Q: | What are the different types of safety glazing? |
A: | Tempered glass, laminated glass, organic coated (film-backed) glass, and plastic glazing may be considered safety glazing if they meet the test requirements. Contact us for specific requirements. |
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Q: | Is all tempered glass considered safety glazing? |
A: | No. Tempered glass must have a minimum surface stress of 10,000 psi; however, this surface stress level may not be high enough for it to perform as safety glazing (i.e. break into small enough fragments). |
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Q: | What is "composite" testing? |
A: | Composite testing is when one set of safety glazing is tested to both the ANSI and the CPSC standards. |
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Q: | Is safety glazing testing mandatory? |
A: | Yes. The CPSC standard is a U.S. Federal Regulation (law) requiring that all safety glazing be tested on a periodic basis. Testing can be performed by the manufacturer (self-certified), by a third-party testing laboratory, or through a certification program. |
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Q: | How often should safety glazing be tested? |
A: | The CPSC standard requires a "reasonable testing program" on a periodic basis; however, it does not define how often the glass should be tested. The timeframe is left up to the manufacturer. Most manufacturers test with Architectural Testing on at least a yearly basis. |
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Q: | What size samples should I submit for testing? |
A: | If you submit 34" by 76" samples for testing, passing results will be considered "unlimited", and all glass sizes will be qualified by the test. If you submit anything smaller than 34" by 76" for testing, passing results will qualify glass only up to and including that size. |
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Q: | Does safety glazing require a permanent label? |
A: | Yes. CPSC requires only organic coated glass to contain a permanent label. ANSI Z97.1 requires permanent labeling on all safety glazing. The International Building Code, which has been adopted by most states, requires permanent labeling of tempered glass. |
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