Salamander GreenEvolution 76 vs BlueEvolution 72/82: how to choose

When a customer asks me “which is the best Salamander profile”, the honest answer is that it depends on the building, the climate zone and what you actually need to achieve. Salamander Industrie-Produkte manufactures three main families of residential PVC profiles in Türkheim, Bavaria: GreenEvolution 76, BlueEvolution 72 and BlueEvolution 82. We also work with them in contract manufacturing for window fitters and resellers. Over the last twelve years we’ve produced all three, sometimes for the same building, and what follows is a practical comparison — not a commercial one — of how they actually perform and when each one makes sense.

The logic behind the three profiles

Salamander doesn’t position the three systems as “good / better / best”. The range is designed to cover three different construction philosophies:

• GreenEvolution 76: a 76 mm profile, 5 chambers, classic offset-glazing geometry. It’s the workhorse of the range, the standard replacement product.
• BlueEvolution 72: a 72 mm profile, 6 chambers, centred-glazing geometry. Thinner but more insulating, targeted at serious energy retrofits.
• BlueEvolution 82: an 82 mm profile, 7 chambers, deep centred-glazing geometry. Certified by the Passive House Institute (PHI Darmstadt), designed for passive houses and nZEBs.

All three use the same greenline PVC formulation, free of lead stabilisers (banned in the EU since 2015), stabilised with calcium-zinc. All three have hot-dip galvanised steel reinforcement in the central chambers — PVC alone can’t cope with the dimensions of a modern window without flexing.

GreenEvolution 76: figures and use cases

The official figures from the Salamander data sheet:

• Frame profile depth: 76 mm
• Number of chambers: 5
• Maximum glazing rebate: 41 mm (allows for thick double glazing or thin triple glazing)
• Uf (frame): 1.1 W/m²K
• Uw with 4-16Ar-4 low-E glazing: 0.95-1.10 W/m²K
• Uw with triple 4-12-4-12-4 argon: 0.75-0.85 W/m²K
• Acoustic performance up to Rw 41 dB with 44.2/12/4 laminated glazing
• Sash visible from outside: 124 mm
• Double EPDM seals (external and central), standard black

The 76 is the profile we specify in 70-75% of residential quotes. The reasons are practical: it covers every replacement case for old wood or cold aluminium windows from the 1960s-1990s without issue, it has immediate availability across all types (tilt-and-turn, standard sliding, tilt-first sash, large fixed lights), and it has the most favourable performance-to-price ratio in the range.

Typical cases where it’s a great fit:

• An apartment in an apartment block targeting energy class B or A
• A detached house with existing or planned external insulation
• Replacement in a 1970s-1980s building with no passive-house ambitions
• A mid-range budget (the material price difference compared with the 72 is 10-15%)

BlueEvolution 72: the everyday premium

Official figures:

• Frame profile depth: 72 mm
• Number of chambers: 6
• Glazing rebate: 48 mm (comfortably takes 4-12-4-12-4 or 4-16-4-16-4 triple glazing)
• Uf: 1.0 W/m²K
• Uw with triple 4-12-4-12-4 argon: 0.80-0.90 W/m²K
• Sash visible from outside: 117 mm (7 mm slimmer than the 76)
• Centred-glazing geometry

There’s an interesting paradox here: the 72 is thinner than the 76 (72 mm versus 76 mm), yet it insulates slightly better. The reason is the geometry. Centred glazing distributes the thermal flow more evenly across the depth of the profile, and the extra chamber (6 versus 5) more than makes up for the missing millimetre of depth. Aesthetically, the difference shows: the 72 has more modern lines, slimmer frames, more visible glass.

