We were able to announce some great breaking news at the 2023 FGIA Annual Conference about the impending release of the latest version of the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS). As of February 23, it is now available! This is thanks to the hard work of representatives from three different industry Associations: CSA Group , FGIA and Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA).

The updated 2022 standard replaces the 2017 edition, representing a continued evolution of the standard to improve harmonization across North America. All three organizations sought to omit redundancy, reduce confusion and increase clarity in the previous standard. This cooperation led to defining a stated purpose for NAFS-22: to enable end-product performance evaluation as required by U.S. and Canadian building codes.

Updating a document like NAFS requires having an inclusive, consensus-based process. All three organizations have balanced representation on the Joint Document Management Group. This update was made possible by the hard work of numerous committees, task groups, work groups, staff members and individual subject matter experts. These combined efforts contributed to the successful publication of this updated standard. I thank them all for their hard work!

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NAFS is written to be used by a wide audience including manufacturers, architects, engineers, builders, contractors, trade associations, testing laboratories, specifiers, government agencies and code officials. Its purpose is to help guide single family, multi-family and commercial building teams. It is likely NAFS-22 will be included in the 2024 editions of the International Building Code and International Residential Code. Plus, the new standard is being proposed for inclusion in the National Building Code of Canada’s 2025 edition.

Highlights of substantial changes to NAFS-22 include these and more:

• Limited water test duration was qualified by Performance Class, and all door products may now be labeled for limited water (LW) testing.
• A sixth folding door assembly testing configuration was added to address all potential systems.
• The mulled assemblies section now aligns with current performance, testing and analysis requirements and references AAMA 450-20, Performance Rating Method for Mulled Combination Assemblies, Composite Units, and Other Mulled Fenestration Systems.
• For Performance Class LC products, alternative minimum test sizes have been added with higher performance requirements when smaller fenestration products are being tested for compliance to NAFS.
• Air exfiltration requirements are now included regardless of whether the fenestration product is destined for the U.S. or Canada.
• Operating force tables have been combined to include all product types and Performance Classes. Single requirement identifies the maximum force to initiate and force in motion.
• Users are directed to the complimentary FGIA Glossary, which now includes all previously defined terms in both English and French. The FGIA Glossary is available as a free download in the FGIA Online Store.

I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard on this document to get it published for the industry’s use. It’s not easy and I appreciate the effort that went into this update. Get your copy of the newest version of NAFS today in the FGIA Online Store!