Wired glass was the only fire rated glass (FRG) product available for over 100 years. In traditional wired glass, the embedded wires hold annealed glass in place during the fire test to achieve a fire rating. While the wires give the illusion of increased strength and impact resistance, the opposite is true. Wired glass is not safety glazing. The wires actually weaken the glass, making it half as strong as ordinary window glass. Wired glass breaks easily on human impact, exposing razor sharp wires that can trap a victim’s limb in the opening and increase the severity of the injury. Alarmingly, wired glass is the most commonly used FRG product found in educational facilities, leading to over 2,500 wired glass impact injuries in schools every year. In 1977, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) enacted a federal safety glazing standard (16 CFR 1201) to protect people from injury due to accidental impact with glazing. The building codes apply the CPSC standard to require that glazing used in hazardous locations, such as doors and sidelites, must meet minimum Category I and II impact standards, depending on the size of the glazing panel. Smaller glazing panels in sizes up to 1296 square inches must meet the Category I impact test of 150 ft. lbs. Larger glazing panels must meet the higher Category II standard impact test of 400 ft. lbs. of impact resistance. At the time the federal standard was enacted, wired glass manufacturers alleged they lacked the technology make a fire rated product that could meet the new CPSC standards. Since wired glass was the only FRG product available in 1977, the IBC granted wired glass a temporary exemption from meeting the CPSC standard. This exemption allowed wired glass used in fire assemblies to meet a lower ANSI Z97.1 impact standard of 100 ft. lbs., which the CPSC acknowledged was inadequate to protect anyone except children under five. For more information, click on the link below.
Related Stories
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Jun 13, 2017
Hidden risks and costs of using sprinklers as an alternate to 1-2 hour fire resistive glazing
The ASTM E-119 test is the most stringent and most difficult test to pass for all fire rated glazing assemblies.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Apr 14, 2017
Azuria glass from Vitro provides hospital with the desired pop of color
Located in Wilmington, Delaware, Nemours/duPont hospital has undergone a series of expansions since it was founded in the 1940s.
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Mar 22, 2017
Fire resistive glazing systems provide architects, owners and envelope consultants assurance of documented performance
It may look like a regular window, but these advanced fire resistive glazing systems are recognized in the code as transparent walls because of its ability to block smoke, flames and significantly limit the passage of dangerous radiant heat.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Mar 16, 2017
Fire resistive transparent walls transform stairwells and exits to inviting, light-filled spaces
To preserve the building’s open design and to extend natural light further in the building, the architects incorporated fire resistive glazing in the areas that required a 2-hour fire rating, particularly in the stairwells and exit passageways.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Feb 15, 2017
Down on the farm. Up on sustainability.
At first glance, it might seem like a barn—but a closer look reveals towering windows, rooftop solar panels and world-class energy efficiency.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Jan 3, 2017
What’s in a name? A lot, actually
Our mission is to produce appealing architectural products that protect people while providing our customers with expert information, economical solutions, and unlimited inspiration.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2016
101 Top Products: Glass+Glazing
Among the best glass+glazing products included in BD+C's inaugural Top 101 Products report are Guardian Industries SunGuard SNX 51/23, Modernfold’s Acousti-Clear, and SageGlass’s Electrochromic Glass.
Sponsored | | Nov 10, 2016
Fire-rated glazing replaces drywall partition to transform ‘almost unusable’ space into a ‘showstopper’
The space, which the firm hoped to use as a gathering place for employees and clients, had no access to daylight.
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Nov 10, 2016
Truly transparent: Fire resistive butt-glazed walls up to 2 hours
SuperLite II-XLM is a fire resistive multi-laminate glass product that meets ASTM E-119/UL 263/NFPA 251 and CAN/ULC S101 up to 2 hours.
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Nov 3, 2016
Fire rated switchable glass provides privacy and fire protection at the University of Chicago Medical Center
The University of Chicago Hospital Group reached out to Bill Zientarski of Hi-Performance Glazing Solutions and SAFTI FIRST’s architectural representative in Illinois for a solution that combined vision, privacy and fire protection in one glazed unit.
