French Balconies

About French Balconies

A French balcony is a glass barrier fixed directly to the building façade at a full-height window or door opening, providing fall protection without a projecting balcony slab.

The glass panel is held in place by stainless-steel glass holders with integrated rods that anchor into the wall, creating a flush, minimal-hardware guardrail that preserves the open view and natural light.

Strofix supplies French balcony components in two rod sizes — Ø16 × 320 mm and Ø20 × 320 mm — in AISI 304 or AISI 316 stainless steel, with glass holders covering spacer heights from 4 to 30 mm and glass thicknesses from 6 to 12 mm.

Individual glass holders and a complete component set (with left, right and bracket pieces) are available.

The correct configuration depends on glass thickness, required spacer height, rod diameter and whether the project needs individual parts or a full set.

How to choose French balcony components

1. Individual holders or a complete set

Strofix offers individual glass holders for projects where specific components need to be matched or replaced, and a complete component set that includes left-side, right-side and bracket pieces for a single French balcony installation.

Choose the set for a straightforward single-opening project; order individual holders when configuring a non-standard layout or replacing a single part.

2. Glass thickness (6 / 8 / 10 / 12 mm)

The glass holder with Ø16 × 320 mm rod is available with configurable glass thickness options of 6, 8, 10 and 12 mm, accommodating standard toughened panels used in French balcony installations.

Confirm the panel thickness specified by the glazier or structural engineer before ordering.

3. Spacer height (4–30 mm)

Spacer height sets the gap between the glass and the wall surface.

Different holders cover different spacer ranges: 4 mm for near-flush mounting, 10 and 20 mm for standard wall finishes, and 30 mm for walls with thicker render or cladding.

Some variants support a selectable spacer height within a range (e.g. 4–30 mm or 10–30 mm), while others have a fixed 30 mm spacer.

4. Rod diameter (Ø16 or Ø20 mm)

Rod diameter affects the load capacity of the wall anchorage.

Ø16 mm rods are used with both the compact and the 30 mm spacer holders.

Ø20 mm rods are paired with holders that cover 10–30 mm spacer heights.

Both rod types are 320 mm long.

Choose based on the structural requirements and the holder variant selected.

5. Steel grade: AISI 304 or AISI 316

Most holders and the component set are supplied in AISI 304, suitable for typical interior window openings and standard exterior façades.

The glass holder with Ø16 × 320 mm rod is also available in AISI 316 for coastal or high-humidity environments where higher chloride resistance is needed.