PGT WinGuard windows are where the modern impact window category started, and three decades later the line is still the one most Florida homeowners name first. We install WinGuard across South Florida, which means we see how it quotes, how it goes into openings, and how it performs across both of its frame families.
This review goes a level deeper than our brand-wide PGT review: every model in the WinGuard Aluminum
PGT
WinGuard Aluminum Series
PGT's flagship aluminum impact platform since 1998, with one of the deepest Miami-Dade NOA libraries in the industry. Single hung through sliding doors on one HVHZ-certified frame system.
HVHZ-approved across the series 10 models in the series
Explore the WinGuard Aluminum Series
and WinGuard Vinyl
PGT
WinGuard Vinyl Series
The best-selling impact vinyl line in the U.S., built on a 3-1/2 inch welded vinyl frame with Diamond Glass laminated glazing. Nine operation styles mull cleanly into all-vinyl elevations.
HVHZ-approved across the series 12 models in the series
Explore the WinGuard Vinyl Series
lines, installed price ranges by style, glass and finish options, warranty terms, and a practical guide to choosing the frame that fits your project. If you searched "WinGuard" rather than "PGT," this is the page for you.
Where WinGuard Came From
WinGuard exists because of Hurricane Andrew. After the 1994 South Florida Building Code created the impact-resistance standard, PGT
PGT
PGT Custom Windows & Doors
America's largest impact window and door manufacturer, with 45 years of Florida-specific engineering.
Miami-Dade NOA / HVHZ approved 56 models across 7 product lines
Explore PGT
, a Venice, Florida manufacturer that had been building windows since 1980, launched WinGuard in 1996, described at the time as the first complete collection of impact-resistant windows and doors from a single manufacturer.
Being first mattered. The line grew with the code itself, and PGT today bills WinGuard as "America's best-selling brand of impact resistant windows and doors." For a Florida homeowner, that market position has a practical payoff: a deep dealer network across the state, ready parts availability, decades of installed track record, and approval paperwork that every building department has seen a thousand times.
WinGuard today is two parallel product families that share the same job and split the frame question:
| WinGuard Aluminum | WinGuard Vinyl | |
|---|---|---|
| Series | 7700/740-series | 5500-series |
| Frame | Extruded aluminum | Multi-chamber welded vinyl |
| Signature strengths | Highest design pressures, largest panels, slimmest profiles | Built-in thermal insulation, quiet interiors, price per opening |
| Finishes | White, Bronze, Black, Clear Anodize | White and standard vinyl palette |
| Impact rating | Large missile, HVHZ approved | Large missile, HVHZ approved |
| Sales channel | PGT Authorized Dealers | PGT Authorized Dealers |
Both lines carry Florida Product Approvals and Miami-Dade listings, both use laminated impact glass over heat-strengthened lites, and both run the same EnergyShield glass packages. The choice between them is about fit, which we cover below.
WinGuard Aluminum: The Flagship Line
WinGuard Aluminum is the strength side of the family: the line PGT points at high-design-pressure coastal work, oversized openings, and projects where slim metal sightlines are part of the look. Ten models cover every major operation style.
| Model | Style | Installed range* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SH7700A | Single hung | $1,000-$2,000 | Tandem stainless-steel rollers, vent latch, optional bottom lock with lock/unlock indicator |
| HR7710A | Horizontal roller | $900-$2,200 | 2-lite (XO/OX) or 3-lite (XOX); optional ASTM F2090-certified vent latch |
| PW7720A | Picture window | $1,200-$2,400 | Fixed lite for accents and mulled groups |
| AR7720A | Architectural shapes | $1,500-$5,000 | Arches, eyebrows, and custom shapes on the 7720 platform |
| CA740A | Casement | $1,400-$3,000 | Multi-point locking, nesting handle that clears window treatments |
| AW740A | Awning | $1,100-$2,500 | Ventilation during light rain; pairs with the 740 family |
| PW740A | Casement picture | $1,200-$2,400 | Fixed companion matched to CA740A/AW740A sightlines |
| SGD770A | Sliding glass door | from $2,200 | Panels to 5x8 ft at DP +90/-110; multi-panel configurations scale well beyond |
| SGD770NS | Sliding glass door | from $2,200 | Narrow-stile variant of the 770 platform |
| FD160A | French door | $3,500-$10,000 | Full impact French door on the Estate platform |
*Installed ranges are our retail figures for typical residential sizes; large multi-panel door configurations price by opening.
