NAFS 2022 Arrives (a Year After Its Namesake)

A new 2022 edition of the North American Fenestration Standard/Specification (NAFS) arrived last week, closing out what officials for the Fenestration & Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) labeled a “multi-year” process. Developed in collaboration with 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.

“There isn’t enough wood in this world to knock on for this next statement I’m about to make,” joked Rich Rinka, FGIA’s technical manager, fenestration standards and U.S. industry affairs, while heralding the standard’s arrival at FGIA’s annual conference. There was “much debate” over whether to refer to the latest version as NAFS-22 or NAFS-23, Rinka said, but ultimately officials decided on NAFS-22 to avoid any confusion over whether the deployed standard is what members have heard about for the past two years. After intending to publish the updated version in January, there were several last-minute adjustments and changes, Rinka said, as well as “lots of new content.”

The previous 2017 NAFS standard is referenced in the 2021 editions of the International Building Code and International Residential Code, FGIA officials said, 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.

With the newest version, 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 in motion,’” said Brad Fevold, director of regulatory affairs for Marvin, who served as WDMA’s JDMG co-chair.  “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 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.

Lastly, Jutras also noted that the Available Performance Grade Requirements tables were consolidated to clarify specifiers.

AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-22 is available online from the CSA Group, Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance or Window & Door Manufacturers Association.