French Doors in Australia: Six Questions to Ask Any Maker

Buying guide · 3 min read · Updated October 2026

Choosing a maker for French doors in Australia is less about a ranking and more about six questions you can put to any of them. The answers decide whether the doors suit your block, your climate and your budget.

Six questions to ask a French door manufacturer in Australia: WERS rating, door leaf size, material and finish, thermal break, bushfire rating and warranty — Take these to every showroom. Based on: Stegbar’s energy efficiency page, WA Building and Energy and Doors Plus.

This page does not rank makers or recommend one. It shows what a few Australian manufacturers say about themselves, then gives you the questions that sort good quotes from vague ones.

Table of Contents

What some Australian makers say about themselves

Sources: the companies’ own websites, read in October 2026: Stegbar, Hume Doors & Timber, Trend Windows & Doors. These are the companies’ claims, not independent checks.
Maker	What its site says
Stegbar	Over 80 years of experience. Lists hinged door ranges including Alumiere, Residential, Timberaul and Siteline hinged doors, plus bi-fold and sliding and stacking doors.
Hume Doors & Timber	For over 70 years, 100% Australian owned and manufacturing doors in Australia. Lists timber and aluminium ranges, including an Elite Aluminium range.
Trend Windows & Doors	Founded in 1968, starting with timber windows and doors and later adding aluminium. Publishes a guide to thermally broken windows and doors.

None of these pages gave a French-door-specific rating or warranty we could check, so confirm every detail for the exact door you are quoted.

Ask for the WERS rating

The Window Energy Rating Scheme, WERS, rates the annual energy impact of windows and doors on a ten-star scale, much as appliances are rated. A low rating means poor energy performance and a high rating means outstanding thermal performance (Stegbar, a manufacturer).

WERS explained: an Australian rating of the annual energy impact of windows and doors on a ten-star scale, where more stars means better thermal performance — Compare doors of the same type, size and glass. Source: Stegbar.

Ask about size and material

Standard French door sizes are 620 mm to 870 mm wide per leaf inside and 720 mm to 920 mm outside, and they vary by maker (Doors Plus). For an odd opening, ask whether the maker can build to measure, and what that does to the price and the wait.

Timber, aluminium or a mix? An aluminium frame is stronger and slimmer, but it conducts heat, so ask whether it has a thermal break. Our guide to French doors in Perth covers sizes, measuring and glass in more detail.

Ask about your bushfire rating

If the block is in a bushfire-prone area, the construction rules depend on your Bushfire Attack Level. Western Australia’s retrofit advice for homes up to BAL 29 says external side-hung doors should be non-combustible or solid timber at least 35 mm thick. It adds that glass should be toughened where metal screens or bushfire shutters are not fitted (WA Building and Energy).

A mostly glazed French door is a different construction from a solid timber door, so ask the maker which BAL the exact door is tested for, and confirm with your building surveyor.

Our take · Octopus Doors

Get three written quotes that list the same things: door size, frame material, glass type, WERS rating, hardware, installation and warranty terms. A quote that cannot name the glass or the rating is not ready to compare.