Aluminum vs. Iron Doors: Which Holds Up Better in Southwest Florida
Both are beautiful. Both are hurricane rated. They age differently here, they are covered differently, and one of them has a requirement about your entryway that most homeowners never hear about until it is too late.
From a conversation between Bonnie Doughty, Owner and CEO; Scott Berger, Production Manager; Mia Aviles, Sales Manager; and Erica Vickers, VP of Operations. Fort Myers and Naples, Florida.
The short answer
Choose aluminum if your home is on the water or faces it, if your entryway has little or no overhang, if you want a wood grain look, if you need the highest design pressure rating, if the door gets opened a dozen times a day by kids, pets or anyone who would struggle with real weight, or if you need it finished in months rather than half a year.
Choose iron if you want an arched or rounded top, custom grill work, the ornate or Mediterranean look, the widest selection of decorative glass, a custom pull made as part of the door, or simply that substantial feel when you push it open.
If you want iron and you live on the water, upgrade to one of the stainless steel options with a Kynar finish. It costs more. It is the right call.
In This Article
What people come in asking
Most people walk in with one of two phrases. They want “an aluminum door,” or they want “a steel door,” which almost always means they want iron. And nearly everyone arrives with the same assumption: iron rusts, aluminum never does.
Neither half of that is quite right, and the correction matters more than the distinction.
First, on steel. A steel door, in the way the industry uses the term, is an entry level product. We do not sell them. They look a great deal like a fiberglass door, to the point that plenty of homeowners believe they own fiberglass when they actually own steel. They are inexpensive, and they almost always rust from the inside out, which becomes a maintenance problem for the life of the door. What people mean when they say “steel door” in our showroom is the ornamental iron look, and that is a different product entirely.
Second, on maintenance. Both materials need it. This is Florida. A fiberglass door needs touch up here. A wood door needs a great deal of it. Iron and aluminum both need regular cleaning, and both will eventually need refinishing. The honest difference is not whether you maintain it. It is how much grace the material gives you when you fall behind.
The other common starting point: a homeowner with an arched or otherwise non standard opening, often an older wood door, who has learned that nothing off a shelf fits. That is where both of these materials come in, because neither one is a stock product.
What each door actually is
Iron
“Iron” at Glass Design is a family of products rather than one thing. The wrought iron series is 12 gauge tubular iron. A thin line series uses the same 12 gauge material with much narrower rails and stiles for a more modern sightline. A flagship series is built from hot and cold rolled steel profiles. Both of those are also offered in 304 stainless steel and in 316 stainless, which is the marine grade. And there is now an architectural bronze series at the top of the range.
Construction on a typical unit: 6 inch stiles, 2 inches deep, double astragal, flush bolts in the inactive panel top and bottom, three hinges per panel, and a glass tolerance between 5/8 inch and 1 1/2 inches. The metal is galvanized, then finished with a multi step automotive style system and a clear coat. Kynar is available as an upgraded finish and comes standard on the marine grade stainless.
Bronze is worth its own note, because it behaves unlike anything else we sell. Architectural bronze is a copper alloy, and it is meant to change. It oxidizes from golden yellow toward copper red, then into classic browns and darker browns, and sometimes develops a green. The environment decides the pace. Where a hand touches it every day, the oils keep it bright, so the handle area stays bronze while the rest of the door deepens around it. People buy it specifically because it will not look the same in ten years.
Aluminum
Our aluminum doors use architectural grade aluminum extrusions. Stainless steel butt hinges, corrosion resistant multipoint locking, and a powder coated finish applied to AAMA 2604 or AAMA 2605 standards depending on the line and the grade selected. A liquid Kynar and a textured powder option are both available.
The practical consequence of the material is reach. Aluminum panels run large. One of our entrance lines goes to 96 by 144 inches, and a pivot panel to 78 by 120. Iron is not small either, with singles up to 40 inches wide and 144 inches tall as an outswing, and multi panel configurations up to 152 by 186 inches. But aluminum gets you a single enormous panel more easily.
