Folding Arm Awnings & Folding Canopies

Quality is the single most important consideration when choosing the best folding arm retractable awning.

Folding arm awning prices can depend on factors such as quality of materials, craftsmanship, engineering certifications, and design. You can buy a simple and small foldable awning at around $2,000, bigger lateral arm awnings can cost around $6,000, and a very large foldable awning can cost up to $12,000. Motorized versions can increase the awning’s overall cost by about $800 to $1,000. Be very careful with cheap, extremely low-quality folding arm awnings from China that you buy online just to save on cost. The number of repairs and the possible danger to people due to no engineering specifications or wind loads, falling components or the entire awning falling, fabric that fades, mildews, and rots easily and quickly, and frames that rust or come apart can prove more costly in the long run.

The best folding arm awnings can last for years so it is very important to choose a trusted awning supplier known for providing high-quality products. As an awning supplier and manufacturer, we take pride that we only sell the very best products that passed the strictest European TÜV Product Approval requirements and underwent the European CE certification to conform with health, safety, and environmental protection standards. Our retractable awning arms also go through 80,000 cycles (the highest in the industry) of operation to test the durability of their construction and operation.

Foldable awnings are great additions to any home or business establishment because of their adaptability to weather conditions. During summer days, you can fully extend the awning to block harmful UV rays, glare, and heat. When it’s a little chilly you can retract the canopy to let in some sunlight, thus reducing the cost of heating a house. During windy days, heavy rain, and bad weather, you can retract your awning to save it from wear and tear and damage.

You can also use wind and motion sensors to retract the folding lateral arm awning automatically. This is especially useful when it’s windy or no one is at home to turn the crank manually or operate the motor. A sun sensor can be used to extend the canopy awning at sunrise and close it at sunset. You can use a rain sensor to close the folding arm awning in cases where not enough pitch can be placed on the arms for light rain runoff. It is also possible to extend the canopy awning using the rain sensor when enough pitch is available on the arms for front rainwater runoff to protect furniture and tables from light rain.

Our Palermo and Palermo Plus models can handle about 20-24 mph or 29-38 km/hr (Beaufort scale 5) when extended and in use. The Roma and Venezia both have a Beaufort rating of 4.

Most people are indoors when the wind speed is above 20 mph or 32 km/hr and would not be using the retractable awning. To be sure your folding lateral arm awning is not damaged by high wind, Retractableawnings.com highly recommends using either a wind sensor (anemometer) or motion sensor to automatically close the awning.

All models at RetractableAwnings.com are Beaufort wind load tested.

• The wind sensor (anemometer) will close the awning when the wind reaches a certain speed. You can set the sensor to close the awning anywhere at wind speeds between 12 mph and 31 mph. This setting can always be changed in the future. The anemometer is a wired device and needs to be plugged into an outlet.
• The motion sensor will also close the awning when the wind reaches a certain speed. The sensitivity is based on the movement of the front bar of the retractable folding lateral arm awning. The sensitivity setting can be changed at any time. The motion sensor is wireless and operates using batteries normally easily changed about once per year depending on usage.
• The main benefit of the motion sensor over the wind sensor is that since it is placed on the front bar, it detects wind (in the form of movement) from either side, or the front, and under the retractable awning. Whereas the wind sensor (anemometer) only detects wind at whichever side of the awning the anemometer is installed.

All lateral arm awning models from Retractableawnings.com or any other vendor can be used for light rain but not for heavy rain assuming water repellent fabric is being used. Heavy rainfall is considered more than .30” (7.6mm) per hour, per the American Meteorological Society. Water from light rain will run off as long as there is enough pitch (angle/slope) placed on the arms/fabric. Should you need a product for heavy rain, high wind, hail protection, or snow load please consider one of our retractable patio and deck pergola cover systems designed for these types of weather.

View a complete side-by-side comparison of all retractable patio and deck cover system models.

All models offered by Retractableawnings.com can easily be installed onto any of the above. It is extremely important to use the correct type and size of fastener depending on what substrate the awning will be installed to. Retractableawnings.com provides everything needed for the retractable awning and installation except for the fasteners. The decision on fastener type and size used is to be made locally based on the substrate the awning is being installed onto along with building code requirements (if any).

All models offered by Retractableawnings.com can be attached to a wall, soffit / eave / overhang, roof, and side of a rafter, fascia, or beam. We have non-rusting (non-corroding) aluminum brackets for all of the above mounting options.

Since lateral arm retractable awnings are available as a complete set, the entire folding canopy has all the materials needed for a successful installation (fasteners excluded). Depending on the application, these awnings can either be attached to a flat wall, soffit/eave/overhang, fascia, roof, beam, rafter, or pillars using specific types of fasteners. Our awnings come with instructions for a do-it-yourself project or you can have a professional handyman, carpenter, contractor, or builder come in for a few hours of work. In both cases, installing a foldable awning is a much easier endeavor than constructing an outdoor roof. In almost all residential installations no permit is required.