CWS series compared. Hurricane Guard vinyl vs aluminum, StormStrong and every line.

Start with the line and the wind zone.

Every CWS impact product belongs to one of three families, and two questions narrow the choice: vinyl or aluminum, and inside or outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), which covers Miami-Dade and Broward. Hurricane Guard vinyl has the widest range of styles and lower U-factors, with Florida Product Approvals. Hurricane Guard aluminum has fin or flange frames with Miami-Dade NOAs, plus small-missile versions for higher floors. StormStrong is a simpler vinyl line for Wind Zone 3 only. The table compares the three lines; the sections that follow go product type by product type.

Single-hung windows.

CWS makes three impact single-hungs. The Hurricane Guard SH-8100 is vinyl and approved for the HVHZ, with tall oriel units up to 52 x 96 in. and twin units with a continuous head and sill. Its strongest approval, FL18689, reaches +67.5/-100 psf at 52 x 72 in. and requires a tempered outer lite. The aluminum 7100 has slimmer frames, Miami-Dade NOAs for fin and flange frames, and large-missile ratings up to +80/-80 psf; its small-missile flange version reaches +90/-120 psf for higher floors. The StormStrong SH-6100 is rated +/-50 psf for Wind Zone 3 only. Its sash tilts in for cleaning; the SH-8100 sash does not. See our Impact Single-Hung Window page.

• SH-8100: vinyl, HVHZ approvals, and tall oriel or twin units.
• 7100: aluminum, Miami-Dade NOAs, and a small-missile version for higher floors.
• SH-6100: a tilt-in vinyl sash for Wind Zone 3 homes only.

Horizontal sliding windows.

Two CWS sliders cover wide, short openings. The vinyl HS-8200 comes in two-lite or three-lite (XOX) layouts, up to 74 x 63 in. as an XO/OX and 111 x 63 in. as an XOX. Its HVHZ approval, FL16736, rates it +/-60 psf; the Wind Zone 3 version, FL16735, is +/-50 psf. The aluminum 7200 runs from 23 x 23 in. to 111 x 74 in. on the 2025 spec sheet, with NOAs for flange and fin frames at +80/-80 psf and +60/-60 psf, and a small-missile flange version at +90/-120 psf. The HS-8200 insulates better, with U-factors of 0.30 to 0.50 against 0.60 to 1.11. StormStrong has no slider. See our Impact Sliding Window page.

Picture, fixed and shaped windows.

Fixed windows come in all three families. The vinyl PW-8150 and PW-8300 are approved for the HVHZ under FL13010, up to +/-70 psf; the PW-8300 reaches 120 x 48 in. at that rating, and catalog special shapes go up to 96 x 120 in. The aluminum 7300 is the largest CWS aluminum impact window, from 11 x 11 in. to 120 x 120 in. on the spec sheet, with large-missile NOAs at +78/-78 psf (flange) and +66/-66 psf (fin) and a small-missile version at +90/-120 psf. The StormStrong PW-6150 is the Wind Zone 3 companion to the SH-6100, including arch and circle shapes, at +/-50 psf; we confirm its sizes against the current Florida drawing CWS-1073B. See our Impact Picture Window page.

Casement and awning windows.

Casements come in vinyl and aluminum; the awning comes in vinyl only. The CA-8400 is a vinyl casement with a fold-away crank and stainless hinges, up to 37 x 72 in. under FL6890, or 37 x 80 in., flange only with tempered glass, under FL17388. The aluminum 7400 is an outswing casement in X, XO, OX and XX layouts, rated +70/-82 psf under its Miami-Dade NOAs and FL46531. The AW-8450 is the only CWS impact awning, up to 48 x 36 in. at +/-67.5 psf. The vinyl units insulate better. Above 30 ft in the HVHZ, the vinyl casement and awning need a tempered outer lite. See our Impact Casement Window page and our Impact Awning Window page.

Sliding glass doors.

For a standard patio opening, compare the vinyl SGD-8900 with the aluminum 7900. The SGD-8900 runs on two tracks with up to four 4 x 8 ft panels (OX, XO, OXO or OXXO), rated +/-60 psf in the HVHZ under FL11103. The 7900 is steel-reinforced, with up to four panels on 2 or 3 tracks and left, right or double pockets. Sheet 2 of its NOA, 25-1201.04, shows up to +76.7/-95 psf for 2-panel doors with the 3 in. sill riser; the 3- and 4-panel charts are on sheet 5. Its glass is 7/16 in. heat-strengthened laminated with SentryGlas, PVB or Saflex interlayers. The 7900 is the only CWS sliding door with a Miami-Dade NOA. See our Impact Sliding Glass Door page.

• SGD-8900: the vinyl choice for a typical patio opening.
• 7900: the aluminum choice where a Miami-Dade NOA is required.

Multi-slide doors for wide openings.

When the panels need to stack or pocket, or the opening is very wide or tall, CWS has two multi-slide doors. The vinyl SGD 8800 runs on 2, 3 or 4 tracks with pocket options and panels up to 4 x 8 ft, 5 x 8 ft or 4 x 10 ft. It takes up to 9 panels in the HVHZ and reaches +/-80 psf with 5 x 8 ft panels, heavy reinforcement and a high sill riser. The aluminum 7800 is the widest CWS impact sliding door: frames up to 240-3/8 in. wide and 120 in. tall, rated up to +90/-90 psf and lower at larger sizes. The 7800 carries Florida approval FL46451 but no Miami-Dade NOA. See our Impact Multitrack Sliding Door page.

• SGD 8800: when the panels need to stack or pocket in a vinyl home.
• 7800: for very wide or tall aluminum openings. If the building department asks for a Miami-Dade NOA, use the 7900 instead.

French, swing and entrance doors.

CWS makes three hinged impact door options. The aluminum 7700 is the HVHZ French door, in X, XX, OX, OXO and OXXO layouts with sidelite options, from 24 x 32 in. to 96 x 120-9/16 in., rated up to +86/-86 psf under NOA 24-0116.12. The vinyl 8701/8751 single and French doors go up to 77 x 96 in. at +/-60 psf, but they are rated for Wind Zone 3 only (missile level D) and not for the HVHZ. The aluminum 7600 entrance door, single or double with sidelites, carries Florida approval FL46976 at up to +75/-80 psf. It is not on the CWS website, so ask us about availability. See our Impact Entry Door page.

Mullions for larger openings.

To join CWS windows and doors into larger openings, CWS uses impact aluminum tube mullions. The clipped mullion, with or without steel, carries NOA 25-1201.03 and Florida approval FL46535, for large and small missile in the HVHZ. Its NOA drawing holds the span and load tables, and the lowest rating of the mullion or any joined unit governs. Separate 3 in., 4 in. and 5-1/2 in. tube mullions for fin and flange windows carry Florida approval FL9520. We check each mullion against the units it joins before permitting. See our Window & Door Mullions page.

Choosing between CWS series.

Start with your address. In Miami-Dade and Broward, StormStrong and the 8701/8751 doors are out, so the choice is Hurricane Guard vinyl or aluminum. Outside the HVHZ, every CWS impact line is on the table. In every case, the approval for the exact size, glass and wall governs, and True Impact confirms the current approval for each opening before permitting. Every CWS approval is listed at the CWS product approvals page, and the brand overview is at our CWS page. Ask us for a side-by-side quote.

• Lower U-factors and the widest choice of styles: Hurricane Guard vinyl.
• Slim aluminum frames, Miami-Dade NOAs or higher floors: Hurricane Guard aluminum, with small-missile versions of the 7100, 7200 and 7300.
• Wide openings that stack or pocket: the SGD 8800 in vinyl or the 7800 in aluminum.
• Wind Zone 3 homes where +/-50 psf is enough: StormStrong single-hung and picture windows.