How Much Do Bifold Doors Cost?
Updated: 9 hours ago
Aluminium bifold doors typically cost £3,200 to £5,000 for a three-pane set supplied and fitted, rising to £5,500 to £8,500 for five panes across a wide opening, including VAT and before any structural work to create the opening itself. The number of panes is the main driver, followed by the frame specification, the glass and the finish. A well-engineered set costs more than a standard one, but it is the part of the extension you touch every day, and the difference shows every time it folds.
We make bifolding and sliding doors in high-grade aluminium, made to measure, and we quote every set after surveying the opening.
Typical UK prices
Aluminium bifolds, supplied and fitted, including VAT:
Two panes, opening up to about 2m: £2,000 to £3,500.
Three panes, about 2.4m to 3m: £3,200 to £5,000.
Four panes, about 3m to 4m: £4,500 to £6,500.
Five panes, about 4m to 5m: £5,500 to £8,500.
Six panes or a premium slim-sightline system: £8,000 to £12,000 or more.
Premium aluminium systems with slim sightlines and heavy-duty running gear sit toward the upper end. These are typical UK market prices from published cost guides as of 2026; bespoke designs are priced after a survey.
How does the number of panes change bifold doors cost?
A two-pane bifold suits an opening up to about 2m and works as a wide door rather than a moving wall. It is the least expensive set and often the right choice for a side return or a small garden room.
A three-pane bifold, the most common configuration, covers an opening of about 2.4m to 3m. Supplied and fitted in aluminium, it is the benchmark most quotes are compared against.
A four-pane set spans about 3m to 4m, and a five-pane set 4m to 5m. At five panes and beyond the opening usually needs a steel beam, and the doors are heavy enough that the quality of the running gear becomes the thing you notice every day. Each extra pane adds a frame, a set of hinges and rollers and more glass, so the price climbs with every one.
Configurations matter as well as counts. An odd number of panes allows a single traffic door that opens on its own without folding the whole set, which is the configuration most people should choose.
What changes the price of aluminium bifold doors?
Frame. Profile depth, thermal break, sightline width and the quality of the hinges and rollers separate a set that glides for twenty years from one that drags after two. Slim sightlines cost more.
Glass. Double glazing is standard; triple glazing, solar control coatings and laminated glass each add.
Colour. A standard colour is included; dual colour, different inside and out, is a common upgrade.
Hardware and threshold. Concealed hinges, a flush threshold, integrated blinds and matching windows each add; our guide to blinds for bifold doors compares integrated blinds with the alternatives.
Installation. Fitting into a prepared opening is straightforward; creating the opening is a separate cost, covered below.
Bifold doors vs sliding doors: which costs more?
For the same opening, a standard sliding set usually costs about the same as a bifold set, and an ultra-slim frame sliding set costs more. The choice is about use: bifolds open the whole width, sliders keep more glass when closed. Our guide to bifold vs sliding doors compares them in full, our guide to patio doors cost covers every type, and our ultra-slim frame sliding doors page covers the slim systems.
What is included in a bifold doors quote?
A complete quote covers survey, manufacture to measured sizes, delivery, installation, sealing, and the removal of the old doors or windows. It should state the glass specification, the colour, the threshold type and the configuration, including which pane is the traffic door.
It should not be assumed to include the structural opening, the lintel or steel, the internal plastering and decoration, or the external making-good, unless it says so. Those are the items that turn a door price into a project price.
Aluminium, timber or standard bifolds: how do they compare on cost?
Standard frames: the lowest price per set, with deeper profiles, a narrower colour range and panes that are usually kept smaller to limit weight. They suit a budget opening rather than a wall of glass.
Aluminium: a higher price than standard frames, for the slimmest sightlines, the largest panes, any colour and no decorating. Thermally broken systems are as warm as any modern glazing.
Hardwood: usually in a similar bracket to aluminium for a well-made painted set, with deeper frames for the same span and repainting every few years. It is the right look on a period house or a hardwood orangery.
Whichever material, the running gear and the installation decide how the set behaves after five years more than the frame material does.
How can you keep the cost of bifold doors down?
Use the existing opening where the width works, because the structural opening is often the largest single extra.
Choose the number of panes by the opening, not the maximum: fewer, wider panes within the 600mm to one metre range mean fewer frames and hinges.
Keep to a standard height unless the ceiling calls for more.
Pick a standard colour unless dual colour matters to the room.
Fit windows in the same system at the same time, so one survey and one installation cover both.
What sizes do bifold doors come in?
Bifolds are made to measure, but each pane works best between about 600mm and a metre wide; wider is heavy to fold, narrower wastes frame. Standard heights run to about 2.4m, and taller panes cost more. Decide early which way the set stacks, to one side or split, and put the traffic door at the end nearest the kitchen or the path.
How much do bifold doors cost to run and maintain?
Very little, if the set was well made. The powder-coated finish is washed with soapy water, the track is wiped and the drainage slots checked. A thermally broken set with insulated glass is as warm as any well-specified glazing; cold or draughty bifolds are usually old unbroken systems or poorly sealed installations.
Do bifold doors need a structural opening?
If the bifolds replace an existing set of doors or a window of the same width, the opening is already there and the job is a fitting job. If the bifolds are wider than what they replace, which is usually the point, the wall above has to be carried on a new beam. That means a structural engineer's design, a steel or concrete lintel, temporary support while the wall is cut, and building regulations approval for the structure. On a typical 3m to 5m span the cost depends on the wall, what sits above it and how far the beam has to run, and it is the single item most likely to be missing from a comparison of door prices.
The good news is that a wide opening is worth making. A three-pane bifold in a narrow opening is a door; a five-pane set across the width of a room is the reason the extension was built.
Bifold doors cost questions, answered
How much do 3 panel bifold doors cost?
Typically £3,200 to £5,000 supplied and fitted, including VAT, for an aluminium set in an opening of about 2.4m to 3m, the most common configuration. Within that, the price is set by the frame system, the glass, the colour and the threshold; a flush threshold and dual colour are the usual upgrades. Any new or wider structural opening is separate.
Are aluminium bifold doors expensive?
They cost more than standard frames of the same size, and a well-made painted hardwood set is in a similar bracket. For that, aluminium gives slim frames, large panes, any colour and no decorating. Thermally broken aluminium is warm; the reputation for cold frames belongs to older, unbroken systems.
Do bifold doors need planning permission?
Replacing doors or windows in an existing opening does not, though the new doors must still meet building regulations, which a FENSA- or CERTASS-registered installer certifies. Creating a new opening in a wall does not need planning permission either, but it needs building regulations approval for the structure and the glazing. Listed buildings are different.
How long do bifold doors take to install?
A day or two for a set into a prepared opening. Each set is made to order after the survey, and we confirm the lead time with the quote.
Talk to our design team
If you would like to talk to us about your project, we survey first so the doors are made to the opening.
