Most burglar bars sold in South Africa are off-the-shelf systems built to standard window sizes. That works until your opening is not standard — an arched window, an odd width, a frame that has settled, or a design you actually want to look at.
We fabricate burglar bars and security gates to measure in mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium, then fit them at your property in Cape Town. Made for the opening rather than trimmed to fit it.
Fixed burglar bars. Welded steel or aluminium bars fitted to window openings, in plain vertical, diamond or custom patterns.
Removable and hinged bars. Where a window is also a fire escape route, bars can be built to open from the inside rather than sealing the opening permanently.
Security gates. Swing and sliding gates for doorways, passages and driveways, built to the opening and hung on proper frames.
Spanish bars and decorative work. Where the brief is security that does not look like a cage.
Repairs and modifications. Re-securing loose bars, adding bracing, and altering existing installations rather than replacing them.
There are two different products in this market and it is worth being clear about which one you are buying.
Branded modular systems — the retractable and clear polycarbonate ranges — are manufactured products installed by licensed dealers. They suit standard openings, come with a product warranty, and are priced accordingly.
Custom fabrication — what we do — means the bars or gate are made for your specific opening in our workshop. That matters for non-standard sizes, heritage properties, unusual shapes, matching existing steelwork, or where you want a particular design rather than a catalogue option.
We do not supply or install branded proprietary systems. If a standard modular product fits your opening and suits you, that is often the simpler route and we will say so.
Mild steel is the standard choice — strongest for the money and easy to fabricate into any pattern. It needs galvanising or powder coating to survive, and near the sea that coating is what eventually fails. See mild steel fabrication.
Aluminium will not rust, which makes it the sensible pick close to the coast, and it is lighter on hinged or removable bars. It is softer than steel, so section sizes need to account for that. See aluminium welding.
Stainless steel costs the most and needs no coating at all, and it takes a finish that suits more visible installations. See stainless steel welding.
On coastal properties the material decision matters more than the design one. Our guide to maintaining steel and aluminium in a coastal climate covers what actually happens over time.
Burglar bars secure a window opening permanently and are the cheaper option per opening. A security gate secures a doorway while still allowing it to be used, which is why gates go on entrances and bars go on windows.
Many homes end up with both — bars on the windows, a gate on the door. Our comparison of security gates vs burglar bars works through which suits which opening, and how to choose a security gate covers gate types in more detail.
This is the part people regret getting wrong. Permanently sealing every window means there is no way out if the door is blocked. At least one bedroom window on each level should have bars that open from the inside, or a gate with an interior release.
It costs slightly more and it is worth it. We will raise it when quoting rather than leaving it to you to think of.
Bars and gates are quoted per opening, driven by size, material, pattern complexity and whether the unit is fixed or opening. Fixed bars in mild steel sit at the affordable end; a hinged stainless gate is at the other.
Photos of each opening with rough measurements are enough for an initial quote. Fitting happens on site — see on-site welding. For how our pricing works generally, see the welding cost guide.
Fixed bars on every window can trap people inside during a fire. The standard approach is to make at least one window per bedroom openable from the inside, using hinged or removable bars with an interior release, so the opening still works as an escape route.
Yes, but they should be anchored into the surrounding masonry rather than into the aluminium frame itself. Aluminium frames are not structural and fixings into them can be levered out, which defeats the purpose.
Per opening, custom fabrication usually costs more than a mass-produced standard size, because the unit is made specifically for that opening. Where openings are non-standard, custom is often the only option that fits properly without gaps.
