Peers at the top of the range. Where the German name and the Belgian one part, and which we would build for a New York house or facade.
Where we stand. We install Reynaers from the manufacturer’s fabricator. We do not fabricate or stock Schüco; it is the most-specified premium aluminum system on New York architects’ drawings, so clients ask, and we can install it from a US fabricator when a project specifies it. Series names, depths and positioning below are from the manufacturers’ published system data; performance numbers for a specific series and glass come from the manufacturer’s test reports, which we file in the test reports in our Technical Library as we receive them, and from the project’s own calculation. We do not quote a U-factor or an STC here that we cannot point to a report for.
These are the two premium European aluminum systems, and at the top of each range they are peers: both make a minimal-frame slider (Hi-Finity, ASS 77 PD), a passive-house window (MasterLine 8 HI+, AWS 90.SI+), and a full curtain-wall family. Schüco has the larger US network and the name most architects reach for; Reynaers has SlimLine 38, the slimmest steel-look aluminum window on the market, which is why the Ocean Parkway house is Reynaers. If the drawings say Schüco, it is a sound specification and we can build it; if the design needs a steel-look window in aluminum with arches, Reynaers is the one with the product.
| Reynaers | Schüco | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Belgium | Germany; the largest European system house |
| Our relationship | Installer; the Ocean Parkway house | We do not fabricate or stock Schüco; we compare it because it is the most-specified premium system on architects’ drawings, and can install it from a US fabricator |
| Window series | MasterLine 8, SlimLine 38 (steel-look), ConceptSystem 77 | AWS 75.SI+, AWS 90.SI+, AWS 65; steel-look via Jansen (sister company) |
| Sliders | CP 130 / CP 155, Hi-Finity (minimal) | ASS 77 PD (panorama design, minimal), ASE 80/60 |
| Curtain wall | CW 50, CW 86 | FWS 50 / FWS 60, UCC unitised |
| Minimal-frame slider | Hi-Finity | ASS 77 PD |
| Steel-look | SlimLine 38 in aluminum | Jansen Janisol (true steel) and Schüco steel-look aluminum |
| Thermal ceiling | Very high | Very high; AWS 90.SI+ among the best |
| US presence | Growing; specialist fabricators | Established; Schüco USA, more fabricators |
| Price | Premium | Premium |
| Where we have used it | Ocean Parkway at Avenue W | — |
Depth, thermal breaks, hardware, finish and thermal performance are matched across the two ranges at every tier. Both publish full US test data. Both are fabricated here by specialist fabricators, so on a New York job the fabricator’s quality matters as much as the system house’s. Both cost a premium over the value European systems (Reynaers vs Alutech sets that out) and both are worth it when the design is the point.
Steel-look. Reynaers SlimLine 38 is an aluminum window that reads as steel — 33 millimetres on a fixed lite — and it takes curved heads. Schüco’s answer is Jansen, its sister company, in true steel: heavier, more expensive, and the authentic material for a landmark industrial building. For a house that wants the look in aluminum, Reynaers. Network. Schüco USA has been here longer with more fabricators; lead times and parts are somewhat easier. Curtain wall. Schüco’s FWS and unitised UCC systems are the more common specification on New York high-rise facades. Minimal sliders. Hi-Finity and ASS 77 PD are equivalent products; the choice follows the rest of the package.
A drawing that specifies Schüco: build it as specified; we can install it from a US fabricator, and it is a good system. A house or townhouse that wants steel-look aluminum, arches or the slimmest possible line: Reynaers, which we have built. A facade or curtain wall at scale: either, following the architect. A program or a storefront: neither; see Alutech vs Cortizo.
At the top of the range they are peers on performance and finish. Schüco has the larger US network; Reynaers has SlimLine 38, the slimmest steel-look aluminum window. The design decides.
Schüco, on architects’ drawings and on high-rise facades. Reynaers is growing, especially on houses that want the steel look.
We can, from a US fabricator, when a project specifies it. We do not stock or fabricate it. We install Reynaers from the manufacturer’s fabricator.
Reynaers SlimLine 38 in aluminum, about 33 mm on a fixed lite. For true steel, Schüco’s sister company Jansen.
Both have passive-house-grade windows: MasterLine 8 HI+ and AWS 90.SI+. Certification and numbers depend on the series and glass; we point to the test report.
About this page. Written by Alex GC Inc. d/b/a Alex Glass Construction and reviewed before publication by Aleksandr Chernovolenko, Managing Partner, with our design and estimating lead and a field foreman. Our foremen hold the NYC DOB Site Safety Training supervisor card and our crews the 40-hour worker card; we are certified to fabricate, install and service Alutech and Everest aluminum systems. Facts are drawn from our own projects, manufacturer test data and the applicable codes; where we are giving an opinion, we say so. Last reviewed September 2026. Credentials
Send the drawing. We will tell you whether to build it as specified or propose the equivalent, and quote.
