North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights

1.1 General

This fenestration Standard/Specification applies to both operating and fixed, new construction and replacement windows, doors, SSPs, TDDs, roof windows, and unit skylights installed into exterior building envelopes. This fenestration Standard/Specification establishes material-neutral, minimum, and optional performance requirements for windows, doors, SSPs, TDDs, roof windows, and unit skylights. This Standard/Specification concerns itself with the determination of Performance Grade (PG), design pressure (DP), and related performance ratings for windows, doors, SSPs, TDDs, roof windows, and unit skylights.

Performance requirements are used in this Standard/Specification when possible. Prescriptive requirements are used when necessary. When products are tested to the gateway requirements, or to the gateway and optional requirements, a rating is determined and a test report may be issued.

Certification procedures are not part of this Standard/Specification. This Standard/Specification applies to testing and rating products. The tested rating applies to products of identical construction, with width and/or height less than or equal to the tested size.

Various systems have been developed or are proposed for determining a product energy rating based on such factors as U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient, condensation resistance, and visible transmittance (visible light transmission). These rating systems are beyond the scope of this Standard/Specification.

Fenestration products not intended to be tested to this Standard/Specification include

(a) interior windows, interior accessory windows (IAWs), and interior doors;

(b) vehicular-access doors (garage doors) (see ANSI/DASMA 105, ANSI/DASMA 108, ANSI/DASMA 109, ANSI/DASMA 115, or other applicable DASMA Specifications);

(c) roof-mounted smoke and heat-relief vents;

(d) sloped glazing (other than unit skylights or roof windows) (see AAMA TIR A7);

(e) curtain walls and storefronts (see AAMA MCWM-1);

(f) folding door systems;

(g) commercial entrance systems (see AAMA SFM-1);

(h) sunrooms (see AAMA/NPEA/NSA 2100);

(i) revolving doors; and

(j) commercial steel doors rated per SDI A250.8.

Note: The reference Standards and technical publications specified in this Clause for products not within the scope of this Standard/Specification are for the convenience of the reader and are not intended to be considered complete or all-inclusive.

1.2 Terminology

In this Standard/Specification, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard/Specification; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; "shall be permitted to be" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard/Specification; and "can" is used to express possibility or capability.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and shall be permitted to be written as requirements. Legends to equations and figures are considered requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.

The Preface, Clause 0, and any Notes not attached to figures and tables are non-mandatory.

1.3 Units of measurement

The values given in SI (metric) units are the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.

The values given in parentheses are in IP (inch-pound) units and are often inexact rounded values. Users of this Standard/Specification shall test only to the SI values or to exact conversions of the SI values. See CAN/CSA-Z234.1 or IEEE/ASTM SI 10 for conversion factors and rounding procedures that should be used in connection with testing.

Note: It is the policy of AAMA, CSA, and WDMA that all Standards developed by the associations use SI primary units, with IP units furnished for reference as necessary. This is consistent with Canadian and U.S. regulations for standardization of measurements. "In 1998 the Metric Conversion Act was amended to designate 'the metric system of measurement as the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce". With the increasing importance of the global marketplace, it has become imperative for U.S. industry to extend its use of SI and for U.S. citizens to gain a working knowledge of this modern metric system" (IEEE/ASTM SI 10). SI has been the official measurement system for Canada for a long time. It therefore makes sense that the primary units of measurement in this Standard/Specification are SI.

The proper use of SI values and the conversion of SI values to IP values are outlined in CAN/CSA-Z234.1 and IEEE/ASTM SI 10. These guidelines address both the base conversion of units but also the precision of the conversion. This process is not complicated for values that do not have limits such as maximums, minimums, and tolerances. However, in this Standard/Specification some requirements do require such limits. The values shown in this Standard/Specification have been converted according to the rules of the two referenced Standards. The conversions have sometimes been modified to meet the needs of expressing maximums, minimums, and tolerances. Consequently, users are advised that if they use the IP units provided for reference purposes, the onus is on them to determine the accuracy and appropriateness of the IP values for compliance with this Standard/Specification.

The single exception to using SI values in this Standard/Specification is evidenced in the Performance Grade (PG) portion of the product designation. Here the nominal Performance Grades (PG) have been maintained as they were originally developed when the primary units of this Standard/Specification were in the IP system. This has been done as a convenience reflecting the acceptance of these nominal rating values in the architectural marketplace. The requirements for developing and specifying Performance Grades (PG) are