Stick curtain walling
Stick curtain walling is built piece by piece on site. Vertical aluminium mullions are fixed to the slab edges with brackets, horizontal transoms are clipped between them, and the glass units and spandrel panels go in last, held by pressure plates and finished with snap-on caps.
It is the most common way to glaze a commercial facade in the UK, because it needs no factory production line, copes with awkward geometry and suits jobs from a single entrance screen to several storeys.
Guide price: £450 to £525 per m²
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Where stick systems make sense
- Low and mid-rise buildings, up to around six storeys, where scaffolding or a mast climber gives safe access to the outside face.
- Entrance screens, stair cores, atriums and ground-floor shopfront runs.
- Refurbishments, where old glazing is cut out and the new frame must be measured to an existing structure.
- Facades with steps, corners and one-off bays that would mean many different unitised panel types.
- Projects where the programme allows the frame and glass to be fitted in sequence on site.
- Schools, health buildings and offices with a modest budget and a standard proprietary system.
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What stick curtain walling costs
| Item | Typical figure, ex VAT |
|---|---|
| Stick curtain walling, flat, powder coated Proprietary system, glass units with pressure plates and caps, supply and install | £450 to £525 per m² |
| Solar control coating instead of plain low-e Extra over the base rate | £65 to £75 per m² |
| Laminated inner pane (heat strengthened) Extra over, for safety and security | £65 to £75 per m² |
| Flush glass face, no external caps (stick) Extra over, structurally bonded outer face | £75 to £85 per m² |
| Ceramic frit printed on the glass Extra over, for shading or spandrel zones | £75 to £85 per m² |
| Link corridor curtain walling replaced in two places Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, June 2022, awarded value | £51,067 |
Where these figures come from
Per m² rates are for a proprietary aluminium system on a flat elevation, supply and install, excluding VAT, from the RIBA Journal cost guide by Gleeds (March 2025). They do not include scaffolding or access, preliminaries, design fees or testing. Public contract figures are the awarded value on each Contracts Finder notice and cover the whole package described.
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How a stick system is put together
Most proprietary stick systems share the same anatomy. Knowing the parts makes quotes, drawings and snagging lists far easier to read.
Mullions, transoms and brackets
Mullions usually span one storey and are joined at each floor with a spigot that lets the frame move with the building. Brackets fixed to the slab edge carry the weight of the wall and the wind load, and allow adjustment in three directions so the frame can be set true even when the concrete is not.
Transoms sit between the mullions at sill, head and any intermediate line. Their spacing is set by the glass sizes the architect wants and by the largest pane the glazing team can safely lift.
How it keeps water out
Stick systems drain and ventilate each pane on its own. Water that passes the outer gasket runs into the transom, down through the mullion or out through drainage slots, and is kept away from the inside by a continuous inner seal. This is why the order the gaskets go in, and the sealing of every joint between transom and mullion, matters so much on site.
Typical performance figures to ask for
Ask each tenderer for the whole wall U-value (frame, glass and spandrel together, not just the centre of the glass), the tested air and water classes, and the wind load the system is designed for. For buildings other than dwellings in England, the limiting U-value for new or replacement curtain walling in the 2021 edition of Approved Document L, Volume 2 is 1.6 W/m²K; a building's energy calculation normally needs better than that.
| What to compare | What a good tender states |
|---|---|
| Whole wall U-value | Calculated for this elevation, in W/m²K |
| Air and water | Classes achieved in a laboratory test of the system |
| Wind load | Design pressure for this site and height |
| Glass | Make-up of each unit, coatings, laminated layers, toughening |
| Finish | Powder coat or anodised, colour and thickness |
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How a stick package gets done
Survey and design
Slab edges are surveyed, then the specialist produces fabrication drawings and calculations for the system chosen.
Brackets and frame
Brackets are fixed and set out to grid, mullions hung, transoms fitted, and the joints sealed.
Glazing and panels
Glass units and insulated spandrel panels are set on blocks, gaskets and pressure plates fitted, caps clipped on.
Test and hand over
Critical joints are hose tested, defects put right, and maintenance and warranty documents handed over.
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Questions people ask
What is stick curtain walling?
A curtain wall assembled on site from separate parts: vertical mullions, horizontal transoms, glass units and panels. It hangs off the floor slabs and carries only its own weight and the wind, not the building.
How much does stick curtain walling cost per m²?
A typical proprietary aluminium stick system costs £450 to £525 per m² supplied and fitted on a flat elevation, before VAT, access and design. Solar control coatings, laminated glass or a flush face add roughly £65 to £100 per m² each. Try the curtain walling cost calculator.
What is the difference between stick and unitised curtain walling?
Stick systems are built up on site; unitised panels are made and glazed in a factory and lifted into place. Unitised costs more per m², around £1,400 to £1,600 per m², but needs less work from scaffolding and goes up faster on tall buildings. See unitised curtain walling.
How tall can a stick system go?
There is no fixed limit, but above five or six storeys the cost and safety of working from the outside face push most projects towards unitised panels. Many mid-rise jobs use stick systems on the lower floors and entrances.
Can stick curtain walling be repaired one pane at a time?
Usually, yes. A failed glass unit can be taken out by removing the cap and pressure plate on that pane, without disturbing its neighbours. That is one of its practical advantages over some bonded systems.
Does stick curtain walling need CWCT testing?
The system should have been tested in a laboratory to the CWCT standard or BS EN 13830, and many clients and warranty providers also ask for on-site hose testing of a sample of joints once it is installed. See CWCT testing.
Find a stick curtain walling specialist
Location first, then the package, then your contact details. Each step is short.
We are an introduction service, not a curtain walling contractor. We look for one that covers the project and name them to you first; nothing is passed on until you agree.
Thanks, we have your enquiry.
- We look for a curtain walling contractor that covers the project and handles this kind of package.
- When we find one, we email or call to tell you who they are. Your details reach that firm only if you say yes.
- They review the drawings or the building and price the work. No marketing from us.