Window burglar bars are made to fit one particular window, so the quote depends on the opening more than on the bars. A 600 mm bathroom window, a wide lounge window and a corner window each need a different frame. Send us the sizes, the window type and your area, and local manufacturers and installers will quote you for supplying and fitting steel bars, with options for a window that opens from inside in an emergency.
Choosing a bar pattern
The pattern changes both strength and view. Verticals only, with one or two rails, is the plainest and cheapest. Closer spacing, about 100 to 120 mm between bars, keeps small hands and tools out. A square grid is stronger but blocks more light. Decorative panels with curls look good on older homes but cost more to make. If you want a fuller choice of styles, see burglar bar designs.
Whatever the pattern, the bars should be welded at every crossing, not simply pushed through holes in the rails. Check that the gaps near the frame edges are as tight as those in the middle, since a wide edge gap is the easiest place to lever.
Steel sizes that matter
Ask what steel goes into the frame. A common good specification is a 20 x 20 mm square tube frame with 12 mm solid bars, or 16 mm bars on larger windows. Thin tube and bars of 8 mm or less bend easily. Flat bar frames fixed with screws only are weaker than a tube frame fixed with anchor bolts or built-in lugs. Galvanised steel under the powder coat gives a longer life, which matters in damp bathrooms and near the coast.
Inside or outside the window
Bars fitted to the outside of the wall protect the whole opening, including the frame, and can be fixed straight into the masonry. Bars inside the reveal look neat but must fit tightly and be bolted through the frame sides. Where the window opens outwards, the bars usually go outside the window or have a hinged panel so it can still open and be cleaned. Your installer will advise on which suits your window. Tell them if you plan to repaint, add a security shutter or change the glass soon, because that may change where the frame should sit.
Escape windows and safety
In every bedroom, at least one window should be able to open fully without a key for escape in a fire. A hinged bar panel with an inside latch, or a quick-release frame, does this. Keep a spare key near the bed if the panel uses a lock, and teach children how it works. Do not put fixed bars on every window of a sleeping room. For a house as a whole, see burglar bars for the wider picture.
What to include in your request
- Width and height of every window in mm
- Which windows open outwards and which way
- Which bedroom windows need a quick-release panel
- Bar pattern and spacing you prefer
- Frame type and wall finish around the window
Window Burglar Bars for different properties
- Houses: bars on every window, with a hinged or quick-release panel in each bedroom
- Townhouses and complexes: slim bars in the complex colour, kept inside the reveal where rules allow
- Flats and apartments: bars on ground-floor and balcony windows, with an escape window in each bedroom
- Farms and smallholdings: stout galvanised bars on old steel windows of farmhouses and stores
- Shops and restaurants: bars on side and rear windows and on storeroom openings
- Offices and practices: window bars fitted in a neat style for ground-floor offices and archive rooms
- Factories and warehouses: heavy frames over office, canteen and stores windows
- Schools, clinics and churches: bars on ground-floor windows with release panels to meet escape rules
Frequently asked questions
How much do window burglar bars cost?
Do I need to remove my old bars first?
Can bars be fitted to a window that opens outwards?
How long does fitting take?
Window Burglar Bars by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg