uPVC Window Colours: Grey, Woodgrain and Dual-Colour Options

White is still the most common uPVC window in Britain, but it is far from the only choice. Today you can specify uPVC in Anthracite Grey, Chartwell Green, Irish Oak, Rosewood, cream, black and a long list of other foiled finishes, including dual-colour options that show one shade inside and another outside. If you have been told uPVC only comes in white, that information is out of date. This guide explains how coloured uPVC is made, how durable the foils are, how to match a finish to your property, and where a coloured uPVC window suits a conservation setting.

Can You Actually Get Grey or Woodgrain uPVC?

Yes. Coloured uPVC is mainstream now, and grey is the single most requested non-white finish in the UK. Anthracite Grey (the RAL 7016 tone you see across modern new builds and renovations) has become the default contemporary look, paired with white or grey reveals inside. Alongside the plain solid colours sit the woodgrain finishes, which reproduce the texture and tone of timber. Irish Oak, Rosewood, Golden Oak and Walnut are the common woodgrains, and they are popular precisely because they read as wood from the kerb while keeping the low maintenance of plastic.

The full palette most installers can supply includes:

• Anthracite Grey (smooth or textured), the leading modern choice
• Black, including matte and grained variants
• Chartwell Green, the soft heritage sage used widely on period and cottage-style homes
• Cream, a warmer alternative to brilliant white that flatters older brick
• Irish Oak and Golden Oak, mid-brown woodgrains
• Rosewood and Mahogany, deeper red-brown woodgrains
• Grey-on-white and other dual-colour combinations

Availability varies a little by frame system and by lead time, because foiled frames are made to order rather than held in stock, so it is worth confirming the exact shade and finish at survey.

How Coloured uPVC Is Made: Foils, Not Paint

This is the part that matters for durability, and it is where uPVC differs from aluminium. An aluminium frame gets its colour from a powder-coat finish that is electrostatically applied and oven-baked onto the metal. A uPVC frame is coloured with a foil: a thin, tough, decorative laminate film that is bonded to the surface of the white uPVC profile under heat and pressure using a structural adhesive.

The foil is not a surface paint that can be brushed on or touched up. It is a continuous laminated skin, typically an acrylic or PVDF-based film, wrapped around the visible faces of the frame during manufacture. Quality foils from established suppliers such as Renolit and Hornschuch (Cova) carry decades of weathering data behind them, and the woodgrain versions are printed and embossed so the grain has real texture rather than a flat photo-print look.

Because the colour runs through a bonded film rather than a coat of paint, a coloured uPVC frame never needs repainting, and it will not flake or peel in the way a painted timber window eventually does. That low-maintenance quality is one of the main reasons homeowners choose foiled uPVC over painted wood for a heritage colour like Chartwell Green or cream.

Durability and Fade Resistance

A common worry is that a dark colour, especially anthracite or black, will fade or chalk after a few years in the sun. Modern foils are engineered against exactly this. The acrylic and PVDF films used on quality coloured uPVC carry UV-stabilising and weather-resistant layers, and reputable systems are tested to retain their colour for many years of British weather. Manufacturers commonly back the colourfastness of their foiled frames with a 10-year guarantee against significant fade, and the foils themselves are rated well beyond that in accelerated weathering tests.

Dark foils also include a heat-management consideration. Anthracite and black absorb more solar heat than white, so quality dark-foiled profiles use formulations and, on south-facing elevations, reinforcement designed to cope with the higher surface temperatures. A competent installer specifies the right profile for the orientation, which is one more reason to use an experienced fitter rather than the cheapest available frame. Every Vitrum Solutions installation is FENSA registered and carries a 10-year CPA insurance-backed guarantee, so the colour and the workmanship are both covered.

To keep a foiled finish looking its best, the maintenance is simply an occasional wipe with warm soapy water. Avoid abrasive pads and solvent cleaners, which can dull the surface of the film. For more on what the frame is doing thermally behind that colour, our explainer on what a U-value means is a useful companion read.

Dual-Colour Windows: Different Inside and Out

One of the most useful options coloured uPVC offers is dual colour, where the outside face of the frame is one shade and the inside is another. The film is applied to each face independently during manufacture, so the two sides are genuinely separate finishes rather than a compromise.

The classic combination is Anthracite Grey outside, white inside. It gives you the sharp, modern grey street appearance that suits contemporary architecture, while keeping bright white internally so rooms stay light and interiors are easy to decorate around. Other popular pairings include black outside with white inside, and woodgrain outside (Irish Oak or Rosewood) with white or cream inside to suit a traditional interior.

Dual colour is the sensible choice when the look you want outside would feel heavy or dark indoors. It is also handy where a conservation or estate requirement specifies a particular external colour but you want a neutral internal finish. Because each face is foiled separately, dual colour usually carries a modest lead-time premium over a single solid colour, again because the frames are built to order.

