Five product series from budget composite to architectural wood
Andersen has been making windows since 1903 and is one of the most recognised names in American fenestration. But "Andersen" on a quotation tells you very little on its own, because the range spans five distinct series with genuinely different materials, options and prices — from a budget composite unit to a fully custom architectural window.
The gap between the entry series and the architectural line is wide enough that the series decision usually matters more than the brand decision. Two quotations both saying "Andersen" can describe very different windows.
What follows is how the series actually differ, what the glass and grille options mean, and what the warranty covers. Full current specifications are on Andersen's own website, which opens in a separate window so you do not lose your place here.
The 100 Series is made entirely from Fibrex, Andersen's proprietary composite of roughly 40% reclaimed wood fibre and 60% thermoplastic polymer. It is around twice as strong as vinyl, holds its shape better in temperature swings, and will not fade, flake or peel.
There is no wood in it anywhere, which is the point. Nothing to rot, nothing to repaint, and no interior wood finish either — the interior is the composite in a factory colour. For a rental property, a mudroom, a garage or anywhere the interior finish is not a priority, that is a sensible trade.
The look is cleaner and more modern than the wood lines, with slightly narrower frames. If you want a painted or stained wood interior, this is not the series.
The 200 Series gives you a real wood interior with a Perma-Shield vinyl exterior, at a lower price than the 400 by restricting choice. Typically two exterior colours — white and sandtone — and two interior options, pine or a white finish.
The style range is narrower too, concentrated on double-hung, gliding and picture windows in the most common sizes. U-factors generally land in the 0.28 to 0.32 range, which is solid rather than exceptional.
It is primarily a new-construction line. If your project needs replacement inserts, unusual sizes or a specific colour, the 200 will run out of options quickly and the 400 is the natural step up.
The 400 Series is Andersen's longest-running and best-selling line, and for most residential projects it is the sensible answer. Wood interior, Perma-Shield vinyl exterior, with roughly seven exterior colours, three interior finishes and twelve hardware finishes.
It is available in standard, specialty and custom shapes, and in all three installation types — new construction, full-frame replacement and insert replacement. That last point matters on New York replacement work, where you are usually fitting into an existing opening rather than a new one.
Within the 400 there are two sub-families worth knowing. The Tilt-Wash double-hung is the standard vinyl-clad unit. The Woodwright uses a Fibrex exterior instead and carries a narrower, more traditional profile — the better choice when you are matching the look of an older house.
Both sit above the 400 and are aimed at custom work.
The E-Series is aluminium-clad wood and is the most customisable product Andersen makes — the widest colour range by a considerable margin, custom colour matching, the broadest size and shape capability. If an architect has specified a particular exterior colour or an unusual geometry, this is normally the line that can deliver it.
The A-Series is the architectural collection built around defined historical and regional styles, combining a Fibrex exterior with a wood interior. It is designed so that the proportions and detailing suit a particular architectural idiom rather than being generically modern.
Both carry a significant price step over the 400. Whether that is justified depends on whether you need what they offer — specific colours, unusual shapes, particular profiles — or simply want a better window, in which case the 400 with good glass is usually better value.
Colour availability is one of the clearest differences between the series, and it catches people out late in the process.
The 200 Series gives you two exterior colours. The 400 Series gives you around seven, plus three interior finishes and twelve hardware finishes. The E-Series opens this up dramatically with a very large standard palette and custom matching on top.
Interior finish works the same way. The 100 Series interior is the composite in a factory colour and cannot be painted or stained conventionally. The wood-interior series can be finished as you like, either prefinished from the factory or bare for site finishing.
If a specific colour is central to the design, establish which series can actually produce it before anything else is decided. Choosing the series first and the colour second is how projects end up compromising.
This is where the real performance decisions are made, and the names are not self-explanatory.
Low-E / Low-E4 is the standard offering and suits most situations — it reflects heat out in summer and holds it in during winter. Good general-purpose glass where both heating and cooling matter, which describes New York.
SmartSun blocks around 95% of UV and rejects noticeably more solar heat than standard Low-E, while keeping visible light close to clear glass. It is the choice where you want strong sun control without a tinted look, and where fading of floors and furnishings is a concern.
PassiveSun works the opposite way — it deliberately lets solar heat in. Appropriate for genuinely cold climates or passive-solar design on south-facing elevations, and usually the wrong choice for a west-facing room that already overheats.
Sun glass carries a stronger tint and blocks more heat again, aimed at hot southern climates. It admits noticeably less light, which is the trade.
HeatLock is not a glass type but a coating applied to the room-side surface — surface four, the face you can touch. It reflects escaping heat back into the room and improves the U-factor measurably, at the cost of a small reduction in visible light. It can be added to most of the glass options above. Note that it cannot be combined with patterned glass.
Triple pane is available on the A-Series, E-Series, 400 Series patio doors and selected 200 and 100 Series products. Tempered glass is available across the range and is standard on patio doors. Laminated and acoustic build-ups are available where impact resistance or noise reduction is the priority.
Grilles, or muntins, are the bars that divide a window into panes. On modern insulated glass they are almost always decorative, since the unit is a single sealed pane, and there are three ways of achieving the look.
Grilles between the glass sit inside the sealed unit. The great advantage is cleaning — the glass surfaces stay flat and there is nothing to wipe around. The disadvantage is that they read as flat from outside, because there is no shadow line. From the street a trained eye can tell.
Simulated divided light applies bars permanently to both the exterior and interior faces, usually with a spacer bar inside the unit aligning with them. This produces genuine shadow lines and reads convincingly as a divided window. It costs more and cleaning is slower, but on a period house or in a historic district it is often the only option that will look right — or be approved.
Removable interior grilles clip into the interior face only and lift out for cleaning. The cheapest approach, and the least convincing from outside.
Patterns follow standard families — colonial, prairie, modified colonial — with custom layouts available on the upper series. For New York work in a landmark district, check what the approval requires before choosing: some designations specify divided light and will not accept between-the-glass grilles.
Andersen's residential warranty runs to 20 years on glass and 10 years on non-glass components, and it is transferable to a subsequent owner, which is worth knowing if you may sell.
The glass coverage addresses seal failure — the fogging or misting between panes that indicates the sealed unit has lost its integrity. Non-glass coverage picks up the frame, sash and factory hardware.
One distinction that causes disputes: the manufacturer's warranty covers the product, not the installation. A window that leaks because the perimeter was not properly flashed is not a product fault and will not be honoured under it. That is our responsibility, and we treat it as such — the frame perimeter is tied into the wall's air and water barrier, sill pan flashing goes in with end dams, and weep paths are left clear.
Terms vary by product and change over time. For the current warranty document applicable to your specific units, see Andersen's website or ask us and we will supply it with the quotation.
For most New York replacement work, the 400 Series with SmartSun glass is the point where the value curve is best — a wood interior, enough colour choice for most schemes, insert replacement capability, and glass that handles both the summer and the winter here.
Step down to the 200 if the budget is tight, the sizes are standard and white or sandtone works. Step down to the 100 if no one needs a wood interior.
Step up to the E-Series if a specific colour or an unusual shape is non-negotiable, or to the A-Series if the architecture calls for a particular period profile.
We carry other manufacturers as well, and on some projects one of those will be the better answer — a European system for minimal sightlines and tilt-and-turn operation, or a local manufacturer where lead time and cost matter more than brand. Tell us the openings and the budget and we will tell you honestly which way to go.
Pella Marvin Crystal Windows Double-Hung Windows Casement Windows Low-E Glass
Tell us about the opening and we will specify it for you.
