What is UI in Window Measurement?

Have you been shopping for replacement windows? You may have run across the acronym "UI" during your search. The acronym UI represents United Inches, a system of measurement often used in estimating the price of a window. Read on to learn more about UI, how it's calculated, and how window companies use UI measurements. 

What is UI in window measurement?

UI is short for United Inches. Simply explained, United Inches are the linear feet of framing. The window industry applies this term for its window measurements. In this case, one-half of a window's perimeter is measured. The UI alongside the quality of material used in the manufacture of the window are cross-referenced to determine the pricing of a window in a market.

Most window advertisements will show the pricing of a window by UI, which is why you need to understand what the term United Inches really represents. Imagine you see and advertisement for windows that says "Windows starting at $450*." Your first thought might be, "Wow, that's a good brand and that seems like a good price" until you find out that's the starting price for a window measuring 30 UI and the windows you need to replace are much larger than that.

A window measuring 30 UI could be 20" wide and 10" high or 15" wide and 15" high, these are very small windows, the type that might be found in closets, staircases, or bathrooms. With those measurements, the estimated price without any bells and whistles is about $15 per United Inch. How did I arrive at $15? Take the advertised cost, $450, and divide it by the size of the window, 30 UI, that gives you $15. 

So how are the United Inches arrived at? Let's tackle that below.

How do you calculate united inches?

United Inches involve the two lengths of a standard window, the height, and width. You will start by measuring the height of the window in inches, followed by the width of that window in inches also. Once you have these two measurements, you will then add the width to the height to arrive at the United Inches as simply shown below;

Width (W) + Height (I) =United Inches (UI)

Let's say you arrive at a width of 40 inches and a height of 40 inches. Your UI will be;

40+40= 80 UI

That's it.

One of the common questions about UI is whether United Inches is similar to the area of a window. The below section clarifies this.

Is UI the same as the area of the window?

No, these two units are not the same. United Inches will involve the sum of the length of two adjacent sides of your window. The area of your window on the other part involves multiplying these two lengths. See the below demonstration.

• UI will be 40 inches plus 40 inches which makes 80 United Inches (UI)
• Conversely, the area will be 40 multiplied by 40 whose answer is 1600 square inches.

Now, that you know about UI as a measurement for windows, our next focus is on how windows companies apply UI. Let's do that in this next section.

How do window companies use UI?

The most common use of United Inches by windows companies is to arrive at price estimates of windows. Companies will then price their windows on advertisements based on the united inches, while the pricing may be honest and accurate it may still only represent the base price not factoring in additional costs for window colors, styles, specialty glass etc.

Calculating UI the quickest way for someone to estimate the cost of your windows when getting a bid. Some window companies have pricing catalogs that provide estimated pricing according to united inches, if this is the price you are looking at assume it is only the base price.

Be aware that UI pricing is often done in ranges or brackets. Windows measuring from 1-100 UI might cost $10 per UI while those measuring 101-200 UI might cost more. Companies that price in ranges can make more profit from smaller windows because they will be priced the same as the largest window in that bracket.

How Does Brennan Use UI?

At Brennan, we price windows according to UI and we don't use ranges which means you only pay for what you get. When you receive an estimate from one of our consultants the price will reflect the base UI cost plus all the additional add-ons (window style, color, glass package, grids, etc).

One frustration we hear from customers has to do with the pricing strategies of other companies. They are given one price in the estimate and then the final quote shows a completely different price. When this happens, customers feel like they've been given a bait-and-switch. It's likely that those companies aren't including the cost of window "add-ons" in their original estimates.

Our window consultants will do their best to get you the most accurate estimate after their first visit.