Both are hurricane rated, at different levels
Both go through the same Florida Product Approval testing, including HVHZ protocols, and both carry large and small missile impact ratings. The design pressures differ:
Design pressure, as a reference point against the fiberglass door most people already know.
Door
Design pressure
In plain terms
Most fiberglass
Up to 50 PSF
Up to roughly 65 PSF with specific hardware, glass and an inner layer
Wrought iron series
Plus or minus 70 PSF
Already higher than most Southwest Florida locations require
Flagship steel series
Plus or minus 80 PSF
Also the rating on the 316 marine stainless
Aluminum entry systems
Up to plus or minus 100 PSF
The highest we offer
Where that matters: most inland homes never need anything close to 100 PSF. Where you start seeing requirements in the 65 PSF range and above is along the coastline and on the outlying islands. If your engineer or your plans call for a high number, aluminum may simply be the shorter path to it.
Salt air, sun and storms
How close to the water are you?
This is the question that decides most of this article. Whether a home is on the water or water facing changes the answer materially. Roughly a mile inland, the difference between the two materials starts to even out. Well inland, both are fine, though both still need upkeep.
Iron stands a worse chance if it is not cared for near the coast. When rust shows up on an iron door, it starts in predictable places: at the welds, at corners, and on flat surfaces where water can pool and sit. The bottom of the frame is the usual first casualty, and if the entry has ever flooded, salt gets everywhere and does not leave.
Aluminum holds up better in that environment, but it is not immune. It can corrode and pit, and when it does it reads as a chalky white deposit rather than the orange of rust. Near the coast we recommend a Kynar finish on aluminum for the same reason we recommend stainless on iron.
FROM THE FIELD
“It does happen after heavy storms, or when the wind changes, especially toward water facing exposures. Typically where it starts is where the welds are. Corners, flat surfaces where the water can puddle and set. And typically we will see it at the bottom of the frames.”
Scott Berger, Production Manager
Sun and heat
Surface temperature has more to do with the color you choose than the material. What does differ is that iron holds heat. It absorbs it through the day and stays warm after the sun has gone down, where aluminum sheds it faster. A thermal break is available on some iron systems, but that is primarily an answer to cold climates rather than to a Florida afternoon.
Storms
Both materials are overbuilt for what a storm asks of them. During Hurricane Ian, a client on Fort Myers Beach sent us video of their entry, a door roughly 12 feet tall, with something on the order of 5 to 6 feet of storm surge standing against it. The door did not budge and no water came through it. The water that got into the house came in through the garage.
We have not seen a meaningful difference between the two materials in a storm. Both are doing far more than the code requires of them.
The overhang requirement
This is the single most useful thing in this article, and it is the thing almost nobody is told before they buy.
Both materials carry overhang requirements in their warranties. Not one of them. Both. They are written differently, they are measured differently, and if your entryway does not meet them, your coverage is affected.
Overhang requirements vary by product line. Confirm the exact figure for the specific door you are buying.
Door
Overhang required
Worked example
Iron, typical
Half the distance from the bottom of the door to the base of the overhang
A 96 inch door needs the overhang to project 48 inches from the wall
Flagship steel series
Equal to the full door height
A 96 inch door needs 96 inches of projection
Aluminum, one line we carry
At least three quarters of that distance, and extending at least 3 feet past both sides of the opening
A 96 inch door needs roughly 72 inches of projection, plus the width
Pivot doors, either material
A one to one ratio
A 10 foot door needs a 10 foot overhang
Pivots are the strictest because of how they work. A pivot turns on a point at the top and bottom rather than hinging at the edge, which means there is no continuous seal in the way a conventional door has one. The overhang is what keeps water off it.
On the iron side, the language is blunt: failure to provide that protection voids the warranty in its entirety. Not the finish portion. All of it.
