Council: FMC - Fiberglass Material Council

Mechanically assembled for reliability

Since fiberglass windows and doors are often mechanically-assembled in the factory through chemically-welded or bonded assemblies, they provide a high degree of quality, consistency and reliability.

Fiberglass CAN take the heat!

Know how it feels to wear dark-colored clothing on a hot summer day? You can literally feel the heat as the sun’s rays beat down over time. Dark colors absorb heat, and prolonged heat buildup can cause exterior building products to change over time, especially in climates where sizzling temperatures prevail. That distortion can lead to water penetration or air infiltration, wasting energy and reducing the potential lifespan or performance of your windows and doors. That’s why it’s important to choose building materials that are designed to withstand the challenges of your unique climate conditions.

Tough enough to take on hurricanes

Fiberglass fenestration products are known for their durability. That’s why they’re a natural choice for coastal applications where hurricane-force winds can occur. When combined with impact-resistant glass that is designed to prevent debris and flying objects from penetrating the glass to enter the home or business, fiberglass windows and doors help protect the building and its occupants year-round.

Colorful options, durable solutions

Fiberglass windows and doors have the ability to take on dark colors without warping under the searing elements of rugged climates like those from Arizona to Alaska. Fiberglass withstands heat deflection temperatures of 250 degrees or more, to reduce the potential for warping, especially when used in dark colors or southern exposures. In fact, fiberglass can withstand frigid winters and allow users to install fiberglass building products even in the extreme cold conditions like those of winters in the Dakotas or across Canada.

From light to dark and many shades in between, you’ll find a wide array of colors available in today’s fiberglass fenestration materials. Energy efficiency is maintained even with dark colored coatings, as fiberglass’ low thermal conductivity blocks the heat. That means you can have it all: dark-colored fiberglass building materials that are truly energy-efficient. Many fiberglass windows and doors are also available with different color options on the interior and exterior for added design flexibility.

See the light

The slim sightlines of fiberglass fenestration materials provide more visible glass area to enhance desired solar heat gain. This means that you enjoy more of the view from your home or commercial setting when you choose fiberglass products because there is less obstruction blocking your view. That’s why fiberglass fenestration materials are a natural option to enhance daylighting, thanks to their ability to maximize the visible glass area.

Able to take on different looks

Fiberglass can take on the natural look of simulated grains or a smooth appearance to provide a sleek, contemporary look that can be painted or stained.

Because of its versatility, fiberglass combines with other materials traditionally used in building materials. For example, fiberglass sills are often found in wood doors, and fiberglass-clad sashes and frames can be featured in windows together with other materials like those products with wood interiors.

The unique attributes of fiberglass also make it naturally resistant to corrosion and staining. That’s why fiberglass windows and doors are popular choices for coastal climates where saltwater breezes abound and industrial applications can emit particulates that can reduce the lifespan of some finishes on building exteriors.
Fiberglass substrates are electrically non-conductive and therefore eliminate galvanic corrosion, including concerns connected with coastal environments. In fact, fiberglass is often used in underground mines for everything from bolts to doors.

Coated to last
For best performance, fiberglass fenestration materials require coating with items like paint or stain and protective coatings to help provide protection from the elements.

Fiberglass is often finished in the factory, where coatings are applied to minimize waste and provide a long-term durable finish. Fiberglass provides the flexibility to choose factory-finished fenestration options like powder-coated paint, minimizing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) often associated with job-site solvent-based finishing options. Or, some fiberglass products can be finished in the field, allowing you to coordinate finishes with other items in the home or business.

Coated fiberglass products, by their very nature, offer labor-saving, environmentally-friendly solutions. The surfaces of coated fiberglass products are resistant to blistering, peeling or chipping. That means you may never need to refinish your fiberglass windows, doors or skylights.

Whatever type of coating you choose, fiberglass fenestration materials are known for their ability to weather extreme temperatures.

Pultrusion process propels fiberglass technology
Fiberglass is often created through a process called pultrusion, where glass strands are pulled through resin and then shaped through a die or a mold to create a finished lineal.
Pultrusion is a fabrication process that produces lineal material used to create fiberglass windows and doors. Fiberglass pultrusions were invented in the late 1940s and 1950s. Today fiberglass windows and doors are found in homes and businesses throughout North America and around the world.

Fiberglass: an environmentally-friendly material that’s built to last

Fiberglass is a natural choice when you’re seeking energy-efficient, green, sustainable solutions. Due to its composition, fiberglass is known for its very low embodied energy ─ the total energy required to produce a product from the raw materials stage through delivery of fiberglass products.

Typically fiberglass requires no added materials to reinforce it, reducing the bulk and weight of windows and doors, helping cut transportation costs in the process.

Sustainability starts with sand ─ an abundant natural resource

The main ingredient in fiberglass is glass. Since glass is made from sand ─ an abundant, natural, non-depleting resource ─ fiberglass is a highly-sustainable solution.

