A.001 /About

Forty years between the trade and the homeowner.

BM Hardware grew out of a fenestration factory in Middlesbrough. We exist because installers were losing time waiting for parts the big distributors didn't bother stocking.

Quick facts

Founded: 1985
Headcount: 38
Warehouse: 11,500 sq ft
Trade accounts: 1,200+

1985

A timber-framed workshop in Teesside

Brendan Maxwell started out fabricating and fitting timber windows. Two units, four installers, one battered Transit. The original business name was just BM — only became BM Hardware in 2003 when the parts arm overtook the fitting arm by revenue.

1997

The aluminium pivot

When Smarts launched the first generation Visofold, we became one of the first UK distributors. Eight years later, we'd fitted more Visofold doors than anyone in the North East. Today we still hold more Visofold parts in stock than the manufacturer itself.

2009

The trade portal

Installers kept ringing the office at 18:45 looking for "that little white roller". So we built an online portal — same trade pricing, same next-day stock, accessible at 9pm on a Sunday from a phone. Today the trade portal handles 70% of our orders.

2026

Opening the catalogue to homeowners

For decades we've been a trade-only operation. We launched BM Hardware to fix the homeowner experience — same parts, same prices, with diagrams that don't assume you've been on a Yale installer course. If you found us looking for a single bifold roller, this whole site is built for you.

A.002 /What we care about

Three values, no posters.

01 — Trade-first

Same price, no badge required.

Our trade pricing is competitive enough that we publish it. A homeowner buying one cylinder pays the same per-part rate as a contractor buying twenty.

02 — Real stock

We hold the part before you ask.

Nothing on the site is drop-shipped. If it shows "in stock", it's on a shelf 4 miles from Teesside Airport.

03 — Phone first

A human picks up.

Three lines, two parts-desk staff, average pickup under 12 seconds in working hours. The phone matters more than the chatbot.

007 /Help library

Forty years of fitting tips, on tap.

Measuring guides, "is this part fixable?" flowcharts, brand cross-references and the diagrams your supplier should have sent you. Free, no email gate.

Browse the help centre Or talk to a person