So what happens if your entry does not have the overhang? You have three honest options, and we will walk you through all three. You can build or extend the overhang. You can choose the product whose requirement your entry actually meets, which in a lot of cases means aluminum. Or you can proceed anyway and sign an acknowledgment that you understand the warranty implication. We have done all three. We will not do the third one quietly.
If your entry has no overhang and you still want warranty coverage, that is an aluminum door.
Scott Berger, Production Manager
Warranties, honestly
There is a widely repeated line in this industry that aluminum warranties are longer than iron warranties. It is sometimes true and sometimes not, and the gap between the two aluminum warranties we have in front of us is wider than the gap between aluminum and iron.
Iron, typically
- The door structure is covered for 5 years
- The factory applied finish is covered for 3 years
- The glass is covered for 1 year
- Handles and hardware are not covered
- Within 5 miles of any coastline, total coverage drops to 1 year, and salt spray damage is excluded
That coastal clause is exactly why we push the stainless and Kynar upgrade for waterfront homes. Worth being clear about something, though: upgrading the material does not extend the warranty. It does not buy you more years on paper. It buys you a door that is far less likely to need them.
Aluminum, which varies a great deal
One aluminum warranty we work with covers the frame and panel for as long as the original owner owns and lives in the home, with 10 years on hardware, 10 or 20 years on the finish depending on whether you took the standard or the superior grade, and 20 years on the sealed glass unit. It transfers to the next owner.
Another covers the frame for 10 years, hardware for 5, premium finish for 5, standard powder coat for 1 year, and anodized finishes for 1 year. It does not transfer. And it must be registered within 90 days of delivery, or coverage defaults to a single year.
Same material. Very different documents.
What every one of them excludes
Iron and aluminum warranties converge on the exclusions, and these are the ones that actually come up:
- Normal weathering, fading and oxidation over time
- Corrosion from salt, sand, pollutants and other corrosive conditions
- Damage from pressure washing or harsh chemicals
- Failure to perform routine maintenance
- Water intrusion from wind driven rain during extreme weather
- Lack of protection from the elements, meaning the overhang
One line worth noticing on the aluminum side: at least one warranty requires that operable panels be opened and closed monthly. A door you never use can be a door you have voided.
The three questions to ask any door company
Ask for the actual warranty document before you sign anything. Not a summary, not a salesperson’s recollection. The document. Then ask:
- How many years on the frame, the finish, the glass and the hardware, separately? They are almost never the same number.
- Does the coverage change based on how close the home is to the coast, and at what distance? The thresholds we deal with are 5 miles on one product and 3 miles on another.
- Does it transfer when I sell, and does it have to be registered? If registration is required, when is the deadline?
If a company will not hand you the document, that is your answer.
Cost and lead time
Here is what these doors actually cost. Price varies by series, and within each material the series have their own price points, so treat these as the range most projects land in rather than a quote.
$8,000 to $15,000
Most single iron doors, product only, plus installation
$15,000 to $28,000
Most double iron doors, product only, plus installation
Very similar
Aluminum lands in the same ranges as iron. Price is not the thing that should decide this
What moves the number: overall height, overall size, which series you choose, glass selection, a custom color, a stacked transom or sidelites, and hardware. Height is the biggest single lever. A 12 foot door is not a 8 foot door with more material in it, it is a different animal.
Lead times
- Iron: between 20 and 30 weeks
- Aluminum: around 6 to 10 weeks for most options
- Custom colors in either material can extend those figures
- Low E glass adds roughly 3 to 4 weeks on iron
That gap is wide enough to matter. Iron is a half year project. Aluminum is closer to two or three months. If you are working toward a date, a wedding, a holiday, having the house ready before season, that difference may make the decision for you before any of the design questions do.
The clock starts once your selections are final and the contract is signed, and it includes pulling the permit, which we handle for you. Time of year affects it too. If you want a new entry in place for season, work backward from the date you want it standing.
The lead time is what the lead time is. You cannot make it any faster. It is custom.
