Hurricane Hardware: What Makes it Windstorm-Rated?

Officially, hurricane season is nearly upon us. Unofficially, the recent close call of Tropical Storm Ana is a stark reminder that it’s critical to ensure you have hurricane hardware installed on exterior doors in storm-prone areas.

While hurricane hardware looks similar to standard hardware, there are a few major differences.

What Makes Hurricane Hardware Windstorm-Rated?

Durability

Hurricane hardware is heavy-duty and it holds much better than standard hardware.

Doors and their hardware are rigorously tested to ensure they can hold up to the gale force winds produced by these powerful storms.

Each manufacturer has unique aspects to their hurricane hardware that increases the force it holds.

For example, the Yale 7000 series exit device is made with their patented SquareBolt. This unique design decreases the amount of lateral force against the frame. A standard Pullman latch bolt applies 280 pounds of lateral force from a 400 pound pull on the door; whereas, a

SquareBolt exit device results in only 63 pounds of lateral force from the same amount of pull on the door. Translation: It’s much more secure and will be very difficult to blow open.

Labels

In order to meet Florida Building Code regulations (which regulates all hurricane rated hardware and doors), exterior doors must have hurricane hardware that is visibly labeled with both the Florida Building Code approval number and with a “windstorm-rated” stamp. These labels are put on during while the doors are built.

These door components must be labeled:

The door itself
Frame
Hinges
Exit device

In case there is a water infiltration standard for the county in which your facility is built, your threshold and weather stripping also needs to be windstorm-rated.

If you need hurricane doors, we manufacture hurricane-rated doors that are fully assembled and ready to install into the opening. These doors meet all Florida Building Code standards.

If you have any questions on hurricane hardware and what would work best for your facilities, feel free to reach out. We’re always happy to help!