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Impact windows are designed to take the impact and form a “spider” pattern without the threat of fracturing shards of glass flying into your home. Two layers of tempered glass (inner and outer) sandwich an inner layer of shatter-proof polyvinyl material with impact windows. That technology provides an additional barrier to break-in attempts.

Impact windows are a popular choice for severe storm areas because of their construction.

One way that impact windows keep your property safe is with the help of shatter-resistant film. This film is applied on either side of the window panes, sealing the glass inside. This means that even if the window is struck by flying debris or subject to extreme atmospheric pressures, the glass will stay contained and in place. The glass may crack, but won’t blow into the room or cause any further damage.

• Aside from impact-resistant films, some hurricane impact windows also rely on an inner membrane technology that fills the space between the window panes. This membrane is made up of a PVB layer that holds the glass together, preventing it from blowing outward.
• When combined with window film, this makes the windows nearly impervious to any kind of puncture or shattering even up to wind speeds of 200 mph, or a Category 5 hurricane. We offer more education about the materials used to construct hurricane impact windows.
• The frame construction of impact windows makes them that much tougher as well. Most impact-resistant windows are constructed using aluminum, vinyl, or steel frames. These kinds of frames resist warping, weakening over time, or accumulation of rust. Steel and aluminum frames are obviously extremely tough, but they can be more expensive than vinyl.
• Impact windows aren’t only convenient and thoroughly constructed, they have the testing to back up their durability. Impact windows use a DP — design pressure — rating to identify how much wind they can withstand before bending or breaking. What’s unique about DP ratings is that they aren’t just assigned based on metrics like glass thickness or window size. Instead, a DP rating is only given after a specific model has gone through a barrage of laboratory testing.

Since Florida, especially in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, is a hotbed for severe storms and hurricanes, it has additional requirements for testing impact windows. The tests cover the typical air, water, and structural testing for rating impact resistant windows. But an additional test involves impact resistance. This test is done by firing a 2×4 piece of wood twice to see if the window successfully holds.