Scott Berger, Production Manager
How each one gets to your house
Iron doors are drop shipped. The crate comes directly from the manufacturer to your home, usually the day before installation, and sits somewhere safe and out of the way, often the driveway. It arrives weather tight and crated, and the carrier lays protective material down so it does not sit directly on your pavers. It surprises people, so we coordinate it tightly and it is rarely there more than 24 hours.
There is a reason for it. Every time a door of that size and weight is lifted, moved and transported, that is another opportunity for damage. Shipping it once, crated, in a single move, is the safest way to get it to you intact.
Aluminum goes one of two ways depending on the manufacturer. Some lines drop ship to your home the same way iron does. Others come to our shop first, and our crew brings the door out on the day of installation. We will tell you which one applies to your door when you order it, so nothing shows up in your driveway unannounced.
Either way, the day after installation we work with the county to schedule the inspection and close out the permit.
Design, glass and color
Where iron wins
Design range, and it is not close. Iron covers five design collections, traditional, fixed glass, Mediterranean, contemporary and classic, plus fully custom shapes and sizes. It runs from highly ornate to genuinely modern. Arched tops, rounded tops, elliptical tops. Intricate grill work, Mediterranean medallions, palm frond patterns.
The wrought iron series can be built with true divided lights, meaning individual panes of glass separated by the metal itself, rather than bars applied to a single sheet. Where a pattern is too fine to divide, simulated divided light bars are applied to the glass, which is also how the thin line iron series and the aluminum doors handle it.
Iron also offers something small and genuinely useful: on decorative grill designs, the glass can be set on a hinge so it swings in for cleaning. Behind a detailed grill, that is the difference between a window you can clean and one you cannot. We can also do the reverse, with an operable grill over fixed glass.
Glass options are broader on iron as well: clear, frosted, Low E, Solarban 72, rain, Aquatek, Watercubed, Flemish, and tints including blue, bronze and gray depending on the series. Glazing comes insulated, laminated or lami insulated.
And if you are doing a pull handle, iron pulls are fabricated as part of the door, which means they can be genuinely custom, including twisted and sculptural shapes, in lengths up to 72 inches depending on the design.
Where aluminum wins
Wood grain. Aluminum is available in wood grain finishes, usually three of them alongside roughly six painted colors, a clear anodized option, custom color matching and two tone. It is a convincing, high end look, and it is a real answer to a problem we see constantly: people love wood doors, and wood is a difficult material in this heat and humidity. Wood grain aluminum gets you the warmth without the maintenance.
Aluminum also does the minimal look better. Narrow frames, enormous single panels, very little metal between you and the glass. For a modern home, that restraint is the point.
On pattern, aluminum is more limited. You are choosing applied bars or a tinted glass rather than decorative grills, and hardware comes from a selection rather than being made for your door.
What both can do
This is where we are genuinely different from any other door company in the region: on either material, we can set one of our own decorative glass pieces behind the impact glass. An etching, a stained glass overlay, bubbles. It looks built in rather than added on, and it means an aluminum door does not have to be a plain door.
Both are also available as pivot doors, which we will come back to in a moment.
Color, and one thing to know about matching
Iron comes in four standard colors: black, slate, bronze and mocha. Both materials can be custom matched from a paint chip, and both can be done two tone. We did one recently with an off white interior and a bronze exterior that turned out beautifully, and a custom blue iron door up in Tampa.
The caveat on custom matching: expect a variance of about 10 percent in either direction, brighter or darker. Powder coating is a different medium than paint or stain, and the same color formula reads differently coming out of an oven than it does out of a can. We will match to the best of the manufacturer’s ability, and we will tell you up front that it will be close rather than identical. If an exact shade is a requirement, say so early.
Weight, feel and locking
Go operate both before you decide. We keep full displays in both showrooms specifically so you can.
An iron door is heavy, and that is both the appeal and the catch. Clients are consistently impressed by how solid one feels. It is the first thing they comment on. But above 8 feet, and certainly at 10 or 12 feet, you are sometimes putting your body weight into it to get it started. Once it is moving it is fine. If someone in the household will struggle with that, we need to know before we design the door, not after.
