Importing doors and windows to Germany

Build one controlled opening schedule

Do not compare a supplier quotation that says only “windows,” “doors,” or “joinery package.” Give every physical unit and opening a stable buyer identifier that survives the quotation, drawing, declaration, packing list, rack map, delivery sequence, receiving check, installation handoff, and claim.

For each opening, record type, elevation/zone/floor, width and height, opening direction, frame material and system, glazing or panel build-up, finish, hardware, threshold, interfaces, intended use, performance requirements, drawing revision, quantity, and planned delivery sequence. Separate external pedestrian doorsets, windows, roof windows, fire/smoke products, powered products, loose glazing, hardware, anchors, trims, sealants, motors, controls, and spares when the applicable evidence, classification, packing, or handling differs.

Use the construction-material RFQ template to issue the same controlled schedule and commercial basis to every candidate.

Match the declaration to the exact product family

The European Commission explains that harmonised standards provide the technical basis for assessing construction-product performance, drawing up a Declaration of Performance, and affixing CE marking where the product is covered. The official references include EN 14351-1:2006+A2:2016 for windows and external pedestrian doorsets without resistance-to-fire or smoke-leakage characteristics. EN 16034:2014 addresses fire-resisting and/or smoke-control characteristics and is applied with the relevant companion product standard stated in the Official Journal reference.

Do not ask for one generic “CE certificate” for the full joinery package. Map the intended use, applicable current technical specification, manufacturer, system/type, model or configuration, Declaration of Performance, declared characteristics, CE information, supporting evidence, instructions, traceability, and German-language actions to the exact opening or controlled product group. A report for one frame, glazing, size range, hardware set, or factory is not automatically evidence for another.

Powered doors, gates, controls, safety devices, or other assemblies can introduce additional product-rule questions. Keep them as separate unresolved lines until the responsible product specialist confirms the applicable framework.

Classify physical lines, not the project label

Doors and windows can classify differently by material, construction, function, and presentation. Loose glass, fittings, motors, controls, seals, fixings, trims, and installation materials may not follow the finished frame or doorset. Build a line-level planning list and obtain current CN/TARIC confirmation before shipment rather than copying one code across the project.

Keep customs classification, non-preferential origin, any preferential or customs-status evidence, customs value, ordinary duty, current trade measures, and import VAT treatment as separate source-dated fields. The supplier-document evidence register should reconcile those fields across the purchase order, invoice, packing list, broker instruction, and product file.

Make the transport rack part of the quote

For finished frames, glazed units, doorsets, or large panels, the transport unit can determine equipment fit and damage exposure more than product weight alone. Require a rack, stillage, crate, pallet, or bundle schedule before accepting a freight assumption.

Do not convert product dimensions into theoretical equipment utilization without the loaded external rack geometry. Quote the route against the actual transport-unit schedule and preserve carrier acceptance as evidence.

Plan the German site handoff before dispatch

“DAP Germany” is not a complete delivery instruction. Record the exact named place and then define the final handoff:

• warehouse, consolidation point, kerbside, unloading area, floor, or installation zone;
• site contact, booking lead time, delivery slot, working hours, and cancellation process;
• vehicle type and access constraints supplied by the site;
• gate, turning, height, width, surface, slope, and waiting-area evidence;
• buyer or carrier responsibility for forklift, telehandler, crane, suction equipment, labour, lifting accessories, and banksman;
• rack handling method, permitted orientation, weather protection, and temporary storage;
• opening-by-opening delivery sequence and acceptable split shipments;
• receiving count, photo, damage, seal, and exception sign-off;
• rack return, disposal, or transfer responsibility after unloading.

Price a warehouse route and a direct-to-site route separately when both are plausible. A consolidation step can add handling and storage while protecting an installation sequence; direct delivery can remove a handoff while increasing appointment, access, unloading, and waiting exposure. The buyer needs the executable route, not a generic preference.

Calculate delivered cost per accepted opening

Normalize every supplier and route to the same German handoff and accepted-opening basis. At minimum show:

1. Product, glazing, hardware, finish, packing, testing, and documentation scope.
2. Origin handling, export formalities, main carriage, insurance, destination, customs representation, and inland delivery.
3. Rack purchase, deposit, rental, storage, return, cleaning, inspection, repair, or disposal.
4. Unloading equipment, labour, appointment, waiting, rehandling, buffer storage, and site distribution.
5. Expected glass/frame damage, missing hardware, inspection, claim, replacement, and schedule-recovery allowance.
6. Confirmed customs treatment and economic cost before recoverable import VAT.
7. Import VAT cash requirement shown separately.
8. Total delivered economic cost divided by accepted complete openings, not ordered frames alone.

Allocate shared rack and route cost by the physical driver that created it—rack position, area, volume, gross weight, handling event, direct assignment, or a documented hybrid. Preserve the shipment total and the allocation rule. Use the landed-cost calculator for the transaction-level arithmetic.

Download the opening, rack, and delivery register

Download the door-and-window Germany evidence register

The register joins opening identity, drawings, product evidence, classification, physical packages, rack geometry, route, site access, unloading, sequence, receiving, rack return, cost allocation, and approval status. It contains no invented dimensions, freight prices, duty rates, delivery times, or damage assumptions.