NAFS Certification
EuroLite windows and doors structural integrity, resistance to air and water infiltration, forced entry resistance and operational functionality are certified under the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS) according to AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440.
What EuroLite's LC25 rating means:
Through laboratory testing, fenestration is given one of four Performance Classes, from single-family residential to high-rise commercial buildings. Then a Performance Grade from 15 to 40, is also established which specifies the maximum Design Pressure (DP) as well as water and air resistance pressure that the fenestration can withstand.
Specimen product is sent to a 3rd party testing laboratory to have the above testing performed to simulate the actual conditions upon installation. Within NAFS are these individual standards:
- Air Infiltration: The product gets tested for air infiltration and exfiltration per ASTM E283 to determine the leakage rate across the entire specimen.
- Water Infiltration: The next test is the water penetration test by uniform static air pressure difference per ASTM E331 or ASTM E547 to make sure products do not let water into the interior of the building. This measures the competence of seals as well as the integrity of the entire product itself.
- Structural Integrity: Next is the structural test per ASTM E330 to determine the structural performance of the exterior window or door. The window or door is preloaded to ½ the design pressure, then loaded to full design pressure while deflection measurements are taken. Then it is loaded to 1-1/2 times design pressure and permanent set of the longest unsupported span is taken. The deflection and permanent set results must fall within the accepted amount per the design pressure being tested. This is done for positive pressure and then for negative pressure.
- Forced Entry: The forced entry test on a window differs from that of a door. The window requires testing to ASTM F588 and swing doors require testing to ASTM F467 and sliding doors to ASTM F842. This is to test the integrity of a structure with a given amount of force applied to the product and its components in an attempt to gain entry.
- Operational Functionality: All products also require extra auxiliary testing according to the product. For example, a Side Hinged Door requires testing to AAMA 920, which means the door is opened and closed repeatedly.
The total number of opening/closing cycles increases with the Performance Class. EuroLite doors, which are in LC Class, are cycled 100,000 times. After testing is successfully completed, the test report results are evaluated by WDMA for approval. A certification number is assigned after approval and the products can then be labeled with the Performance Class and Grade they achieved.