Hurricane-Rated Glass

Hurricane-rated glass is a good idea for your windows and doors because it can protect you and your family from hurricane-force winds. Category two hurricanes have wind speeds that can top 110 mph, enough to flip a parked car, while category five hurricanes have winds of 155 mph that can tear apart a home and seriously injure the lives inside.

Hurricane-Rated Glass

Hurricanes aren’t new, but they are powerful and dangerous. In the past, hurricanes have caused significant monetary damage and destruction to cities throughout the United States and abroad.

In fact, hurricanes have impacted cities from the Texan Gulf Coast to the northern Atlantic coast, and even American islands in the Pacific Hurricane Impact Glass. Because of this, state and local building codes have adopted hurricane impact standards that are meant to protect a building’s envelope from storms and tropical cyclones.

Typical hurricane-rated windows are made of laminated or insulated laminated glass. The former is made with two glass panes that are sealed with a polymer interlayer. The latter has a space between the two panes of glass that is filled with argon or other gas. The ideal thickness of hurricane-resistant glass depends on the region in which the house is located.

Hurricane impact glass is a type of laminated glass that combines the benefits of laminated glass and reinforced hurricane window frames. Its high plastic-to-glass ratio prevents the windows from bending or cracking during storms. Impact glass also protects from harmful solar rays, which can damage furniture, flooring, and even the skin.