Swiss Steel Systems.
Precision-engineered steel profiles from Switzerland for luxury residential and commercial architecture — slim sightlines, thermally broken performance, and 100% steel construction built to outlive the building it opens.
Featuring Presto 60s & Unico XS
The Case for Swiss Steel
Why Swiss steel outperforms.
Steel is the only framing material that gets slimmer as the demand on it grows. Swiss systems take that further — a fully steel profile, thermally separated, drawn to tolerances that let a 1,000 lb glass unit sit inside a 60mm face. These are the eight properties that decide the specification.
Swiss Engineering
Tolerances measured in tenths of a millimetre, and a system logic that repeats across every opening in the project.
100% Steel Construction
No aluminium hybrids. Frame, leaf, and reinforcement are steel — one material, one expansion behaviour, one recycling stream.
Ultra Slim Sightlines
Steel's stiffness carries the load on a narrower face than any aluminium equivalent — more glass, less frame, every time.
Built for Generations
Steel doesn't creep, sag, or fatigue at the corner. A hundred-year-old steel window is still a steel window.
Low Carbon Steel
Available in reduced-emission steel with a published Environmental Product Declaration for your project's carbon accounting.
Thermal Performance
A continuous insulating zone separates inside from outside — exterior-grade U-values without a bulkier frame.
Large Glass Openings
Heavier units, taller leaves, wider spans — carried by the frame rather than compensated for with added depth.
Heritage & Contemporary
Curved and arched profiles for restoration work; razor-flat sections for modern envelopes. Same system, either language.
The Choice
Two Swiss systems. Two different priorities.
Most projects resolve to one question: is this opening about the line, or about the envelope?
One system is built for timeless steel aesthetics and architectural
simplicity. The other is built to hold that same slim line while meeting
exterior thermal demands.
For projects prioritising timeless steel aesthetics, durability, and architectural simplicity — the purest expression of the steel line.
- Interior steel doors
- Commercial interiors
- Heritage renovations
- Loft & warehouse spaces
For projects requiring exceptional thermal performance without compromising slim sightlines — the exterior envelope, uncompromised.
- Luxury homes
- Exterior doors & windows
- Passive-House-inspired design
- High-performance envelopes
Side by Side
Which Forster system fits your project?
Read the row that matters most to your project. Where both systems qualify, the decision usually comes down to whether the opening is inside the thermal line or on it.
| Criterion | Presto 60s | Unico XS |
|---|---|---|
| Interior applications | ✓ | ○ |
| Exterior applications | ○ | ✓ |
| Thermally broken | — | ✓ |
| Energy efficiency | Non-insulated | High — insulated steel |
| Maximum glass area | Large | Extra large — triple glazing |
| Windows | ○ | ✓ |
| Doors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fire rated | ✓ | ○ |
| Curved profiles | ✓ | ✓ |
| Low carbon steel | ○ | ✓ |
| Historic restoration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Luxury residential | ○ | ✓ |
| Best suited for | Interior doors & screens | Exterior envelopes |
Fire, acoustic, and security ratings are confirmed per configuration at shop-drawing stage.
System One
Presto 60s.
The steel line at its most quiet — a 60mm non-insulated system for interiors, heritage work, and every place where the frame should read as a drawn pencil line rather than a product.
The Story
Presto 60s exists for the interior wall that wants to disappear.
Sixty millimetres of solid steel, a slim glazing bead, and nothing else —
no thermal chamber to carry, no gasket stack to hide, no depth to
apologise for.
It is the system we specify most often for loft conversions, kitchen–garden room thresholds, and heritage renovations
where the new frame has to sit beside a hundred-year-old one and not
embarrass it. Curved and arched leaves are drawn from the same section,
so an arched opening in a restoration reads as a continuation, not a
compromise.
Fire-rated configurations are available where a steel screen is doing structural or code duty as well as design duty.
Key Features
- 01.
60mm non-insulated steel system — interiors and protected openings
- 02.
Slim face width with a minimal glazing bead
- 03.
Curved, arched and raked leaves from the same section
- 04.
Fire-rated configurations available
- 05.
Single, double, pivot, and fixed screen formats
- 06.
Any RAL powder coat — matte, satin, or textured
- 07.
100% steel — fully recyclable at end of life
Where It Belongs
Recommended applications.
Both systems are specified across residential and commercial work in North America. Find your project type — we will tell you which of the two we would put in front of you, and why.
Residential
- Luxury homes
- Modern villas
- Mountain homes
- Passive homes
- Coastal homes
- Historic renovations
Commercial
- Boutique hotels
- Restaurants
- Corporate offices
- Retail
- Mixed-use
- Hospitality & clubs
The Difference
Why buy Swiss steel through BlackFramed.
The profile is Swiss. Everything that has to happen between a European system and a finished North American opening is ours — and it is where projects are won or lost.
North American Project Support
One team on your timezone, from first sketch through punch list.
Shop Drawings Before Fabrication
Every opening drawn, reviewed, and approved before a section is cut.
Custom Sizing
Built to the opening you have — not the nearest standard size.
Powder Coat Finishes
Any RAL, in matte, satin, or textured, applied to the full assembly.
Hardware Selection
Levers, pulls, pivots, and closers matched to the system and the finish.
Glass Specification Guidance
Thermal, acoustic, safety, and privacy make-ups specified per elevation.
White-Glove Project Management
Production, logistics, customs, and site coordination handled end to end.
Delivered Ready to Install
Glazed, finished, hardware-fitted, and crated by opening for the trades.
viii. Specification
Specify Swiss steel.
Send a project brief and we will come back with a system recommendation, sightline and thermal data, CAD details, finish and hardware options, and indicative pricing.
