Product
Steel Window Guards
Custom steel window guards, measured to each opening and fabricated in our Brooklyn shop - bar, welded mesh or expanded metal, in the pattern that suits the facade.
Welded, primed and painted before they leave the shop, then anchored into sound masonry by our own crew anywhere in New York City.
Steel window guards are the first thing a building needs at ground level, and the first thing that looks wrong when it is bought off a shelf. Steel Masters has been fabricating custom window guards for NYC brownstones, apartment buildings, schools, storefronts and commercial properties since 1972 - each one built to the reveal it protects rather than cut down from a stock size.
Why NYC Owners and Managers Choose Steel Masters
- Measured to the opening - we field-measure every window, areaway and vent so the frame fits the reveal, with no gap at the edge for a pry bar to find.
- Bar, mesh or expanded metal - flat and square bar for ground floor and storefront windows, welded mesh and expanded metal for cellar, areaway and vent openings.
- Egress-compliant options - hinged and release-type guards that open from the inside without a key where a window serves as a required means of egress.
- Welded, not bolted together - frames and infill are shop-welded, so there is no hardware on the outside to unscrew or cut away.
- Anchored into masonry - anchors land in sound brick or block rather than mortar joints, sized to the wall so the guard cannot be levered out.
- Primed, painted and touched up - an exterior primer and finish coat in black or your specified color, touched up on site after anchoring.
- One shop, start to finish - measured, fabricated and installed by Steel Masters crews out of our Brooklyn shop - no subcontracted install.
Window Guard Types We Fabricate
Flat and square bar guards are the standard for ground floor and parlor windows - vertical bars on a welded frame, spaced to keep sightlines open. Welded mesh guards close the opening tighter, which is what cellar and areaway windows usually need. Expanded metal guards stop hands and thrown debris as well as entry, and are common on schools, garages and utility rooms. Vent, louver and A/C sleeve covers protect the openings burglars actually try after the windows are guarded. Hinged and release-type guards are used where the window is a required egress point, and custom patterns - scroll work, picket tops, curved heads - are fabricated for landmarked and residential facades where the guard has to look intentional.
Fit, Finish and Installation
Frames are sized to the reveal so the guard sits inside the opening rather than sitting proud of the wall. Bars and mesh are welded to the frame, welds are ground where they show, and the whole unit is primed and painted before delivery so the finish is even instead of brushed on in the street.
On install our crew sets anchors into sound masonry, shims the frame plumb, and touches up the anchor points. Guards on egress windows are tested open and closed before we leave. Most residential jobs are measured one day and installed in a single visit.
Where Window Guards Get Used in NYC
Brownstone parlor and cellar windows, apartment building ground floors and airshafts, storefront side and rear windows, school and community facility openings, warehouse and garage windows, and the vent, louver and A/C openings on all of them. If a window can be reached from a sidewalk, areaway, fire escape or adjoining roof, it is a candidate for a guard.
Every job is measured in the field and built to that opening - we fabricate in our own Brooklyn shop and install with our own crew, the same way we have since 1972.
Related Steel Masters Product Lines
- Security Steel Overview - Doors, Guards, Gates & Cages - the full security steel group, and how the four lines are combined on one building
- Steel Security Doors - welded mesh and plate doors for the same openings' entry points
- Roll Down Security Gates - storefront-width protection where a fixed guard will not work
- Security Cages & Partitions - interior cages for storage, meters and equipment
- Expanded Metal & Steel Mesh - the mesh and expanded metal we fabricate the guards from
Further Reading From Our Brooklyn Shop
Notes on securing NYC openings and specifying steel that holds up.
- NYC Window Guards: What Gets Guarded, and How - Which NYC window openings need steel guards, the difference between bar, welded mesh and expanded metal, and how egress windows are handled.
- Steel Fabrication Shop in New York - Steel Masters NYC — one Brooklyn shop, one crew, over 50 years of custom steel fabrication and installation for NYC properties.
- Security Door or Roll Down Gate? How to Choose - A steel security door and a roll down gate protect different openings. Here is how the two are used, and what each one needs to work.
More project write-ups and NYC code notes are on the Steel Masters blog.
Serving All Five Boroughs, Long Island & Westchester
Steel Masters fabricates in Brooklyn at 135 Liberty Ave and installs with our own crews across Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island and Westchester. Call (888) 577-8335, send us your plans through shop drawings and plans, or contact us online for a quote on steel window guards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Every Steel Masters window guard is measured on site and fabricated to that opening in our Brooklyn shop, so the frame sits in the reveal with no gap to pry and no oversized filler pieces.