Aluminium vs uPVC Windows in Malta: Which Should You Choose?

Properties within a few kilometres of the coast — think Sliema, St Julian's, Mellieħa or Marsaskala — are exposed to salt-laden air that accelerates corrosion on lower-grade metals and unprotected fixings. Add in strong UV exposure for most of the year and sharp swings between a humid winter and a hot summer, and frame material becomes a durability decision, not just an aesthetic one.

This doesn't rule either material out. It does mean the specification — the alloy grade, the powder coating, the profile chambers — matters more here than in a temperate climate where either material would perform adequately regardless.

Aluminium's strength-to-weight ratio allows for slimmer frame sightlines and larger glazed openings — useful for contemporary architecture, sea-view apartments and large sliding or lift-and-slide doors where you want more glass and less frame.

Thermally broken aluminium profiles (with a polyamide barrier separating the interior and exterior frame) close most of the thermal-performance gap with uPVC, while Qualicoat-certified powder coating in a seaside-rated finish resists the salt corrosion and UV fading that shortens the life of unprotected metal on exposed facades.

Multi-chamber uPVC profiles are naturally strong thermal and acoustic insulators — the air pockets inside the frame reduce heat transfer and dampen outside noise more effectively than a comparable aluminium frame without a thermal break.

uPVC also tends to be the more cost-effective option for standard-sized residential windows that don't need the strength or spans aluminium is suited for, and it never needs repainting — the colour runs through the material rather than sitting on a surface coating.

Rather than choosing a material first, it helps to work backwards from the property: