Milgard vs. Andersen Windows: How They Compare in California

If you are collecting window quotes in California, Milgard and Andersen will probably both come up. They are both long-established and widely available, and they approach the product from opposite directions. This page, part of our California window guide, describes each as the companies themselves currently do, and where the real differences lie. For our own work with one of them, see Milgard windows from Heritage Exteriors.

The two companies

Milgard began in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington, when Maurice Milgard Jr. and his son Gary started Milgard Glass Company, and it moved into aluminum windows soon after. The company says its products are found throughout the western United States, sold through a network of Milgard Certified Dealers. In 2019 it became part of MITER Brands, a group of window and door manufacturers.

Andersen dates its history to 1903 and is based in Bayport, Minnesota. Andersen Corporation's brands include Andersen Windows & Doors and Renewal by Andersen, its replacement division. Andersen Windows products are sold nationally through dealers and retailers.

The regional difference matters more than it sounds. Milgard's warranty service, as we will see, is tied to a defined service territory in the West. Andersen's documents apply across the United States.

Product lines sold today

These are the window series each company lists on its own site at the time of writing. Lines change, so confirm on the manufacturer's site before relying on an older review. A lot of what is published about Milgard, for example, still describes series names it no longer lists.

Both companies also make patio doors and large moving glass walls, which we cover in sibling guides on sliding and multi-slide doors.

Materials: the core difference

Put the two tables together and the pattern is clear.

• Milgard does not make a wood window. Its range is vinyl at three levels, fiberglass and aluminum.
• Andersen does not make an all-vinyl window. Its entry point is the Fibrex composite 100 Series, and everything above that has a wood core. Andersen's own material pages argue that vinyl is better used as cladding over wood than as a whole frame.

So the brand decision is often really a material decision:

• If you want vinyl, you are looking at Milgard (and at other vinyl makers). Our sibling comparisons of Anlin versus Milgard and Milgard versus Pella cover alternatives.
• If you want a wood interior, you are looking at Andersen's 200 and 400 Series and above. See wood versus vinyl.
• If you want a stiff, paint-free frame that is not vinyl, the head-to-head is Milgard C700 fiberglass against Andersen 100 Series Fibrex. See fiberglass versus vinyl and composite versus vinyl.
• If you want thin aluminum frames, Milgard's A250 is the residential aluminum option of the two; see vinyl versus aluminum.

Warranty terms, as published

This is where the two differ most, and where outdated information causes the most trouble. Milgard issued new warranty documents effective 1 January 2026. What follows summarizes the current replacement-product documents from each company; new-construction purchases have their own versions.

Milgard's optional Full Lifetime upgrade

Milgard is well known for a full lifetime warranty with glass breakage coverage. As of 2026 that is a separate Full Lifetime Warranty Upgrade. Milgard's site lists it for the V400 Tuscany, V300 Trinsic and C700 series, and the document says it is optional, not available for all products or locations, must be purchased at the time of the original sale and must be reflected in Milgard's order documents.

When it applies, it covers frame, insulated glass, hardware and non-specialty glass breakage for as long as the original owner owns and lives in the home, and Milgard provides all labor. It cannot be transferred. If the owner sells, rents out or moves out of the home, coverage reverts to the standard terms for other owners.

The practical step: ask for the warranty by name on your quote, and keep the order paperwork that shows it.

Exclusions the two share

Both sets of documents exclude installation problems, condensation, damage from window films or tints, and harsh cleaning methods. Both mention salt: Milgard excludes corrosion and abnormal environments apart from a short term on stainless hardware, and Andersen excludes damage from airborne pollutants such as salt. Both include dispute-resolution terms worth reading; Andersen's document describes a way to opt out of its class-action and jury-trial waivers within one year of purchase.

For help reading any of this, see our sibling guides: window warranties explained and how to make a window warranty claim.

Where they are made

We limit this to what each company states. Milgard describes itself as a Western company founded in Tacoma and serving the western United States. Andersen's service center and corporate address are in Bayport, Minnesota, and Renewal by Andersen says its windows are built at a Minnesota manufacturing facility using U.S. and imported parts.

