Choosing different types of awnings for your home or business can sometimes be a confusing process. Monoblock, cassette, semi cassette, butterfly. It’s hard to break down what they all mean and why one is more expensive than the other. Let’s break it down and show the differences between them.
| Awning Type | Key Advantages |
| Monoblock Awning | Strong, has multiple wall brackets and can cover a large projection- up to 5 meters maximum |
| Cassette Awning | Has aluminium cover that protects the internal components when closed. Sleek and modern design. Projection up to 4m. |
| Complet Pro Awning | Just two brackets that incorporate the wall mounting. Reduces the amount of components and of course the price. |
| Butterfly Awning | Operates as a independent shade system where it doesn’t need to be attached to a wall. Shades up to 600x600cm. |
First there was the classic Monoblock
So the first awnings to be developed were the Monoblock type or classic. Monoblock is referring to the single bar that runs across the back of the awning connecting the awning to the wall but also connecting the roller tube and arms. Its the standard way of creating an awning. Its advantages are it is strong, it has multiple wall brackets and can cover a large projection. Up to 5 meters maximum! The disadvantage is that when it is closed, the fabric is still exposed to the sun..
Enter the cassette awning..
The cassette awning looks at some of the disadvantages of the monoblock awning and tries to solve them. Namely protecting the fabric when the awning is closed. Cassette is essentially a case over the awning. An aluminium cover that protects the internal components from sun and rain when closed. It also looks sleek and modern in design. The projection can be up to 4m. The disadvantage of the cassette is that it is more expensive than the monoblock. All that aluminium means more cost.
But is there an inbetween?
Well yes… So there are versions of awnings called Semi-cassette that have the monoblock type bar but also have the protection of the cassette. Often they are not fully sealed like a cassette but still offer most of the protections that cassettes offer. Alternatively there are models like the complet pro where there is no back bar but just two brackets that incorporate the wall mounting, the roller and arm support. This reduces the amount of components and of course the price.
Finally we have the butterfly awning. This operates as a independent shade system where it doesn’t need to be attached to a wall. Two sets of arms come out from the central support structure allowing a shade of up to 600x600cm.
In the end, choosing from the different types of awnings will boil down to individual requirements, size, price that will help decide which is the best fit for you. View our models on our site to see the different models and how they operate.
