Fenestration standard updated for greater North American harmonization
February 27, 2023
By CCE
Photo courtesy Innotech.
A multi-year effort by CSA Group, the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) and the Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) recently yielded the 2022 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors and skylights” (NAFS-22). Replacing the 2017 edition, the update aims to improve harmonization between Canada and the U.S.
“NAFS-22 is a huge achievement for its impact on products intended for the Canadian market, as it has addresses both countries’ requirements,” explains CSA technical committee chair Robert Jutras. “In Canada, the selection of the water penetration resistance test pressure is still defined in accordance with the A440S1 Canadian Supplement to NAFS and air exfiltration testing will now be required in the U.S.”
“Operating force tables were combined to include all product types and performance classes,” adds Brad Fevold, WDMA’s Joint Document Management Group (JDMG) co-chair, “and a single requirement identifies the maximum ‘force to initiate’ and ‘force in motion.’ This was done to simplify and harmonize requirements between Canada and the U.S.”
The new standard is proposed for inclusion in the 2025 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).
“The Limited Water (LW) rating and designations for sliding doors were added to provide consistency for all door products,” Fevold adds. “Finally, folding door assembly qualifications were revised and updated to include an additional sixth configuration to better reflect the breadth of product offerings in the market.
