Full cassette vs semi cassette awning
Updated: 22.10.2026
You have already decided the patio wants about 5 m of width and 3 m of projection, and the next title says cassette. That word is doing too much work. A full cassette vs semi cassette awning choice is about what gets boxed in, and about where the brackets are allowed to sit on a wide wall. The words each amazon.co.uk listing actually uses are in the [5 m x 3 m cassette awning comparison](/hub/sun-shades/5m-x-3m-cassette-awning). A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission.
You have already decided the patio wants about 5 m of width and 3 m of projection, and the next title says cassette. That word is doing too much work.
You have already decided the patio wants about 5 m of width and 3 m of projection, and the next title says cassette. That word is doing too much work. A full cassette vs semi cassette awning choice is about what gets boxed in, and about where the brackets are allowed to sit on a wide wall. The words each amazon.co.uk listing actually uses are in the 5 m x 3 m cassette awning comparison. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Cassette | Drive | Cloth | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF electric awning 5 x 3 m (Anthracite 2) | Half cassette | Electric | 240 GSM, PU | 6.4 | about £139.95 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF electric awning 5 x 3 m (Anthracite 3) | Half cassette | Electric | 240 GSM, PU | 6.1 | about £139.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Generic Generic manual cassette awning 5 x 3 m with LED | Cassette design | Manual | PU, no GSM | 2.6 | about £1409.99 | View offer |
On this page
Three housings, not one
An open roller leaves the cloth and the arms visible when the awning is closed. A semi-cassette, also called a half cassette, covers the rolled cloth and leaves more of the arms exposed. A full cassette closes around the cloth and the arms, so the retracted awning is a box on the wall. Awnings Online treats a full cassette as the housing for an exposed wall where the awning stays fitted all year. Size and headroom for this span are on the 5 m x 3 m awning buying guide.
Cassette on a title is an unfinished sentence. Cassette design does not say the arms disappear. Half and semi, when one listing uses both, are the same housing unless the page contradicts itself. Two MBDRKVGF extracts use both phrases and never say full cassette.
Luxica treats a half cassette as enough on a sheltered patio, and points a full cassette at exposed sites. Awning Man sells a 5 m x 3 m full cassette, £2,140 electric and £1,990 manual.
End brackets or a bar along the wall
On a 5 m wall the brackets matter as much as the lid. Awnings Online says a full cassette is often end-fixed, with supports at the two ends. A semi-cassette usually uses a torque bar, so more brackets can sit along the run. If the ends are blocked, that box can lose to a semi-cassette that picks up the wall in the middle.
A 5 m rear wall with a downpipe a metre in from the left pier is the test. An end-fixed full cassette still wants both ends clear. If the left pier is a pipe and a movement joint, that bracket has nowhere to go. A torque bar lets you move a bracket onto the next sound brick, if the instructions allow the spacing. A semi-cassette is the more flexible fixing when the wall is the problem. It is not always stronger, and a lid is not a wind class. None of the six listings prints a class.
When each one earns its place
Choose a full cassette when the awning stays out all year on a wall that takes weather, when you want the arms hidden, and when both ends of the 5 m run are masonry you can drill. Awnings Online points that housing at exposed and coastal sites. You are then near Awning Man's £1,990-£2,140 band for this size, in 300 GSM, not in the £140 semi-cassette cluster. A B&Q Primrose electric full cassette at this size lists 95 kg, which is not a wind class.
Choose a semi-cassette when the wall is wide or broken up and the brackets cannot sit only at the ends. A sheltered courtyard is the case Luxica treats as enough for a half cassette. A 5 m run with a pipe in the middle is Samson's case for the bar. The £139.95 electrics here are this housing. They are not a cheap closed box. Ends blocked means you accept that the arms are less protected when the cloth is in.
What these 5 m x 3 m listings actually say
Five of the six rows are MBDRKVGF electrics at £139.95 or £169.99. Anthracite 4, the charcoal and Anthracite 6 say semi-cassette. Anthracite 2 and Anthracite 3 say half cassette in one place and semi-cassette in another. Read those as the same housing. None says the arms are enclosed. Weights, where stated, are about 40-41 kg, against 95 kg on the Primrose full-cassette listing.
Generic B0H8ZBXM6T at £1,409.99 says cassette design. It does not say full or semi, it states no weight, and it is a manual with LEDs and a valance. Paying more does not turn that phrase into a full cassette.
The full cassettes at this size in these sources are the Awning Man products, not an ASIN here. A wind class is not included in the word cassette.
Common questions
What is the difference between a full cassette and a semi-cassette?
A full cassette boxes the cloth and the arms when the awning is in. A semi-cassette covers the rolled cloth and leaves more of the arms exposed. Full cassettes are often fixed at the ends. Semi-cassettes often use a torque bar so brackets can sit along the wall. Neither phrase includes a wind class.
Is a half cassette the same as a semi-cassette?
On the two MBDRKVGF pages that use both phrases, and in the trade guides, yes. Half cassette and semi-cassette both mean a cover over the cloth rather than a box around the arms. These extracts do not explain a difference between the two phrases. They are not full cassettes either.
Which should I choose on an exposed wall with no eaves?
Awnings Online points a full cassette at exposed and coastal walls where the awning stays out all year, provided you can end-fix it. A half cassette is the housing Luxica treats as enough when the site is already sheltered. No eaves and a weather-beaten elevation is the full-cassette case, from a seller who says full cassette. The £140 rows here say semi or half.
What if a downpipe sits in the middle of the wall?
An end-fixed full cassette may still fit, because its brackets want the ends, not the middle. A pipe at the end is the problem for that housing. A pipe that forces you off the only sound brick at one end is when Samson's semi-cassette, with a bar and more bracket positions, is the practical choice. Move the bracket onto masonry, not into the mortar beside the pipe.
Do the amazon.co.uk 5 x 3 m listings say full cassette?
The five MBDRKVGF electrics say semi-cassette or half cassette. The Generic at £1,409.99 says cassette design and stops there. None of the six says full cassette. Awning Man's £1,990 and £2,140 products at this size do say full cassette, and they are not these ASINs. Do not upgrade the marketplace word in your head.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 19 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.
- Retained Regulation (EU) 2019/1188 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Planning Portal: awning FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK permitted development technical guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Approved Document P (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Samson: retract in strong winds (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Awnings Online buying guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk listing B0HGGX9192 (retrieved 22.10.2026)