Types of Awnings: Retractable vs. Fixed vs. Metal, Compared for Portland

4

Main types of awning: retractable, fixed fabric, metal and freestanding

36.9 in

Normal yearly rain at Portland International Airport (NOAA, 1991–2020)

74%

Of that rain falls October through March, when retractables stay in

55%

Fewer dangerous-heat hours with exterior shades in Portland’s 2021 heat wave, per a PNNL-cited study

“What kind of awning should I get?” The honest answer starts with a second question: do you want shade you can put away, or cover that stays up through a Portland winter?

Everything else, from the frame to the fabric, follows from that. Below are the four types we build and install, how each one behaves in our weather, and a side-by-side table you can use to narrow it down before you call.

What are the main types of awnings?

Awnings sort into four families by how they mount and whether they move. Shapes like dome, concave or convex are styles within a family, not types of their own.

• Retractable

  Fabric on folding arms that extends from the house, then rolls back into a hood or cassette.

  Rain

  Retract it

  Shade

  On demand

  Upkeep

  Fabric care, motor service

• Fixed fabric

  A sewn cover on a welded aluminum, galvanized pipe or rope pull-up frame. Stays up all year.

  Rain

  Covers it all year

  Shade

  Always on

  Upkeep

  Clean it; recover when worn

• Metal

  Aluminum for most homes, steel where the span or load asks for more. Flat, ribbed or standing seam.

  Rain

  Holds snow, hail, sleet

  Shade

  Always on

  Upkeep

  Very little

• Freestanding

  Canopies, cabanas and shade sails on their own posts, away from the wall or over a whole patio.

  Rain

  Solid fabric, pitched

  Shade

  Where the house can’t

  Upkeep

  Seasonal check

Retractable vs. fixed vs. metal awnings, side by side

Prices depend on width, frame, fabric and how it mounts, so we quote once we’ve seen the space; a photo and a rough width are often enough for a ballpark. Our Portland awning cost guide walks through what moves the number for each type.

Which type of awning is best for Portland rain?

For year-round rain cover, a fixed fabric or metal awning. A retractable is a fair-weather awning: SummerSpace, the maker of every retractable we install, tells owners to keep them closed in rain, hail, high winds and snow, because water can pool on extended fabric and make it sag over time.

That matters here more than most places. Portland International Airport averages 36.9 inches of rain a year, and almost three-quarters of it falls between October and March.

Portland rain by month

1. 5.03Jan
2. 3.68Feb
3. 3.97Mar
4. 2.89Apr
5. 2.51May
6. 1.63Jun
7. 0.51Jul
8. 0.54Aug
9. 1.52Sep
10. 3.42Oct
11. 5.45Nov
12. 5.77Dec

• October–March: 27.3 in, 74% of the year
• April–September: 9.6 in, retractable season

That points to a setup that suits Portland: a fixed or metal awning over the door and the windows that need winter cover, and a retractable over the deck for May through September. Awnings over windows earn their keep in winter too: the Department of Energy’s Building America Solution Center notes that awnings protect windows, trim and siding from rainwater.

Retractable awnings: shade you can put away

A retractable awning is a fabric awning on folding arms that extends from the house to shade a deck, patio or window, then rolls back into a hood or cassette. Motorized versions run from a remote; a wind sensor can retract one automatically when gusts pick up.

• Pros: open sky in winter, full shade in July, a clean look when closed. A full-cassette model all but disappears into the house.
• Cons: it isn’t rain cover. It also has moving parts, so the drive and motor matter more than on any other type.
• What to ask about: the drive. Every SummerSpace awning we install turns its roller with a stainless steel chain locked to sprocket teeth, where many budget awnings use a rubber belt glued in place. Why the chain matters.

More detail on motors, wind sensors and fabric is in our retractable awning guide for Portland, and decks have their own page: patio and deck awnings.

Fixed fabric awnings: all-season cover with the most shapes

A fixed awning, also called a stationary or permanent awning, stays up all year. We build three kinds, each with a cover cut and sewn in our shop:

1. Welded aluminum frameThe sturdiest fabric awning, shaped to fit: traditional, dome, concave or convex, with a staple-on or lace-on cover.
2. Pipe frameGalvanized pipe cut and threaded to the design. The classic awning frame, often with a straight or scalloped valance.
3. Rope pull-upRaise it in winter to let light in, drop it for summer shade. Made for the Pacific Northwest.

