Standing behind bullet-resistant glass provides a certain level of confidence that if a gun were to be fired in our direction, we would be safe. But how do we know that ballistic glass does what it claims to do? Any quality bullet-resistant glass has certain industry standards. These standards entail rigorous inspection and testing.
Here are the three main bullet-resistant standards in the ballistic glass industry.
Underwriters Laboratory (UL)
Underwriters Laboratory, or UL, is a global safety certification organization. The UL maintains over 1,500 standards. The bulletproofing standard is the UL752. It’s a construction standard that covers bullet-resistant glass panels and bullet-resistant frame sets. At its core, the UL752 specifies two critical outcomes:
- Total penetration by a bullet or fragment is prevented.
- Fragmentation on the safe side of the glass won’t be enough to injure a person standing directly behind the barrier.
UL752 further recognizes ten levels of bullet resistance. Levels 1-3 will stop a three-shot cluster from common pistols. Levels 4-8 are designed to stop five shots from rifles or sub-machine guns. Finally, levels 9 and 10 are used within military situations.
The UL752 is the gold standard for bullet-resistant glass ratings. It’s the longest standard rating system and enjoys regular updates to the standard. Be sure to check if your bullet-resistant installer can show you the UL seal linked to the glass being installed.
National Institute Of Justice (NIJ)
The NIJ standard relates to bullet-resistant vehicles and body armor. They are tested according to the NIJ standard-0101.06. The NIJ is a six-level classification system. In levels 1-3, armor must withstand penetration from five bullet shots. The requirements then vary per level type. NIJ’s main application is for testing body armor but building material manufacturers also make use of this standard.
American Society For Testing Materials (ASTM)
With its roots in railroad safety, the first standard was steel used to fabricate train rails. This makes the ASTM standard well over 100 years old. Its scope has expanded since then and now includes various materials and products. The three most common construction and security ASTM standards are as follows:
- F1233 – The standard testing method for security glazing products and systems
- F1915 – The standard test methods for glazing in detention facilities
- F1642 – The standard test method for glazing systems linked to air blasts
ASTM International has offices around the world and publishes over 12,000 recognized standards. It must be mentioned that ASTM isn’t involved in the compliance enforcement of its standards. ASTM standards play an important role in determining how bullet-resistant glass is made.
Two Technologies You Can’t Do Without
When it comes to top-quality standard tested glass, Ballistiglass is a strong competitor. Not only does it stand up to the most stringent standards, but also has a built-in defense mechanism. BallistiSHOCK is a countermeasure technology that disables the shooter. When the assailant shoots the glass, the outermost layer acts as a “spray.” It sprays toward the assailant, helping to disarm them.
Then add in COUNTERFIRE technology, which enables someone to fire back from the safe side of the glass. COUNTERFIRE allows bullets from certain weapons to penetrate the glass. This helps to disable the intruder.
Bullet-Resistant Standards Accessible Around The US
Ballistiglass offers full compliance and standardized bullet-resistant glass in Florida and beyond. Our team is specialized in the retrofitting over existing glass windows. Our quality doesn’t have to be unaffordable with competitive pricing nationwide.
With COUNTERFIRE and BallistiSHOCK technology, you’ll be installing top-quality bullet-resistant glass. For fully standardized and safety-tested glass, call the Ballistiglass team at (954)-612-6640.