63% of PVC-U windows ‘smooth white’

Analysis of over 375,000 PVC-U casements quoted by installers on Tommy Trinder’s platform in 2023 underlines the importance of colour; only 63% of PVC-U casements quoted in the year were white.

Grey, in many shades, continued to dominate in 2023; the preferred finish for one in five casements with anthracite (10%) and agate (5%) still topping the charts. But overall, the Tommy Trinder data paints a picture of a highly fragmented colour pallet with installers presenting a dizzying array of choices to homeowners.

“Long gone are the days when windows were white and handles were gold,” says Tommy Trinder’s CEO, Chris Brunsdon. “A mind-blowing 2,104 different colour combinations were quoted on PVC-U casements during the year.”

Traditional woodgrains continued their decline with only rosewood (4%) seeing significant volumes. mahogany, an old favourite, was notable by its absence. Oak was trending upwards during the year lead by ‘golden’ (2%) and Irish and with others coming onto the radar such as amaranth, English, natural, coriander and cinnamon.

“Such vast choice is wonderful for the homeowner, but it does mean great complexity for the installers,” said Chris. “Tommy Trinder subscribers tell us that being able to touch and show clients exactly how a window will look in a variety of colourways has become a vital part of their sales process.

“Modelling a window on the house in full photo-realistic quality, then backing that up with full colour, photo-realistic inside and outside views of the product on quotes and contracts not only wows customers, it also removes any room for error.”

The Tommy Trinder survey also highlighted the growing popularity of flush casements; In 2023 around a quarter of PVC-U windows quoted by installers on Tommy had flush sashes. Smooth white was even less popular as a finish on PVC-U flush casements, accounting for just 33% of all windows quoted.

Chris said: “Use of the app is growing rapidly. We have 500 window firms using the app so it’s a solid representation of the market. However, it’s likely that our typical subscriber’s product mix is somewhat skewed towards the top end. Upselling occurs naturally when it’s quick and easy to show off premium features, such as foils, dual colours, dummy vents, mechanical joints, flush casements, surface mounted bars etc. It stands to reason that Tommy Trinder users will sell more of these value-added products.”