Updated September 2026. Specifications from Andersen documentation. How we research products
Andersen 100 Series
- Manufacturer
- Andersen
- Material
- Fibrex composite, same material inside and out
- Positioning
- Value line
- Styles
- No double-hung, bay or bow
Andersen 400 Series
- Manufacturer
- Andersen
- Material
- Wood interior, Perma-Shield vinyl cladding outside
- Positioning
- Premium mainstream, above the 100
- Styles
- Includes double-hung, bay and bow
Main difference: one manufacturer, two constructions. The 400 buys a wood interior you can stain or paint and the double-hung, bay and bow styles the 100 lacks; the 100 is composite throughout and needs no interior finishing. Both carry Andersen’s transferable Owner-to-Owner warranty, with a 5-year term on any exposed exterior wood on the 400. Illustrations are UpgradeWorth drawings, not product photographs. No winner is declared.
UpgradeWorth has not physically tested either product. This comparison is built from Andersen’s product pages, warranty documentation and dealer material, with the source named beside anything that is not from Andersen.
If you have asked Andersen for a quote, these are the two lines you were probably shown: the composite 100 Series and the clad-wood 400 Series. They share a brand and a transferable warranty, and almost nothing else.
Side by side
| Andersen 100 Series | Andersen 400 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Frame material | Fibrex composite, not vinyl and not fiberglass. Andersen describes Fibrex as a proprietary composite of reclaimed wood fiber and thermoplastic polymer, stating it is composed of 40% reclaimed wood fiber by weight, most of it reclaimed from the manufacture of Andersen wood windows, and that it is twice as strong as vinyl | Wood core with Perma-Shield exterior cladding. Andersen describes Perma-Shield as a proprietary high-grade vinyl that is vacuum formed or extruded around the wood for a weather seal, giving a wood interior with a low-maintenance exterior |
| Styles | Single-hung, casement, awning, gliding (sliding), picture and specialty shapes, each with its own product page on andersenwindows.com. Andersen also offers 100 Series gliding and hinged patio doors | Double-hung, Woodwright double-hung, casement, awning, gliding, picture, bay and bow, and specialty shapes; gliding and hinged patio doors are also offered in the line |
| U-factor | Not published by Andersen as a single range. One dealer page cites a 0.29 U-factor with 0.21 SHGC for a configuration it sells; a third-party guide cites 0.27 to 0.30. Configuration dependent: check the NFRC label on your quote | Not published by Andersen as a single range. NFRC-certified performance data is published per product in Andersen's trade product guides. Configuration dependent: check the label on your quote |
| SHGC | Not published by Andersen as a single range. Dealer-cited 0.21 for one configuration. Configuration dependent | Not published by Andersen as a single range. Configuration dependent |
| ENERGY STAR | Andersen states many 100 Series configurations are ENERGY STAR certified, and certification depends on the glass package and the climate zone rather than on the series as a whole | Andersen offers ENERGY STAR certified configurations across its lines; certification follows the glass package and the climate zone rather than the series |
| Warranty | Andersen Owner-to-Owner limited warranty, which Andersen states is transferable when the home is sold. Dealers consistently describe the 100 Series terms as 20 years on glass and 10 years on non-glass components, with exterior finish covered against flaking, blistering, cracking, pitting, corrosion and loss of adhesion for 10 years. Read the current warranty document at andersenwindows.com/support/warranty before purchase | Andersen Owner-to-Owner limited warranty, which Andersen states transfers when the home is sold. Andersen's 400 Series page states the coverage as 20 years on standard glass and 10 years on non-glass components. Dealer documentation adds that wood exteriors are covered for 5 years and lists exclusions such as art glass and blinds between the glass. Read the current warranty document before purchase |
| Price position | Not publicly specified | Not publicly specified |
| Installation | Replacement (insert) and new construction; sold through Andersen dealers, certified contractors and the Andersen at Home Depot program | Replacement and new construction, sold through Andersen dealers and certified contractors |
Specifications from each manufacturer. Empty fields mean the value is not publicly specified, not that it is zero.
The material difference
The 100 Series is Fibrex composite inside and out: Andersen describes it as reclaimed wood fiber and thermoplastic polymer, 40% wood fiber by weight, and claims it is twice as strong as vinyl. The 400 Series is a solid wood core with Perma-Shield cladding, which Andersen describes as a high-grade vinyl vacuum formed or extruded around the wood.
So the decision is really about the interior. The 400 Series gives you wood you can stain or paint, in a room where that matters. The 100 Series gives you a composite that needs nothing, in a color chosen at the factory. Andersen itself frames it that way: it says the 400 Series suits buyers who want a wood interior and more design options, and points to the 100 Series for the Southwest, partly because of stucco replacement options.
The style difference that often ends the conversation
The 100 Series has no double-hung window. The 400 Series has two, including the Woodwright construction, plus bay and bow units the composite line does not offer. On a traditional house full of double-hungs, that single fact decides it before anyone discusses price.
Warranty
Both carry Andersen’s Owner-to-Owner limited warranty, which Andersen states transfers when the home is sold. That is genuinely unusual: most competitors’ lifetime headlines stop at the sale.
Andersen’s 400 Series page states the coverage as 20 years on standard glass and 10 years on non-glass components. Dealer documentation adds a detail worth knowing on the wood line: wood exteriors are covered for 5 years, not 10, and items such as art glass and blinds between the glass are excluded. Check the current document for your configuration.
Energy performance
Neither line publishes a summary U-factor range, because certification follows the glass package. Andersen’s own comparison says the 400 Series can be more energy-efficient than the 100 Series, and the glass families differ: Low-E4, HeatLock and SmartSun on the wood line.
As always, compare the NFRC labels on the two quotes rather than the brochures. The gap between glass packages inside one line is usually wider than the gap between the lines.
Price and what you are paying for
Andersen publishes no installed prices for either line, and we do not invent them. What can be said honestly: the 400 Series is the premium mainstream line and the 100 Series is the value line, and the difference buys a wood interior, more styles and a wider color and hardware range, not a fundamentally better seal.
Work out what your own quotes mean per opening with the quote comparison tool, and see why quotes vary so much before assuming the difference is the product.
Consider the 400 Series when
- You want a real wood interior to stain or paint
- You need double-hung, bay or bow units
- The house is traditional and the interior detail matters
- You want the widest color, hardware and grille range Andersen offers below its luxury lines
Consider the 100 Series when
- Budget is the binding constraint and the openings are casement, gliding or picture
- You want dark exteriors with a low-maintenance interior
- Nobody is going to stain a window frame in this house, ever
- You are in a hot, sun-intense climate and want composite rather than clad wood
What we could not compare
Neither line publishes a like-for-like U-factor range, visible transmittance or installed pricing. Color counts differ between dealer sources for the 400 Series, so we do not publish a number. We have not tested either window and publish no satisfaction ratings.