energy efficiency over The best vinyl windows will win out over the top fiberglass windows. More specifically however, this is a tough one to judge on because this is going to vary window to window. The most energy efficient window is the Okna 800 series. The least efficient option might be the Silverline V1 window.
Storm Series Rating: 7.5
Comfort Series Rating: 7.0
Rhino Series Rating: 8.5
Winner On Energy Efficiency: Toss Up
Compare On Overall Look
250 Series Rating: 7.0 — Encompass Series Rating: 6.0
Impervia Window Series Rating: 6.5 — Lifestyles Series Rating: 8.5
Hurricane Shield Rating: 8.0 — Designer-Series Rating: 9.5
Winner On Overall Look: Fiberglass
Related Topics
Aluminum Windows Prices
Worst Window Brands
Aluminum vs Vinyl Windows