Fabric is where fixed awnings win: any color or stripe, any of four shapes, and lettering if you want it. Most custom fabric awnings today are solution-dyed acrylic rather than true canvas; canvas vs. acrylic explains the difference. The frame types are compared in depth in stationary awnings explained, and you can see finished work on our window and door awnings page.

Metal awnings: the lowest upkeep for doors and windows

A metal awning is a fixed awning with a metal cover and frame instead of fabric. Aluminum is the light choice for most doors and windows and doesn’t rust; steel comes in where the span or load calls for a heavier build. Both hold up to snow, hail and sleet and need very little upkeep.

The trade-off is choice. Metal comes in flat, ribbed or standing-seam profiles and many colors, but not the curved shapes or lettering fabric can carry. We build both, so the advice is straight: metal when upkeep and weather come first, fabric when the look, the shape or a logo matters more.

It is beautiful, of the highest quality, a good value, well installed and does the job of keeping the sun off our front wood door.

Freestanding canopies, cabanas and shade sails

What’s the difference between an awning and a canopy? An awning attaches to a building. A canopy can stand on its own posts, which is why canopies, cabanas and shade sails shade places an awning can’t reach: the middle of a yard, a pool deck, a patio set away from the wall.

Sails are the lightest option, but in Portland they need to be pitched so rain runs off, and mesh fabric lets water through. Shade sails in Portland covers anchoring and pitch, patio cover ideas compares canopies with pergola covers, and our patio covers and canopies page shows what we build.

Which type of awning cuts the most heat?

Any type that shades the glass from outside beats a blind on the inside, because it stops the sun before it heats the window. PNNL’s Building America Solution Center cites a study of Portland’s 2021 heat wave: in a home without air conditioning, window attachments would have cut the hours spent in the heat index’s “danger” or “extreme danger” range.

Fewer dangerous-heat hours, 2021 Portland heat wave

• Interior roller shades18%
• Insulating interior shades23%
• Exterior shades55%

For heat on a south- or west-facing window, a fixed fabric or metal window awning works all summer without anyone touching it; a retractable window awning like the Robusta does the same job and folds away in winter. Which windows to shade first is in do window awnings reduce heat?, and for glass you want to see through, look at exterior solar screens.

How to choose the right type of awning: five questions

1. Do you need cover in the rain, or shade in the sun?Rain: fixed fabric or metal. Sun you can put away: retractable.
2. Is it over a door, a window or a deck?Doors and windows usually get fixed or metal awnings; decks and patios usually get retractables.
3. Does the look matter as much as the job?Fabric gives you shape, color, stripes and lettering. Metal gives you a sleek line and very little upkeep.
4. Do you want light back in winter?A retractable, or a rope pull-up fabric awning you raise in the fall.
5. Is the spot away from the house?Then it’s a canopy, cabana or shade sail rather than an awning.

Send a straight-on photo of the wall and a rough width, and we’ll tell you which type fits and what it costs. You can also browse colors and stripes in our fabric studio.

What makes a Rose City awning built for the Pacific Northwest

Every type above is only as good as the parts and the hands behind it. This is what we put into ours:

• Made here since 1954. Covers are cut and sewn, and aluminum frames welded and shaped, on our own shop floor at 2728 NW Nela Street in Portland.
• One retractable line, chosen on purpose. We carry only SummerSpace, on stainless steel chain drives, with Somfy motors and wind sensors that retract the awning when gusts pick up.
• Fabric made for weather. Sunbrella or Tempotest on retractables, and Sunbrella and other proven awning fabrics on fixed awnings, in solids and stripes you can see in our showroom.
• Frames made for Portland winters. Rope pull-ups that raise for winter light, and metal awnings that hold snow, hail and sleet.
• Graphics without outsourcing. Logos and lettering cut on our SGS 100 machine from 3M Scotchcal ElectroCut film and welded to the fabric.
• Our own crew installs it, sets the limit switches and walks you through how everything works. If we built it, its specs stay on file for the next recover.
• Licensed in two states. Oregon CCB #202531 and Washington ROSECCA866PB, bonded and insured, a member of the International Fabrics Association, with a team in Bend for Central Oregon.

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