Trade and Bulk Glazing — UK Account Pricing, Lead Times, and Wholesale Supply
Pane Relief supplies replacement double-glazed and triple-glazed units, toughened and laminated safety glass, and bespoke shapes to UK trade buyers: installers, builders, glaziers, FM contractors, housing associations, and developers. Trade accounts unlock net pricing on every product in the catalogue, NET 30 payment terms, bulk-tier discounts from 10 units, dedicated technical support, and direct-to-site delivery. This page covers how to open an account, what terms you qualify for, and how bulk orders are priced, scheduled, and delivered.
Trade account terms, lead times, and how pricing works
Pane Relief trade accounts operate on a tiered pricing model. Tier 1 (open to any verified UK trade buyer) is roughly 12% below the public storefront on standard double-glazed units and 15% below on triple-glazed. Tier 2 (12-month rolling spend over £25,000) adds a further 5%. Tier 3 (£75,000 over 12 months, or framework supply to a registered RSL or main contractor) is bespoke. Pricing is published in the trade portal, not negotiated per-order; the configurator and storefront automatically apply the logged-in customer's tier discount at checkout.
Payment terms are pro-forma at account opening, moving to NET 30 from invoice date after the first three orders settle on time and the account has cleared a credit reference (Experian Business or Creditsafe). Trade accounts ordering over £2,000 per month routinely qualify for NET 30 from the second order. The order is dispatched on confirmation; the invoice issues on dispatch; payment falls due 30 days from the dispatch date. Late settlement carries statutory interest at Bank of England base rate plus 8% under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, charged monthly on overdue invoices.
Lead times for trade orders match the public storefront for stock specifications and tighten for high-volume orders. Standard double-glazed units in clear-argon spec dispatch within 5 working days. Performance specs (low-E, Planitherm or equivalent, A-rated WER) dispatch within 5–7 working days. Triple-glazed within 7 working days. Acoustic glass with PVB-laminated inner ply within 7–10 working days. Toughened or laminated safety glass within 7–10 working days. Trade accounts placing recurring orders can schedule manufacture against a 4-week rolling forecast — this removes the dispatch-window variance and allows direct-to-site delivery aligned with the installer's programme.
Bulk discounts compound with the trade-tier discount: 5% on orders of 10–24 units, 8% on 25–49 units, 12% on 50+ units of the same configuration, plus a further 3% if the order is dispatched in a single consignment rather than split. Bespoke and shaped glass is priced individually; bulk discounts apply when the order is for a single project with a unified specification rather than mixed one-offs.
Trade-buyer specifications buyers compare on
The attributes below are the predicates that distinguish a workable trade supplier from a transactional one. Pane Relief's positioning on each is published — there is no opaque negotiation needed before you can compare.
| Predicate | Pane Relief trade | Typical UK wholesaler |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum order to open account | None — any verified UK trade | £1,000 first order common |
| Payment terms (post-credit-clear) | NET 30 from invoice | NET 30 with discount tier; some still pro-forma |
| Bulk-tier breaks | 10 / 25 / 50 units (5% / 8% / 12%) | Negotiated; rarely published |
| Stock-spec dispatch | 5 working days | 5–10 working days |
| Direct-to-site delivery | UK mainland, 1–2 working days post-dispatch | Hub-and-spoke; site delivery extra |
| Manufacturing standard | BS EN 1279-1 to -6 sealed units; CE marked | Varies — confirm before order |
| Safety-glass standards | BS EN 12150 toughened; BS EN 14449 laminated | Same where supplier is reputable |
| Compliance documentation | BS EN 1279 declaration per order; CE mark on label | On request |
| Installer guarantee passthrough | 10 years on sealed-unit edge seal | 5–10 years; check terms |
| Bespoke shapes and sizes | To template; 7–10 working day lead | Available but premium pricing |
| FENSA network supply | Yes — direct to FENSA installers | Yes (most wholesalers) |
How trade accounts are used
Installers and glaziers — recurring small-batch orders
For FENSA-registered installers running a residential book of business, the day-to-day order pattern is small-batch replacement glazing: a misted unit here, a draught-failure unit there, occasional 5–10 unit refurbishments. The pricing-and-time wins come from speed of dispatch and reliable measurement-to-fit accuracy, not from headline bulk discounts. Trade Tier 1 unlocks the 12% net price on standard specs immediately; the configurator handles the spec capture without phone-tag; the typical lead time of 5 working days lets the installer hold a 2-week-out booking schedule. For installers running 50+ units a month, Tier 2 kicks in automatically once 12-month spend clears £25,000.
