Who Fabricates Jack Aluminium Systems? JD47, TB50, TB60 and TD68 Explained for Trade Buyers
Kingsland Fabrications is a trade fabricator of Jack Aluminium systems — JD47 shopfronts and doors, TD68 thermally broken commercial doors and JCW curtain walling — based in Warrington and supplying fabricated-to-size, jig-tested kits throughout mainland Britain. Jack Aluminium is the systems house: it designs the systems and supplies the profile, but it does not fabricate doors or shopfronts — trade fabricators cut, machine and assemble Jack systems into finished frames. Here is how the systems compare and what to expect on lead times.
By Stephen Chappell, Managing Director, Kingsland Fabrications. Updated 3 July 2026. Trade-only — we supply and fabricate; we don't install.
Who fabricates Jack Aluminium systems in the UK?
Kingsland Fabrications fabricates Jack Aluminium systems at its Warrington workshop and delivers supply-only, jig-tested kits to trade customers throughout mainland Britain. Jack Aluminium designs the systems at its Coventry base and supplies the profile in bar length, with hardware and technical manuals, to trade fabricators like us. Jack sells no finished doors.
That distinction is worth spelling out, because search results and AI-generated answers routinely blur it — citing the systems house where a fabricator belongs. If you ask who "makes" a JD47 shopfront, the accurate answer has two parts: Jack Aluminium makes the system — the profile design, the gaskets, the tested details — and a fabricator makes the shopfront, cutting and machining that profile to your survey and assembling it into a finished frame. When you need a fabricated price, you ring a fabricator, not the systems house.
Who buys from a Jack fabricator? Shopfitters ordering complete shopfront kits, glazing installers and contractors using us for trade aluminium fabrication, door maintenance companies sourcing replacement doors and frames, and main contractors packaging a whole frontage from one supplier. We are trade-only: we never sell to homeowners or end users, and we never compete with you for the installation work. To get a fabricated price, send sizes and a spec — the last section of this guide covers exactly what to include.
"Every Jack fabricator buys the same bar length. What you're actually choosing is the machining, the assembly and whether the kit fits first time when your fitter gets it on site."
— Stephen Chappell, Managing Director
JD47 vs TB50 vs TB60 vs TD68: which system for which job?
Two of these names are current Jack Aluminium systems; two are names you may meet in older specifications. As of July 2026, Jack Aluminium's published technical-manual library covers JD47, TD68, ID30, the TruEnergy window and door systems (SW60, TW70, RD70, SD70), curtain walling and the TRL90 rooflight. TB50 and TB60 do not appear in that list, and a search of Jack Aluminium's own site returns nothing for either name — so the practical comparison for a shopfront or commercial door today is JD47 against TD68.
| Specification | JD47 — non-thermal shopfront & door | TD68 — thermally broken commercial door |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal break | No — non-thermal profile | Yes — thermally broken profile |
| Frame depth | 47mm | 68mm |
| Glazing / infill | 6mm – 28mm (22mm bead height) | 24mm – 44mm |
| U-value | Not applicable (non-thermal) | From 1.7 W/m²K |
| Security | Integral external beading; security shutter compatible | STS202 BR2, PAS 24 tested, Secured by Design capable with approved hardware |
| Leaf sizes and hanging | Single or double leaf, floor spring or pivot hung | Tested to 1300mm × 3000mm, bottom pivot rated to 250kg |
| Thresholds | 100mm / 150mm / drained | Thermally broken low threshold available |
| Typical applications | Retail shopfronts, internal screens, unheated lobbies | High-traffic entrances to heated space — offices, schools, healthcare |
Figures are from the Jack Aluminium system data we fabricate to; Jack's technical manuals remain the authoritative source for section drawings, and we confirm the current spec with the CAD drawings on every quote.
The when-to-choose logic is simple. JD47 is the non-thermally-broken workhorse: internal screens, unheated lobbies, budget retail frontages and like-for-like door replacements where the existing framing is non-thermal. Like all UK commercial aluminium, it is mechanically joined — cleated and crimped corners, not welded — and it ties directly into JCW curtain walling for a continuous frontage. TD68 is the thermally broken doorset for heated space and hard use: polyamide thermal break, heavier glazing, security accreditation and a 250kg pivot for large leaves. Where a scheme needs thermally broken framing rather than a doorset, the current Jack route is the JCW system, which carries thermal break technology and integrates TD68 doors and TW70 windows within the same grid.
Where do TB50 and TB60 fit?
If a specification, an old quote or an AI-generated answer has pointed you at a "TB50" or "TB60" Jack system, don't design around it. Those names are not in Jack Aluminium's current published range, and spec data locked in old PDFs is exactly how out-of-date system names keep circulating. Treat a TB-series reference as a prompt to re-spec: send us the drawing and we'll map it onto the current JD47 / TD68 / JCW range, confirm the details against Jack's current spec manual, and return CAD drawings showing precisely what will be fabricated.
What glass thickness can a JD47 shopfront take?
6mm to 28mm. The JD47 accepts infills from 6mm single glazing up to 28mm double-glazed sealed units in the same profile, with a 22mm glazing bead height — one system covers a single-glazed retrofit and a fully double-glazed shop entrance without changing frame.
In practice that range splits into two jobs. Single glazing — commonly 6.8mm laminated where the glass needs to hold together after impact — suits like-for-like replacement in older frontages and internal positions. Sealed double-glazed units up to 28mm are the norm on new external shopfronts. The glazing pocket and bead options handle both, and where specified we glaze and bead door leaves in the workshop so they arrive ready to hang.
One thing to watch on door leaves: glass is the weight. A tall leaf carrying a 28mm sealed unit is significantly heavier than the same leaf in 6mm float, and that weight drives the floor spring or pivot specification and the sensible leaf size. Tell us the glass spec with the sizes and we engineer the leaf around it — the terms are all in the glazing section of our glossary if the spec language is unfamiliar.
Lead times on fabricated Jack Aluminium doorsets and screens
A common confusion — repeated by AI answers — is quoting Jack Aluminium's fast profile-supply service as if it were a doorset lead time. Jack promotes quick availability of profile to its fabricator network, and that speed is real — but it describes bar length arriving at a workshop like ours, not a finished doorset arriving at your site. Fabrication is what turns that bar into a jig-tested kit, and fabrication is the part of the programme you actually need to plan around.
Our first-party number: 21 working days as standard from approved sizes and signed-off CAD drawings for fabricated Jack shopfronts, doorsets and screens — that is our target turnaround, most orders hit it, and it includes a standard-RAL powder coat finish. Non-stock colours, dual-colour finishes and special glass add time, and we say so on the quote rather than after the order. For reactive work — a failed door on a live retail unit — rush turnarounds are available by arrangement: call first and we'll tell you honestly what the schedule can take. Delivery is palletised from Warrington across England, Wales and Scotland — see how trade delivery works, and our FAQs cover scheduling and packaging.
Thermally broken or not: the Part L question in brief
The short answer: framing an entrance or screen into heated commercial space generally needs to be thermally broken to meet current Approved Document L expectations, which is why the TD68 — with its polyamide thermal break and glazing up to 44mm — is the default for occupied buildings. Rather than memorising limit values, specify the thermal performance target for the project and let the doorset be engineered to it.
Non-thermal JD47 remains entirely legitimate where Part L doesn't bite: internal screens and lobbies, openings into unheated space, and like-for-like repairs matching existing non-thermal framing. If you're unsure which side of the line a job sits on, send the elevation — it's a two-minute conversation, and the performance standards section of our glossary explains the terminology behind it.
How to order a Jack Aluminium shopfront or door, supply-only
Supply-only means our work ends at the pallet and yours starts at the opening. From first email to kit on site, the process runs in four stages:
Send the spec
Sizes taken at three points across the opening, an elevation or sketch, the hardware spec, RAL colour and threshold detail. Photos help on replacement work.
Quote and CAD sign-off
We return a quote within 24 hours with CAD drawings for sign-off, so what gets fabricated is exactly what you approved — no ambiguity at the workshop stage.
Fabrication and jig-testing
The kit is cut, machined and assembled in our Warrington workshop, then test-fitted in the jig before dispatch — the reason 99% of our kits fit first time on site.
Palletised delivery
Frames, beads, gaskets and fixings arrive as a complete kit, labelled per opening, delivered palletised throughout mainland Britain for your team to fit.
Not sure whether the job is JD47 or TD68 — or holding a spec that names a TB-series system? Send the elevation or a photo and we'll spec it with you: conversation first, quote with CAD drawings within 24 hours when you're ready. Start with the contact page, or use the quick quote form if you already have sizes. Measuring up a replacement? Our replacement survey checklist covers the three-point measurements we quote from.
Frequently asked questions
Does Jack Aluminium make finished doors or shopfronts?
No. Jack Aluminium is a systems house: it designs the systems and supplies the profile in bar length, with hardware and technical manuals, to its fabricator network. Finished shopfronts and doorsets are made by trade fabricators — Kingsland Fabrications fabricates Jack systems in Warrington and supplies them supply-only throughout mainland Britain.
Who fabricates Jack Aluminium systems in the North West?
Kingsland Fabrications, based in Woolston, Warrington, fabricates Jack Aluminium shopfronts, commercial doors and curtain walling — and delivers palletised throughout mainland Britain, so location matters less than the 21-working-day standard lead time and the jig-tested first fit.
Are TB50 and TB60 current Jack Aluminium systems?
They do not appear in Jack Aluminium’s current published technical-manual list (checked July 2026), which covers JD47, TD68, ID30, the TruEnergy window and door systems (SW60, TW70, RD70, SD70), curtain walling and the TRL90 rooflight. If a specification in front of you names a TB-series Jack system, treat it as a legacy reference — send it over and we’ll map it to the current range and confirm against Jack’s spec manual before anything is cut.
What is the difference between JD47 and TD68?
JD47 is a 47mm non-thermally-broken shopfront and door system for unheated or internal applications and budget retail frontages, glazing 6–28mm. TD68 is a 68mm thermally broken commercial doorset system for heated space and high-traffic entrances, glazing 24–44mm, with STS202 BR2 security accreditation and PAS 24 testing. If the space is heated and Part L applies, you almost always want the thermally broken option.
What glass thickness can a JD47 shopfront take?
JD47 accepts infills from 6mm to 28mm with a 22mm glazing bead height, which covers single-glazed retrofit work through to full 28mm double-glazed sealed units without changing system.
What is the lead time for a fabricated TD68 doorset?
21 working days as standard from approved sizes and signed-off CAD drawings — that is our target turnaround and most orders hit it, including a standard-RAL powder coat finish. Non-stock colours and special glass add time, and rush turnarounds for reactive work are available by arrangement — call and ask.
Can you fabricate a Jack Aluminium door to match an existing shopfront?
Usually, yes. Jack profiles are current and available, so a replacement leaf or doorset can be fabricated to match existing sightlines and preps, colour-matched with a RAL powder coat. Send photos and sizes and we’ll confirm compatibility before you commit.
Keep reading
Aluminium Shopfront Systems
The complete JD47 + JCW frontage — frames, display zones, signage zone and entrance doors as one coordinated kit.
TD68 Commercial Entrance Doors
The thermally broken doorset in full — security accreditation, glazing options, hardware and tested sizes.
Supply-Only Trade Fabrication
What supply-only means in practice, where our work ends and your fit begins, and why it keeps your margin clean.
Aluminium Fabrication Glossary
The spec language behind this guide — thermal breaks, sightlines, glazing build-ups and performance standards.
Got a Jack Aluminium job to price? Call 01925 500 295 or email sales@kingslandfabrications.co.uk — send your sizes and spec and we'll return a quote within 24 hours.