The engineering story here is design pressure and size. Standard WinGuard Aluminum products carry DP ratings in the +/-50 to +/-70 PSF range, the sliding glass door reaches +90/-110 at full 5-by-8-foot panels, and the platform extends past DP 100 for high-rise work. When a project calls for floor-to-ceiling glass, walls of sliders, or wind loads at the top of the residential range, this is the line we spec.
It is also the style line. WinGuard Aluminum is the family with black and clear-anodize finishes alongside white and bronze, and aluminum's strength lets frames stay slim, so glass dominates the opening. The 740 family (casement, awning, and matching picture) mulls together with continuous sightlines for the modern, thin-frame look that drives so much South Florida design right now.
WinGuard Vinyl: Impact Protection With Built-In Insulation
WinGuard Vinyl, the 5500-series, takes the same mission and adds what vinyl does naturally: insulation. The multi-chamber frame is welded at every corner, reinforced with SecureConnect corner keys, and extruded at a full 3-1/2 inch depth, so the frame itself becomes a thermal barrier. Vinyl conducts a small fraction of the heat that metal does, which shows up as cooler interior glass, a quieter wall, and lighter work for your air conditioner. The certificate data backs it with a number: vinyl-framed products average a 0.35 U-factor across the 10,771 NFRC-certified products we have indexed (our analysis, August 2026), insulation territory metal frames are simply not built to chase, which is exactly why the WinGuard family offers both.
The line is complete: every operation style has a WinGuard Vinyl model, including a double hung that is unique to the vinyl side.
| Model | Style | Installed range* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SH5500 | Single hung | $1,000-$2,000 | DP +65/-70; integrated aluminum interlock; removable sash for cleaning |
| DH5560 | Double hung | $1,000-$2,000 | Both sashes operate; the only double hung in the WinGuard family |
| HR5510 | Horizontal roller | $900-$2,200 | ComfortLift handles, constant-force balances |
| PW5520 | Picture window | $1,200-$2,400 | The line's most-photographed model; pairs with every style |
| PW5540 | Casement picture | $1,200-$2,400 | DP +100/-100 on the heavier casement-matched extrusion |
| CA5540 | Casement | $1,400-$3,000 | TrueHold hinges, multi-point locks |
| AW5540 | Awning | $1,100-$2,500 | Vent in light rain; matches CA5540 profiles |
| AR5520 / AR5540 | Architectural shapes | $1,500-$5,000 | Custom shapes on both platforms |
| SGD5570 / SGD5570NS | Sliding glass door | from $2,200 | Panels to 5x10 ft; standard and narrow-stile |
| FD5555 | French door | $3,500-$10,000 | Vinyl impact French door |
*Same basis as the aluminum table: our installed retail for typical residential sizes.
Approvals are one of this line's quiet strengths. WinGuard Vinyl products are filed inside the same Florida Product Approval family as PGT's non-impact vinyl (FL #239 for single hungs, #242 horizontal rollers, #243 picture windows, #245 casements, #251 sliding glass doors, among others), with dedicated HVHZ listings (FL #29698-29704 and #33106) and Miami-Dade NOAs behind the impact sub-products. For a homeowner, that means the paperwork side of a Miami-Dade or Broward permit is a well-worn path; our guide to Miami-Dade's HVHZ requirements explains what those listings certify.
Glass, Colors, and Options
Both WinGuard lines draw from the same glass system. The laminated impact package is built on heat-strengthened lites, with interlayer options that run from standard PVB up to SentryGlas ionoplast for the most demanding applications. Low-E comes in three packages, EnergyShield, EnergyShield Max, and Solar Control Low-E2, and the tint card offers seven tints plus three obscure glass patterns for baths and entries.
Color is a real decision point, and a fun one. Aluminum brings the four-finish palette (white, bronze, black, clear anodize); vinyl brings the classic bright-white frame that matches most Florida interiors. If you want to see the options on your own home before deciding, our Window and Door Designer and Visualizer renders frame finishes and grid patterns on a photo of your house.
The Low-E packages deserve a sentence of explanation, because they do real work in Florida. A Low-E coating is a microscopically thin metallic layer on the glass that lets visible light through while reflecting infrared heat back outside. EnergyShield is the standard package, EnergyShield Max strengthens the solar rejection for west-facing exposures, and Solar Control Low-E2 adds a second coated surface for the hottest applications. Paired with laminated glass and, on the vinyl line, an insulating frame, the right package changes how a room feels at 4 pm in August. Our guide to impact windows and energy savings puts numbers on it.