Developers and main contractors — programme-driven supply
For new-build and large-refurb developers, the unit price is one of three numbers that matter; the other two are delivery against programme and compliance documentation. Trade accounts on Tier 2+ run a 4-week rolling manufacturing forecast: the developer submits a unit schedule by drawing reference, Pane Relief manufactures and delivers against the programme, and Building Control receives a single batch of BS EN 1279-1 to -6 declarations rather than per-order paperwork. This is materially easier for the contractor's QA file than a one-off supplier-chain trail. Pricing on programme supply is negotiated bespoke; ballpark is Tier 3 discount on 100+ units.
Facilities management and housing associations — bulk replacement programmes
Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and FM contractors running planned-preventative replacement programmes operate on a different cadence again: typically 200–500 units a year across a stock portfolio, with site survey, dispatch, and installation scheduled in waves. Pane Relief handles this through a framework-supply agreement, which fixes pricing for 12–24 months against a forecast volume, with quarterly volume reconciliation. This works for RSLs because it removes the per-order tender overhead and gives the supply chain predictable manufacturing-line allocation. Framework supply is gated by procurement-team approval and a one-off financial-stability review; once in place, the day-to-day order flow runs through the same trade portal as smaller accounts.
Pane Relief trade vs typical UK glass wholesaler
The UK trade glazing market has three structural archetypes: the national wholesale supplier (large-volume, depot-based, slower lead times, opaque pricing), the regional unit assembler (faster, mid-range, geography-bound), and the direct-to-installer manufacturer (Pane Relief's model — manufacturing-aligned pricing visibility, configurator-led order capture, UK-mainland courier delivery). Each suits a different buyer type.
| Aspect | National wholesaler | Regional assembler | Pane Relief (direct) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing visibility | Quote-on-request | Trade list price | Live, logged-in at storefront / configurator |
| Order capture | Phone / email; rep relationship | Phone / email; some online | Configurator; phone for bespoke |
| Lead time (stock spec) | 7–14 working days | 3–7 working days local | 5 working days nationwide |
| Geographic coverage | UK-wide via depot network | One region typically | UK mainland direct ex-works |
| Minimum order | Pallet quantities common | Single unit possible | Single unit; bulk tiers from 10 |
| Compliance docs | On request | On request | Issued with every order |
For an installer running mixed-spec replacement work, the determining variable is usually per-order overhead, not per-unit price. The wholesaler model assumes a large rep-driven order at depot-collection pricing; the direct-manufacturer model assumes a configurator-driven order with delivery built into the price. The break-even crosses around 8–10 units per order: below that, direct is faster and lower-overhead; above 25–30 units to a single site, the wholesaler's depot-and-rep model competes hard. Trade buyers running both order profiles often hold accounts at one of each.
Trade bodies and certification references
The trade bodies, certification schemes, and statutory references below underpin every commercial supply relationship in UK glazing. Pane Relief's trade terms align with each.
- FENSA — Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme. Pane Relief supplies directly to FENSA-registered installers; installation by a registered firm self-certifies Building Regs compliance (Approved Documents K and L) for replacement windows in dwellings.
- Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) — UK trade body publishing the GGF Glazing Manual, technical bulletins, and the GGF Deposit Protection scheme. Many trade buyers reference GGF documents in their own QA process.
- BSI Group — publisher of the manufacturing standards (BS EN 1279-1 to -6 for sealed units; BS EN 12150 for toughened; BS EN 14449 for laminated). Trade accounts requiring full compliance documentation receive certificates referencing these standards.
- British Board of Agrément (BBA) — third-party certification for proprietary glazing systems and PAS 24-tested frame-glass assemblies. Trade-supplied components into PAS 24 builds carry BBA references where applicable.
- Approved Document L — Conservation of fuel and power — the U-value floor for replacement glazing in dwellings (currently 1.4 W/m²K for windows in England). Drives the spec for any trade order destined for residential retrofit.
- Approved Document K — Protection from falling, collision and impact — safety-glass requirements for critical locations. Trade orders for low-level glazing must specify to K.
- Planning Portal — consolidated guidance on conservation areas, Listed Building consents, and Approved Document Q (Security in dwellings). Trade orders into heritage or new-build dwelling stock must reference these.