Home / All / Product Guide / What is the difference between a unitized curtain wall and a stick curtain wall?
What is the difference between a unitized curtain wall and a stick curtain wall?
The main difference between unitized and stick curtain wall systems lies in the assembly method and location.
Unitized Curtain Wall System
- Factory-assembled into complete panels (typically one floor tall).
- Shipped to site as ready-to-install units.
- Faster on-site installation with less labor.
- Higher quality control (factory environment).
- Higher initial cost but lower installation cost.
- Ideal for large-scale, repetitive projects and high-rise buildings.
- Better suited for tight construction schedules.
Stick Curtain Wall System
- Individual framing members (mullions and transoms) installed piece by piece on-site.
- Glass and infill panels installed after framing is erected.
- Lower upfront cost, more flexible for complex geometries.
- Requires more on-site labor and time.
- Better for low-rise buildings or irregular facade designs.
- Allows on-site adjustments during installation.
FOWALL manufactures both systems. Their engineering team helps clients select the optimal system based on project scale, timeline, budget, and design complexity. With a 550,000 m² production facility, FOWALL can handle high-volume unitized panel production while also supporting custom stick-built projects for unique architectural requirements.
Choosing between unitized and stick systems? Send your project requirements or contact us for an installation method recommendation.