Aluminum is lighter and still feels like a serious door. The one honest trade off: the tubular material can sound slightly hollow compared to iron, a faint echo when it closes.
Compared to a fiberglass door, either one is a substantial upgrade in feel, operation and security.
Pivots change the weight question
A pivot door turns on a point set in from the edge, top and bottom, rather than on hinges at the side. That counterbalances the weight. An iron pivot that would otherwise be a two hand door opens with one finger. They float.
The constraint is space. The pivot point sits roughly 15 to 20 inches in from one side, and code requires a clear egress width of at least 34 inches, so you need an opening wider than a standard 36 inch door to make it work. Where pivots shine is a conversion: if you currently have a door with one or two sidelites, that combined opening is often exactly what a pivot needs.
Locking works differently
On iron doors, you get flush bolts, physical bolts at the top and bottom that throw directly into the frame on both panels. They do not need to be engaged day to day. You set them when a storm is coming.
On aluminum, you typically get a multipoint system, where lifting or turning the handle throws bolts into the top and bottom of the frame automatically. Nothing to remember, nothing to engage manually.
Energy and noise
Both come with impact glass, which cuts noise transmission considerably on its own. Beyond the glass, both have rigid frames and seal far more tightly than fiberglass. Fiberglass can bow, flex and delaminate over time, and that deflection is what lets in daylight, drafts, sound and insects. A metal frame does not move that way. Energy efficient glass is available in both, and a thermal break is available on some iron systems, though as noted that is largely a cold climate feature.
One thing to tell your alarm company
We will not drill through the metal frame to run wired alarm sensors. If your home has a wired system, call your alarm company before installation and ask for wireless sensors on that opening, so they are ready to go on the day we install. We raise this at the measure appointment, but it saves everyone a phone call if you know it going in.
Problems and trade offs
The weight is also an installation problem
These panels take four to six people to carry, depending on size. If there is a transom stacked above a tall door, we are bringing scaffolding or a lift. That is a bigger crew and a bigger day than a fiberglass install, which two people handle comfortably even at 8 feet.
There is no adjusting the frame
This is the real risk in these products, and it happens long before installation day. The frame is rigid. It cannot be modified. It has to go in square, level and plumb, and once it is set there is no adjustment. Which means the measurement has to be right the first time, to within an eighth of an inch, because we cannot change the opening and we cannot change the door.
We have removed iron and aluminum doors installed by other companies that were simply ordered to the wrong size, and never looked right or worked right from day one. Nothing downstream fixes a bad measurement.
FROM THE FIELD
“Once the frame is in, it is a super easy process. The doors hang beautifully. There is almost no tinkering with the door once it is in place. It goes very fast.”
Scott Berger, Production Manager, on what happens when the measurement is right
Nothing is in stock, and that is deliberate
We do not keep iron or aluminum doors in inventory the way some companies do. There is no standard size in these products. Every one is made to order for your specific opening. That is the reason for the lead time, and it is also the reason the finished door fits.
Not all iron doors are the same door
There is low quality iron and there is high quality iron, and from a photograph online they look remarkably similar. We have been called out to remove doors clients bought from online retailers and from out of state companies, and replace them.
Our iron is not fabricated in Florida, but the manufacturer is based in Florida, which means they build for this environment and they know what survives here and what does not. That is not a small distinction when the failure mode you are worried about is salt.
Not all iron doors or aluminum doors are created equal. It is important to go feel and touch what you are purchasing.
Mia Aviles, Sales Manager
Maintenance, and what happens if you skip it
Treat both doors the same way, and treat them like a car. Regular upkeep is easy. Catching up after you have fallen behind is hard, and some of it does not reverse.
- Wash with mild soap and water. The guidance on iron is roughly 16 parts water to 1 part of a gentle detergent, something mild enough for skin rather than a heavy grease cutter.
- Use a soft cloth, sponge or brush, and a hose on a gentle setting. Never a pressure washer. High pressure damages the finish and can break the seal around the glass.
