Industry Groups Announce Availability of 2022 North American Fenestration Standard
The 2022 edition of the North American Fenestration Standard/Specification (NAFS) has arrived, closing out what officials for the Fenestration & Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) labeled a “multi-year” process. Developed in collaboration with FGIA, CSA Group and the Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA), AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/
I.S.2/A440 defines basic performance requirements for door, window and skylight products, relying on Performance Class and Performance Grade designations to guide evaluation and selection processes.
FGIA’s technical manager for fenestration standards and U.S. industry affairs, Rich Rinka, said that while there was “much debate” over whether to refer to the latest version as NAFS-22 or NAFS-23, the groups decided on NAFS-22 to avoid any confusion over whether the deployed standard is what members have heard about for the past two years.
The previous 2017 NAFS standard is referenced in the 2021 editions of the International Building Code and International Residential Code, with the newly released version proposed for inclusion in the 2024 editions of the same codes. The 2017 standard is also referenced in the 2020 edition of the National Building Code of Canada, with NAFS-22 proposed to be included in the 2025 edition.
A Joint Document Management Group (JDMG) comprised of representatives from FGIA, WDMA and CSA Group, stressed the importance of various updates, including changes for operating force.
“Operating force tables were combined to include all product types and performance classes, and a single requirement identifies the maximum ‘force to initiate’ and ‘force inmotion,’” said Brad Fevold, director of regulatory affairs for Marvin, who co-chaired as WDMA’s JDMG. “This was done to simplify and harmonize requirements between Canada and the United States,” he added.
Other changes include adding Limited Water (LW) ratings and designations for sliding doors and door assembly qualifications that were revised and updated to include an additional sixth configuration to “better reflect the breadth of product offerings in the market,” Fevold said.
Clauses for “Material and Components” were partitioned into “Requirements without Alternative,” “Requirements with Alternative” and “Design Guidance,” while prescriptive or redundant auxiliary and component tests were removed, said Steve Fronek, P.E. and vice president of preconstruction for Wausau Window and Wall Systems, who served as FGIA’s JDMG’s other co-chair.
To harmonize U.S. and Canadian requirements, several Canada-specific changes are reflected in the new standard, officials said. For example, “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.,” said Robert Jutras, chair of CSA’s technical committee and CSA’s JDMG co-chair.
Regarding the evaluation of mulled products, the latest standard transitions from AAMA 450-10 to AAMA 450-20, which now includes provisions for evaluating mullions for composite window products.
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