Burglar bars: the complete guide

Updated October 2026 by Noah Heymans, Fabrication Supervisor & Draftsman.

Most windows take fixture-fitted burglar bars: Econo Fixture or DuPlus Fixture with a 5-year manufacturing warranty, or Deluxe Fixture or Alu-Deluxe Fixture with 10 years. Choose welded bars when the pattern matters, aluminium within 500 metres of the sea, and Robo Clear when you want to keep the light. Burglar bars start from R1,000 a window, and the site visit and quote are free. This guide sums up our burglar bar guides and links to each one.

The types of burglar bars

• Fixture-fitted bars: channels and uprights in a standard system, fitted inside the window reveal on all four sides. Econo Fixture, DuPlus Fixture, Deluxe Fixture and Alu-Deluxe Fixture.
• Econo Burglar Bars: plain fixed steel bars at our lowest price.
• Welded bars: one-piece patterns made to the window. Cottage Pane follows the panes of a divided window, Spanish carries scrollwork, and Custom Welded takes your own pattern.
• Robo Clear Burglar Bars: solid transparent polycarbonate, about 200 times tougher than glass (product specification), letting through about 92% of the light. Cut to any size needed.

Welded or fixture-fitted compares the two steel families, and how clear burglar bars work covers polycarbonate. Every range is on the burglar bars page.

Choosing by window

• A standard steel, aluminium or timber frame, and you want a named warranty: fixture-fitted bars.
• Cottage windows, heritage homes or existing ornamental steel: welded bars.
• Within 500 metres of the sea: Alu-Deluxe Fixture, which does not rust. See when aluminium burglar bars make sense.
• You want the view and the light: Robo Clear.
• The window must open, or it is an escape route: a trellis door or a louvre security shutter instead.

Fixed bars do not open, so plan an escape route before they go across bedroom windows. The frame decides the fixing: aluminium window frames are their own fixing condition, and the quotation names the method. In a complex, read sectional title burglar bars and trustee approval first.

Prices

From R1,000 is the entry point for a standard window in Econo Burglar Bars or Econo Fixture, inland, powder coated. Six things move it from there: the product line, the window size, the frame you fix to, the material, the design and whether we install. Robo Clear is quoted to your windows. As an example, a Gauteng job in September 2026, a Deluxe Trellis Door on the front door and Econo Burglar Bars on two windows, came to about R19,000 including VAT after the 7% upfront discount. That is one job's total, not a rate.

Every quotation is itemised window by window, so a house can be done in phases. Burglar bar prices in South Africa explains each cost driver, and payment options has the deposit, upfront and finance terms.

Warranties by product line

Deluxe Fixture is the only window product with the Break-In Repair Guarantee. It needs a police case number, a written claim within 30 days, and fitting by Robo Door or an authorised installer. The warranty page has the paint and rust tables, and the Robo Door warranty explained walks through them. If you are insuring the house, read seven reasons insurance claims are refused.

Finishes and the coast

Inland, steel that is sandblasted, primed and powder coated is a sound choice for a sheltered window. At the coast, aluminium is the default and hot-dip galvanised steel the alternative. Sprinkler overspray makes a window fully exposed, whatever the suburb. Standard colours are bronze, charcoal, white and sand; any other colour adds about a week. Robo Clear suits inside and outside windows in all climate conditions. See coastal security and powder coat colours that age well.

Wash the bars with mild soapy water twice a year and touch up chips within 30 days. Never use ammonia cleaners on Robo Clear. The maintenance guide has the full routine.

Installation or supply-only

In Gauteng our own team measures and fits; elsewhere in South Africa the Robo Door location for your town does, and in Zambia our Lusaka team. In other markets the Robo Door distributor fits, or we supply for your own fitter. The Seychelles and DR Congo are supply-only. Fixture, welded and Robo Clear bars are realistic weekend jobs if you fit them yourself. Robo Clear comes as a kit with one-way screws or rivets, plus caps and washers in bronze, white, grey or black. Fit them yourself and you lose the Break-In Repair Guarantee on Deluxe Fixture.

Burglar bars take 5 to 7 working days to make, and DuPlus 10 to 14. Add a week for hot-dip galvanising or a non-standard colour. Read the DIY installation guide, installation or supply-only and how we measure and fit.

Next step

Count your windows and mark the ones that are escape routes, and the consultant can quote every window in one visit. Request a free quote, WhatsApp +27 82 888 1919 or call 082 888 1919. In Zambia, WhatsApp +260 97 543 2222.