- Work top to bottom, then dry with a clean low lint towel, paying attention to corners and joints where water collects.
- Rinse the door after a storm, and after the wind has been blowing onshore. Salt left sitting is what causes the damage, not salt in the air.
- Near the coast, inspect and clean monthly.
- Grease the hinges with a lithium or white grease once a year. Not WD-40, which attracts and binds contaminants to the moving parts.
- Clean glass out of direct sun so it does not dry before you can wipe it.
- If your aluminum door has operable panels, open and close them monthly. At least one warranty requires it.
Both can be refinished after installation, and both eventually will need it. The manufacturer’s own language on iron is that it is not a question of if, but when. How long you get before that day depends almost entirely on exposure and on how consistently the door gets cleaned.
HOA approval
Every association is different, and some are considerably stricter than others. Many communities already have both iron and aluminum doors installed, in which case either is usually straightforward. Check before you fall in love with a design.
Two real examples. We had a client whose community did not allow iron at all, because they wanted the street to read uniformly, and that client went with fiberglass instead. We had another where the association was specific about the exact shade of brown, and once we explained the 10 percent color variance inherent to powder coating, they chose not to proceed rather than risk it.
Neither of those is common, and we have rarely seen a community reject one of these doors outright. But both were avoidable surprises. We will provide the design documents you need to submit for approval. Get the approval first.
Who we steer where
This is the section that matters. Both doors are beautiful and both are a real upgrade. These are the circumstances that push us one way or the other.
How we actually make this call in the showroom.
If this is true of your project
We will point you toward
The home is on the water or directly water facing
Aluminum, or iron in 316 marine stainless with a Kynar finish
The entryway has little or no overhang
Aluminum, for the warranty
You want a wood look without wood
Aluminum, in a wood grain finish
You need a very high design pressure rating
Aluminum
The door is opened many times a day, or someone will struggle with weight
Aluminum, or an iron pivot
You are going oversized
Aluminum, or an iron pivot
You need it standing by a specific date
Aluminum, at roughly a third of the iron lead time
You want an arched or rounded top
Iron
You want custom grill work or an ornate design
Iron
You want the widest decorative glass selection
Iron
You want a custom pull made as part of the door
Iron
You want the most substantial feel we can build
Iron
If you live right on the water
Our honest recommendation is aluminum with a Kynar finish. If you want iron, and plenty of people do because nothing else looks quite like it, then upgrade to the stainless steel options with the Kynar finish. 316 is the marine grade, the one specified for boats, docks and waterfront rails, and it holds its finish where standard material will not.
It is more money. It is the right call, and it is cheaper than doing this twice.
Do it right and do it once.
Scott Berger, Production Manager
The thing we wish everyone knew
These are a larger investment than a fiberglass door, and they last decades rather than years. That is the trade. You are not paying more for the same thing. You are paying more for something that is still going to be there, and still look like something, long after the alternative would have been replaced.
And go touch one. Most of our clients already know roughly what look they are drawn to when they walk in. What they cannot know from a screen is how a 10 foot iron door feels to open, or how convincing a wood grain aluminum finish is in person. Fifteen minutes in a showroom settles questions that weeks of research will not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which lasts longer in Southwest Florida, aluminum or iron?
Will my iron door rust?
Do I really need an overhang?
How much does an iron or aluminum entry door cost?
How long is the wait?
Can I get aluminum that looks like wood?
Does an iron door get hotter in the sun?
Are both hurricane rated?
Will my HOA approve it?
What maintenance do these doors need?
What if I still cannot decide?
Come see it in person
Glass Design. Custom doors and designer glass in Southwest Florida since 1996. Fort Myers and Naples. Designed, built and installed by our own team.
Specifications, warranty terms and lead times reflect current manufacturer documentation and are subject to change. Pricing shown is a typical range for the product and excludes installation. Warranty coverage varies by product line and by proximity to the coast. Ask for the warranty document for the specific door you are considering.