Cases where it makes sense:

• Deep energy retrofits (targeting class A or A+)
• Quality new-build residential
• A customer wanting a more contemporary look while staying with PVC
• Triple glazing as the base configuration (not an option)

BlueEvolution 82: the passive-house option

Official figures:

• Profile depth: 82 mm
• Number of chambers: 7
• Glazing rebate: 56 mm (accommodates triple glazing with wide chambers for krypton gas fill)
• Uf: 0.85 W/m²K
• Uw with triple 4-16Ar-4-16Ar-4: 0.72-0.78 W/m²K
• Passive House Institute certification, class phA+ (for “advanced component”-type profiles)
• Dedicated insulated low thresholds
• Compatible with ultra-insulating glazing down to Ug 0.5 W/m²K

The 82 is a different beast. It costs 25-35% more than the 76 for otherwise equal specification, but it’s the profile to choose when the project is systemic: proper external insulation, a heat pump, mechanical ventilation, a CasaClima Gold or nZEB target. In a normal flat where the rest of the building is 1970s and uninsulated, choosing the 82 is throwing money away. The gap between the 76 and the 82 only pays for itself if the building as a whole can make use of every tenth of a W/m²K saved.

Accessories: what differs between the three

Steel reinforcement: all three use hot-dip galvanised steel, but the thickness varies. On the 76 you typically find 1.5 mm sheet, on the 72 1.5-2 mm, on the 82 2-2.5 mm with a closed U-section. The larger the window, the more the reinforcement matters: beyond 1500 mm on a side we always specify uprated reinforcement.

Seals: all use double-rebate EPDM, but on the 72/82 the third, central seal is deeper and does more work. Seals are replaced after 15-20 years as part of routine maintenance — they don’t last forever.

CE marking: mandatory by law for all windows and doors sold in the EU. On Salamander profiles you’ll find it on the label with the Uw values, air-permeability class (class 4 standard), water-tightness class (E1200 minimum), and wind-resistance class (C3-C5).

Hardware: in production we fit Maco MultiMatic or Roto NT on all three, in standard RC1 or RC2 on request. The hardware isn’t “part of the profile”, but the sash routing is sized differently for each.

Colour options

All three are available in:

• Standard white, RAL 9016
• RENOLIT wood-effect foils (oak, walnut, cherry, mahogany) — applied by co-extrusion, 10-year colour warranty
• Premium RAL finishes (anthracite RAL 7016, quartz grey, moss green) both single-faced (white inside, coloured outside) and dual-faced
• Renolit Solid Color metallic finishes for an aluminium look

One practical point: dark profiles (anthracite, dark brown) absorb more heat in the sun. On these profiles, Salamander uses Cool Colors technology with IR-reflective pigments, but even so, on south/west-facing exposures the frame can reach 60-70°C in peak summer. It’s not a structural problem (modern PVC withstands up to 90°C continuously), but it’s worth knowing.

Summary table

Feature	GreenEvolution 76	BlueEvolution 72	BlueEvolution 82
Profile depth	76 mm	72 mm	82 mm
Chambers	5	6	7
Uf	1.1 W/m²K	1.0 W/m²K	0.85 W/m²K
Min. Uw with triple glazing	0.75	0.80	0.72
Visible sash	124 mm	117 mm	117 mm
Glazing rebate	41 mm	48 mm	56 mm
PHI certification	no	no	yes
Material price range	base	+10-15%	+25-35%
Typical case	standard replacement	class A retrofit	passive house, nZEB

How to choose the right profile

Over twelve years of work we’ve developed a fairly simple logic. It starts with four questions:

1. What state is the building in overall? If the rest is poorly insulated, the 76 does the job. Investing in the 82 without external insulation is unbalanced.
2. What’s the climate zone of the location? The further towards zone E/F (mountainous Northern Italy), the more it’s worth moving up the range. In zone B/C (southern areas) the 76 with double low-E glazing is already adequate.
3. How many years will you stay in the house? If the answer is “for good”, the price difference for the 72 pays for itself in 8-12 years of energy bills. If it’s “we’re selling in five years”, the 76 is more sensible.
4. Does aesthetics matter? The 72/82 have more modern lines, slim sashes, more visible glass. This matters in new builds or renovations aiming for a contemporary look.

To get a feel for prices and the line items of a serious quote, read our complete guide to PVC windows and doors and the dedicated page on PVC windows and doors.

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Request a free quote and we’ll work out together which of the three profiles best fits your actual situation. No off-the-shelf decisions: it always depends on how your building is built.