Fire and blast rated windows need to ensure the safety of people and equipment on a structure. Therefore, providing high quality is very important and even crucial in moments of fire outbreaks and explosions. Generally, in the design stage and risk assessment of a structure, it is calculated what the exact requirements are for fire and blast rated windows, which already lays a basis for the eventual price tag.

When considering to purchase a high-quality fire and blast rated window it is key to know that the price generally depends on the fire rating of the glass, its specific capabilities and the industry in which it needs to be applied.

Fire rating and blast rating of the fire rated window

The level of safety and resistance against fire depends on the fire ratings of the window. For instance, an A0, A15 or EI 30 rated window have a lower resistance level against fire than EI 120 and H120 rated windows. Consequently, a lot more insulating materials and other materials are manufactured into the higher ratings, which eventually lead to a higher price.

This goes the same for the blast rating of the window. The higher the blast resistance rating the higher the price. Of course, it is a matter of whether it is needed to apply a high blast rating on the window when there is no risk of explosions. If this is the case, no blast rating is needed which will be a reduction in the total costs.

Specific capabilities of the fire rated window

Sometimes there are more requirements for windows to be met than the fire rating. Some of these specific requirements could be:

• Thermal insulation;
• Sound reduction;
• Shading coefficient;
• Tinted glass;
• Bullet proof requirement.

Each requirement can have its own ratings as well. For example, the sound reduction in between manufacturing and resting area might be required to be high, which will again be reflected in the costs. The more requirements a window need, the higher the price.

The industry

Each industry have its own set of rules, requirements and tests regarding fire and blast rated windows. Some requirements are more strict than others which is reflected into the price of the product. For instance, the offshore industry is widely known for its strict safety regulations, because people and equipment face more challenges compared to e.g. the onshore industry.

Very specialized industries, such as the defense industry, has even more safety aspects to take into consideration, which is again noticeable in the price of the products which are specially designed for this industry.

There are a lot of conditions to take into consideration when asking for the price of a fire and blast rated window. It highly depends on the needed requirements whether the cost will be high. The higher the quality and requirements of a fire and blast rated window, the higher the price.