Neither company's consumer pages tie a specific product line to a specific plant in a way we could verify, and we will not guess. If place of manufacture matters to you, ask the dealer to confirm it for the exact line you are ordering. Lead time is the related practical question, and it also varies by line and season; get it in writing on the quote.

Availability and who installs

Both are sold through independent dealers and contractors, who do the installing and provide their own workmanship warranty. Both also appear in big-box installed programs; Home Depot lists Andersen and Milgard among the brands it installs, with availability varying by region. See our sibling guide on big-box installation versus a local contractor.

The manufacturer's warranty covers the product. It does not cover how the window was put in the wall, and installation is where most early problems start. Whoever you buy from, get the installer's workmanship warranty in writing. Our Sacramento and Bay Area window company pages list the things to check about any installer.

Energy performance and Title 24

Both brands offer glass packages that meet California's requirement for replacement windows, and both offer some that may not, depending on configuration and climate zone. The prescriptive maximum U-factor is 0.27 in Northern California, the Central Valley and the Sierra and 0.30 in much of Southern California, with a solar heat gain limit in most zones. See what Title 24 requires.

Do not compare the brands on efficiency in general. Compare the two NFRC labels for the exact units quoted. How to read an NFRC label shows what to look for.

Which suits which house

• A 1970s to 1990s stucco house, replacing aluminum sliders: a Milgard vinyl series is the natural fit, and the slimmer Trinsic profile helps on a retrofit. Andersen's nearest answer is the 100 Series.
• An older house with stained or painted wood trim: Andersen's clad-wood lines give you a real wood interior, which Milgard does not offer.
• A mid-century or contemporary house: price Milgard's aluminum and fiberglass against Andersen's 100 Series and compare frame widths directly.
• A house you expect to sell within a few years: Andersen's fixed terms pass to the buyer in full; Milgard's pass on reduced terms. If you plan to stay, Milgard's owner-occupant coverage and included skilled labor are strong.
• A rental: read the owner-occupancy language first. Milgard's lifetime terms apply to owner-occupants; a rental owner falls under the 10-year terms.

For installed cost ranges, see window replacement cost in Sacramento and the Bay Area. To compare bids properly, use how to compare window replacement quotes.

Service after the sale

How a claim is handled differs as much as the terms do.

Milgard runs its own service. Its warranty page says that when something covered needs attention, Milgard factory-trained technicians go out and make it right. Claims go to Milgard through its service request page or phone line, the warranty asks that they be made within 30 days of discovering the condition, and the sales order number printed between the panes of glass identifies the window. The included skilled labor applies only if the home is inside Milgard's service territory, which is another reason the brand is strongest in the West.

Andersen directs owners first to the dealer who sold the product, or to its own service center. Its documents ask for the product description, the logo information etched in a corner of the glass, a description of the concern and proof of purchase date if available. Andersen says it may charge an inspection fee when coverage is unclear, waived if the inspection finds a covered defect. Because labor is not included, ask the dealer or installer in advance what they charge to fit a warranty part.

Questions to put to each dealer

1. Which series is this, exactly, and what is the frame made of?
2. Which warranty document applies, and for Milgard, is the Full Lifetime upgrade included on this order?
3. What are the NFRC U-factor and SHGC for this configuration in my climate zone?
4. What is the lead time for this line?
5. Who installs, and what is the workmanship warranty in writing?
6. Who handles a product claim for me, and what would labor cost if the manufacturer does not cover it?

Sources

• Milgard: window series
• Milgard: about the company
• Milgard: warranties effective 1 January 2026
• Milgard replacement product lifetime limited warranty
• Milgard full lifetime warranty upgrade
• Milgard: frequently asked questions (registration, order numbers)
• Andersen Windows: window series
• Andersen: about the company
• Andersen Windows: warranty and registration
• Andersen 400 Series / 200 Series limited warranty (rev. September 2023)
• Andersen 100 Series limited warranty (rev. May 2019)
• The Home Depot: window installation services (brands installed)

Working with Heritage Exteriors

We install Milgard windows along with several other manufacturers' lines, and we will quote more than one product for the same openings so you can compare frame, glass and warranty side by side. Our quotes name the series, the warranty that applies and the certified performance figures. Licensed in California, CSLB #1055919. Call (916) 546-2991.