Commercial Window Specifications — Aluminum Frames, Insulating Glass, and NFRC Ratings
Specification data for commercial window systems installed on Utah commercial, multi-family, and office buildings by Black Canyon Exteriors.
Aluminum Thermal-Break Frame Specifications
Commercial window frames: extruded 6063-T5 aluminum with a continuous thermal break (polyurethane pour-and-debridge or polyamide strip process) meeting AAMA TIR A8 minimum conductance requirements. Frame finish: Kynar 500 PVDF fluoropolymer, 70% PVDF resin minimum per AAMA 2605, available in standard anodized and a range of powder-coat colors — standard anodize (Class 1: 0.7-mil minimum anodic coating) for most commercial applications, or AAMA 2603/2604/2605 organic coatings. Frame test performance: AAMA CW class minimum — 15 PSF structural test pressure, 6.24 PSF water infiltration resistance, 0.30 CFM/ft² air infiltration at 25 mph equivalent pressure. AW (Architectural) class for high-rise and high-exposure applications: 30 PSF structural, 12 PSF water resistance.
Insulating Glass Unit Specifications
Standard commercial IG unit: 1" total width, dual-pane, low-E glass with argon gas fill. Glass lites: 1/4" tempered (where CPSC 16 CFR 1201 requires safety glazing) or 1/4" heat-strengthened for non-hazardous-location applications. Low-E coating: pyrolytic hard-coat or sputter-coat soft-coat depending on SHGC requirement — soft-coat low-E provides better solar control at SHGC 0.22 to 0.28; hard-coat provides better durability at SHGC 0.30 to 0.40. Argon fill: 90% minimum argon concentration in sealed cavity per IGMA standard. Edge seal: dual-seal (primary polyisobutylene/secondary silicone or polysulfide) per ASTM E2190. U-factor: 0.28 to 0.34 for standard commercial IG unit with argon and low-E, depending on frame type. SHGC: 0.22 to 0.40 depending on low-E specification — all specifications achieve IECC 2021 CZ5 commercial maximum of 0.40. NFRC certification: all units NFRC 100 (U-factor) and NFRC 200 (SHGC) certified.
ICC AC156 Impact and Hurricane Rating
Commercial windows for buildings in ASCE 7 Wind Exposure Category C or D — including buildings over 60 feet, buildings at exposed ridge or mesa locations, and any building in a state-designated hurricane or high-wind zone — must pass ICC AC156 or ASTM E1886/E1996 large missile and cyclic pressure testing. In Salt Lake County, standard commercial buildings in Exposure B do not typically trigger the impact requirement, but buildings on the Wasatch bench above 5,000 feet elevation (Draper highlands, Highland, Alpine) may be classified Exposure C by a structural engineer based on the open-terrain fetch from the valley floor. We verify exposure classification with the local building department before specifying non-impact vs. impact-rated glazing.
ADA Hardware Requirements for Commercial Entry Systems
Commercial storefront entry door hardware must comply with ADA 2010 Standards for Accessible Design and Utah's adopted ICC A117.1 accessibility standard. Key requirements: door hardware must be operable with one hand without grasping, pinching, or twisting — lever handles, panic hardware, and automatic operators all comply; knob hardware does not. Door closer force: maximum 5 pounds to open a non-fire door per ADA Section 404.2.9. Door width: minimum 32" clear opening (34" nominal door for typical commercial frame). Threshold height: maximum 3/4" beveled or 1/2" vertical. Automatic door operators (sliding or swing) must comply with BHMA A156.10 for sensing zone and response time.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between tempered and heat-strengthened glass?
- Tempered glass (fully tempered per ASTM C1048) is approximately 4 times stronger than annealed glass and fractures into small pebble-like fragments — CPSC 16 CFR 1201 requires it in hazardous locations: within 18" of a door, in sidelites below 60" AFF, and in any location where a human could fall through the glass and encounter the floor. Heat-strengthened glass is about 2 times stronger than annealed and fractures into larger irregular pieces — it is not safety-rated under CFR 1201 but provides better resistance to thermal stress in large commercial lites.
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