Anthracite Grey uPVC Windows: Which Shade, and Should You Spray or Replace?

You can turn existing white uPVC windows anthracite grey without replacing them. A professional spray finish costs £80 to £150 per window, compared with £8,000 to £15,000 to replace the uPVC on a typical whole house. When the frames are sound, spraying gives the same colour change, and Kolorbond-certified work carries a 10-year guarantee. The bigger decision is which "anthracite" to choose: RAL 7024, 7016 and 7021 look very different on a Yorkshire facade.

Why Anthracite Grey Suits Yorkshire Houses

Most Yorkshire houses are built from one of four materials: red brick in the urban terraces of Leeds, Bradford and Hull; buff or cream facing brick on many newer estates; gritstone (millstone grit sandstone) in Calderdale, Kirklees and much of Bradford; and limestone, from the Craven Dales around Settle to the magnesian limestone around Tadcaster. A mid-to-dark grey frame sits comfortably against all four. It gives definition without competing with the walls, and it reads as current on both a Victorian terrace and a new build.

White uPVC, fitted widely in the 1990s and 2000s, can look stark against red brick and flat against stone, and older white frames often discolour. Changing the frames to grey is one of the quickest ways to change how a house reads from the street.

Extensions are a common trigger. A rear or side extension finished in grey cladding, render or new grey windows can look disconnected from white frames on the original house. Respraying the existing frames to match pulls the whole property together without any building work.

RAL 7024 vs RAL 7016 vs RAL 7021: Which Shade Is Right?

"Anthracite grey" is used loosely for several RAL shades. From lightest to darkest, the three most commonly specified are:

RAL 7024 Graphite Grey (the lightest of the three)

A medium-dark, fairly neutral grey. Choose it when 7016 feels too heavy, for example on a small cottage, on pale buff brick or where the windows are close together and dark frames would dominate. It also softens the contrast against light render.

RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey (the standard "anthracite")

This is what most window manufacturers mean by anthracite. It is darker than 7024, with a cool, slightly blue-green undertone. That coolness balances warm red and orange brick well, and it gives a crisp contrast against honey-coloured sandstone. If you are matching new anthracite windows or doors elsewhere on the house, check the RAL code on the paperwork: it is usually 7016.

RAL 7021 Black Grey (the darkest)

Near-black at a distance. It suits a deliberately bold, contemporary look and works well against white or pale render and light brick. Against dark gritstone it can look heavy, so it is chosen more often for front doors than for every window on a stone house.

Other greys are available too, from lighter shades such as RAL 7039 Quartz Grey to darker ones. Our guide to what colours you can spray uPVC covers the wider range, and our colour matching service can match an existing frame, door or sample.

Spray or Replace: The Cost Comparison

Spraying existing uPVC costs £80 to £150 per window and £200 to £350 for a uPVC door. A complete exterior package covering windows, doors, fascias and soffits typically comes to £2,000 to £5,500, depending on how many frames there are and their condition.

Replacing the uPVC on a whole house typically costs £8,000 to £15,000. Replacement is the right call when frames are warped, units have failed or the windows no longer seal. If the frames are sound and only the colour is the problem, spraying gives the same look for a fraction of the cost. Our uPVC spraying vs window replacement cost breakdown goes through the numbers in detail.

What Kolorbond Certification Means for Your Guarantee

Kolorbond is a coating system made specifically for uPVC. It bonds chemically to the substrate instead of sitting on the surface like ordinary paint. Our uPVC work uses Kolorbond-certified coatings, so it carries a 10-year written guarantee covering colour stability and adhesion. Our guarantee page sets out what is covered.

When you compare quotes, ask which coating the company uses on uPVC, whether it is made for uPVC, and how long the written guarantee is. A general-purpose paint does not bond to uPVC the way a dedicated uPVC coating does. For what affects lifespan in practice, see how long uPVC spray painting lasts in Yorkshire weather.

Which Yorkshire Houses Benefit Most?

• Victorian and Edwardian terraces. Bright white uPVC can overwhelm stone lintels, sills and bay details. A dark grey frame sits closer to the dark painted timber these houses originally had.
• 1930s semis. Pebbledash and roughcast render pair well with anthracite frames, which update the house without changing its character.
• Stone houses. Grey frames look natural against both gritstone and paler limestone, where white can look stark.
• Newer estate houses. Many were built with plain white uPVC. Spraying the frames is the most affordable way to make one stand out from its neighbours.
• Houses with conservatories. The conservatory frames can be sprayed to match. See can you spray paint a uPVC conservatory?

What Customers Say

“We used ColourHaus to spray our white uPVC windows graphite. The finished result was amazing and transformed our house for a fraction of the cost of replacement.”

“Had new anthracite sliding doors fitted after major construction work, and Matt sprayed our old white uPVC windows to match perfectly. A massive saving on having new ones fitted.”

Read more ColourHaus customer reviews