How long do imported aluminum windows take to arrive in the US?
A standard configuration is completed in 18 days in the factory. Ocean freight then adds about 35 days to the US West Coast or about 45 days to the East Coast, so plan on roughly eight to nine weeks from factory start to port. Special configurations take three to five weeks in production instead of 18 days.
The 18-day figure is production time, not delivery time
This is the number most often quoted back to us incorrectly, so it is worth stating flatly: 18 days is time in the factory for a standard configuration — a unit built to a documented size and glazing build-up on a stock platform, with a standard finish and standard hardware. It contains no shipping at all.
A schedule built on 18 days alone will be wrong by more than a month. The freight leg is the larger half of the calendar.
The whole sequence, stage by stage
Add the stages that apply to your scope. Standard and special configurations are alternatives, not consecutive steps.
| Stage | Duration | Includes freight? |
|---|---|---|
| Standard configuration, in the factory | 18 days | No |
| Special configuration, in production | 3–5 weeks | No |
| Ocean freight to the US West Coast | about 35 days | — |
| Ocean freight to the US East Coast | about 45 days | — |
The two published stages added together and nothing else: standard to the West Coast ≈ 53 days; standard to the East Coast ≈ 63 days. Shop-drawing approval, customs clearance, drayage and delivery to site sit outside that and are quoted separately.
What sits outside the figures
Shop-drawing approval is a round trip with you, and its length depends on how quickly drawings come back rather than on anything the factory controls. Customs clearance, drayage and delivery to site are quoted separately.
Made-to-drawing entry doors are drawn and built to your own drawings; the standard-configuration figure does not apply to them and we do not publish it on their pages. Oversized units, structurally glazed assemblies and anything needing a jurisdiction-specific approval package take longer, and we say so before you commit.
Every figure on this page is a planning figure. The schedule that binds is the one confirmed in writing at order, against your approved drawings and the sailing available at that time. If your programme has a fixed date, tell us early.
Source: Production and freight durations as resolved with the client and published on /shipping.
Other questions
- What U-factor do I need for my climate zone?
- What is a thermal break, and does it matter?
- Tilt and turn or casement: which should I specify for a US project?
- What does NFRC certification actually tell me?
- Can imported windows meet Florida HVHZ requirements?
- What documentation should a window supplier give me?
- Can a large window opening ship as one assembly?
Still the wrong question for your project?
Send us the opening schedule →