Coloured uPVC in Conservation Areas

Coloured uPVC has a real place in heritage and conservation settings, provided the right finish is chosen. Chartwell Green and cream are the two finishes most associated with sympathetic period work, and flush-fit uPVC windows that sit level with the frame (rather than the stepped, lipped profile of a standard casement) closely mirror the clean lines of traditional timber joinery.

The Rehau Rio Flush Fit system is well suited to this. As a fully flush uPVC window available in heritage foiled colours, it gives the period appearance many conservation officers look for while delivering modern thermal and security performance. Rehau's main casement system, TOTAL70, is a 70mm A+ rated profile, and the flush Rio variant is the one to specify where a timber-look heritage finish matters.

That said, conservation-area rules vary by location and by individual property, and a listed building is a different and stricter case again. Some conservation areas accept flush coloured uPVC, others require timber or a like-for-like match. Always confirm the planning position with your local authority before ordering. Our guides to uPVC versus aluminium windows and the Rehau window range cover the heritage and performance trade-offs in more detail, and you can see the full uPVC offer on our uPVC windows page.

Choosing a Colour to Match Your Property

A few principles help a colour choice land well rather than date quickly:

• Match the era and the brick. Cream and Chartwell Green flatter older red and buff brick and cottage stone. Anthracite and black suit rendered, contemporary and new-build elevations. Woodgrains bridge the two and work well on character properties where timber would have been original.
• Tie the windows to the other elements. Anthracite windows look most resolved when the guttering, fascias, front door and any aluminium bifold or sliding doors carry the same or a complementary tone. A grey window beside a brown door rarely flatters either.
• Consider the whole street. In Buckinghamshire and Berkshire villages especially, a finish that respects the prevailing palette tends to add value, where a stark mismatch can stand out for the wrong reasons.
• Use dual colour to have it both ways. If you love grey or black outside but want light, neutral rooms, dual colour solves it without compromise.
• See a real sample. Foil swatches read very differently on a sunny south wall versus a shaded north one. Ask to see a corner sample in daylight against your actual brick before committing.

Coloured uPVC gives you genuine design freedom that the white-only reputation of plastic windows never deserved. Whether you want a crisp anthracite contemporary look, a soft heritage green, a convincing woodgrain or a dual-colour finish that works inside and out, the foiled-frame technology behind it is mature, durable and well proven in British weather. If you would like to see samples against your own property and talk through which finish suits the elevation, contact our team for honest advice and a surveyed quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do anthracite grey uPVC windows fade in the sun?

Quality anthracite foils are engineered specifically against fade. The acrylic and PVDF films used on reputable coloured uPVC carry UV-stabilising layers and are tested for long-term British weathering, with manufacturers commonly guaranteeing the colour against significant fade for 10 years and the foil rated well beyond that. The key is using a profile and dark-colour formulation suited to the elevation, particularly on south-facing windows, which is part of what a competent installer specifies at survey.

What is the difference between foiled uPVC colour and powder-coated aluminium colour?

uPVC is coloured with a foil, a tough decorative laminate film heat-bonded to the white profile during manufacture, whereas aluminium gets its colour from a powder-coat finish baked onto the metal. Both are durable factory finishes that never need repainting. uPVC foils are particularly good at convincing woodgrain effects with real embossed texture, while aluminium powder coat offers the widest range of solid RAL colours and matte or gloss levels. The right material depends on the look, the budget and the application.

Can I have a different uPVC colour inside and outside?

Yes, this is called dual colour, and it is a popular option. Each face of the frame is foiled separately during manufacture, so you can have, for example, Anthracite Grey outside for a modern street appearance and white inside to keep rooms bright. Black outside with white inside, and woodgrain outside with cream inside, are other common pairings. Dual colour usually carries a small lead-time premium because the frames are built to order.

Is coloured uPVC allowed in conservation areas?

It can be, but it depends on the area and the property, and listed buildings are stricter again. Heritage finishes such as Chartwell Green and cream, combined with a flush-fit profile like the Rehau Rio that mirrors traditional timber lines, are often acceptable where a sympathetic appearance is required. Some conservation areas accept flush coloured uPVC while others require timber or a like-for-like match, so always confirm the planning position with your local authority before ordering.

Does coloured uPVC need more maintenance than white?

No. A foiled finish needs the same simple care as white uPVC, an occasional wipe with warm soapy water to keep it clean. Because the colour is a bonded laminate film rather than paint, it does not flake, peel or need repainting. The only thing to avoid is abrasive pads and solvent-based cleaners, which can dull the surface of the foil over time. With normal care a quality coloured frame stays looking good for the life of the window.