Hardware follows the frame. The vinyl line's ComfortLift handles and constant-force balances make big sashes easy to operate; the aluminum line's tandem stainless rollers and multi-point casement locks are built for the largest openings. Both lines offer the ASTM F2090 vent latch option, the child-safety egress standard, on their opening styles.
What WinGuard Costs
Impact window pricing always comes down to size, glass package, and installation scope, but the ranges above give honest anchors: about $1,000 to $2,000 installed for a single hung, $900 to $2,200 for horizontal rollers, $1,400 to $3,000 for casements, $1,200 to $2,400 for picture windows, and $3,500 to $10,000 for French doors. Sliding glass doors start around $2,200 and scale with panel count; a full multi-panel wall is quoted by the opening.
Both lines sit in the same ranges for most styles, with the aluminum line commanding its premium at the large-opening end where its strength is doing the work. For a whole-home number in minutes, our impact windows cost calculator prices your opening list, and our financing page covers the payment side, including options with nothing down.
The WinGuard Warranty
WinGuard carries the strongest warranty package in PGT's residential lineup, and the details reward attention:
- Limited lifetime frame coverage for the original owner-occupant, on both aluminum and vinyl.
- Hardware, screens, and moving parts: 10 years on aluminum, limited lifetime on vinyl.
- Laminated impact glass: 10 years. Insulating glass: 100% coverage through year 25, then 50% of glass price.
- Residential Intruder Protection: for 10 years, PGT reimburses property loss from a burglary through a locked pane of its Missile Class D glass, up to your insurance deductible and capped at $1,000.
- Transfers: unlimited transfer count. File notice within 30 days of a home sale and the buyer inherits coverage for 10 years from original delivery, free.
That transfer term is worth underlining if you plan to sell: a WinGuard package becomes a documented, transferable asset at closing. We break down the full terms, including how claims work and what to keep on file, in our guide to impact window warranties, and registration lives at pgtwindows.com.
Choosing Between WinGuard Aluminum and WinGuard Vinyl
Both lines stop the same missile. The right pick comes from the project:
| Your project | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Oversized openings, walls of glass, sliders above 8 ft | Aluminum | Panels to 5x8 ft at DP +90/-110; the platform is built for big spans |
| Top-of-range wind loads (exposed coastal sites, upper floors) | Aluminum | Standard DPs to +/-70 and beyond +100 on the high-rise platform |
| Black, bronze, or anodized frame aesthetic | Aluminum | The four-finish palette and slimmest sightlines |
| Cooling costs and interior comfort as the priority | Vinyl | Multi-chamber frame insulates in a way metal frames are not designed to |
| Best price per opening on a whole-home retrofit | Vinyl | Same impact certification with more of the budget going to glass area |
| Double hung style | Vinyl | DH5560 is the family's double hung |
| Quietest interior | Vinyl | Laminated glass plus an insulating frame is the strongest sound stack |
On a typical South Florida retrofit, we quote vinyl as the default and move to aluminum when the design calls for it: oversized spans, a specific finish, or wind loads at the top of the chart. Plenty of projects mix the two, aluminum for the big slider wall, vinyl everywhere else, and the shared glass and approval system makes that mix clean.
An Installer's Take
Three things stand out after years of putting WinGuard into South Florida homes.
The paperwork is frictionless. Every model's Florida Product Approval and NOA is established, current, and familiar to every building department we pull permits in, verifiable directly in the Florida Product Approval database. Permits move.
The system is complete. One brand covers every opening in the house, windows, sliders, French doors, and architectural shapes, in matched finishes with matched glass. Whole-home projects come out looking like one decision, because they are.
And the ecosystem is deep. Dealer network, parts availability, spec sheets, CAD details for custom work: the advantage of choosing the best-selling line in the category is that everything around it is built out. When a homeowner asks us for the safe choice, WinGuard is a very easy answer.
For the wider context on PGT as a company, including its other lines and how the brand family fits together, see our PGT windows review. To see the products themselves, the WinGuard Aluminum and WinGuard Vinyl pages at PGT cover the manufacturer's side of the story.
Next Steps
- Count your openings and note any oversized spans or specialty shapes; that list decides more of your quote than anything else.
- Run your opening list through our impact windows cost calculator for a whole-home range in minutes.
- Preview finishes and grids on your own home with the Window and Door Designer and Visualizer, especially if you are weighing aluminum's black or anodize looks.
- Read the warranty guide so you know what to register and keep on file after installation.
- Request a free estimate and tell us which openings matter most to you; we will spec aluminum, vinyl, or the right mix for the project.