Highly compatible with glazing

Fiberglass has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, similar to that of float glass. As a result, fiberglass, by its very nature, is highly-compatible with glazing materials like glass, because they expand and contract at similar rates, which enhances glazing durability.

Because of their low coefficient of thermal expansion, fiberglass windows and doors provide energy-efficient solutions that help seal out the elements – even in extreme hot and cold climate conditions.

Fiberglass earns ENERGY STAR®, contributes to LEED®, Green Globe® ratings

Fiberglass is also a mainstay in insulation applications for new construction, remodeling and replacement needs, due to its ability to effectively insulate against heat and cold.

Fiberglass windows and doors are among the most energy-efficient building material options available in construction today. As a result, many fiberglass fenestration products have earned the ENERGY STAR® label, signifying their outstanding energy performance. In addition, fiberglass windows and doors are popular choices for those architects, designers, builders, contractors and others seeking to create LEED® certified buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council or earning Green Globes®.

Recyclability and the environment

Fiberglass is designed, tested and built to last for decades. That means there is less waste heading to landfills, as fiberglass products have extremely long life cycles.

Many fiberglass products have earned the ENERGY STAR rating, symbolic of their energy-efficient properties. As sustainable resources, fiberglass windows and doors have become highly sought-after by architects, builders, contractors, remodelers, designers, commercial property owners and homeowners.

Because of its natural strength and durability, fiberglass is an excellent choice for those seeking energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly building materials for residential or commercial applications.

By Anthony Bartolini, Inline Fiberglass

Adapted from an article appearing in Window & Door magazine, May 2010 issue

Fiberglass framing materials are enjoying more significant market recognition as of late. Although it is not a new technology, the heightened global emphasis on green building and sustainable building practices is highlighting the properties of fiberglass and increasing demand for such products.

The strength of fiberglass enables windows and doors to be produced with narrow framing.

Fiberglass offers benefits that appeal to nearly market segment—from residential to light commercial, to new construction and retrofit applications. These benefits include strength, longevity, durability and thermal efficiency.

In the past, these factors have attracted much interest in fiberglass and some adoption in the market. The cost of fiberglass windows and doors, however, has been a deterrent. That is changing. Fiberglass manufacturers have streamlined their manufacturing processes—allowing them to provide more competitive pricing today. The intricate pultrusion process is slower than PVC or aluminum extrusion processes and one of the main factors contributing to the cost of fiberglass. Pultruders have made significant progress maximizing run speeds with greater yields being the result. Improving the pultrusion process while simultaneously increasing fabrication efficiencies has allowed fiberglass window and door manufacturers to reduce prices. Couple lower prices with the fact that life cycle assessments and return on investment often carry more weight in the purchase decision than initial window and door product costs, fiberglass can become the preferred framing material of many buyers.

Performance Characteristics

Among those focused on issues related to green and sustainability, fiberglass fenestration products may be preferred for many reasons, including thermal and physical performance. The strength of fiberglass allow framing elements to be produced with thin-walled pultrusions that offer very little mass for conduction to occur on a material that is already very low conducting in nature–essentially a thermal break in itself. Fiberglass also has an expansion/contraction rate marginally higher than glass itself. The low rate of expansion and contraction for fiberglass reduces the potential for operability and/or thermal efficiency to be compromised over time. Both frame and glass also work as a dynamic system in the event that expansion and contraction does take place.

Focusing on ‘green’ issues, it is clear that various material characteristics can be examined, interpreted and tailored in many ways. In regards to fiberglass, all pultrusions are comprised of 60 to 65 percent glass content. This glass is extracted from silica sand and is abundantly available worldwide. Most fiberglass pultruders already use raw materials that have recycled content—accounting for about 10 percent of a window frame.

Another factor looked at by those focused on sustainability is embodied energy—the amount of energy used to produce the product. The embodied energy used to extract the glass from the sand and the embodied energy used to convert the raw materials into the finished fiberglass pultrusion is low. Furthermore, because fiberglass is a thermally-set, inert material, it is a petroleum-free non-polluting material that will not out-gas or emit any volatile organic compounds over its entire lifespan, and if placed in landfill, it will not leech chemicals into the ground or our waterways.

Can fiberglass pultrusions be recycled? The answer is yes. There is a two stage grinding process that results in a fine by-product that can be utilized as a filler in common building components such as concrete and asphalt. The fine powder by-product can also be used as a filler in a fiberglass pultruder’s own resin matrix as well.

In addition to recyclability, another ‘green’ issue is life expectancy. Although fiberglass is considered a relatively new material for the fenestration industry, it has been used in other products for many years. One need only look at the marine industry, which adopted fiberglass composites much earlier than the fenestration industry. It is easy to find real life examples of fiberglass boats that remain seaworthy after 50 years and beyond with little to no degradation while being exposed to the corrosive marine environment. Fiberglass is a stable, inert material that is impervious to time, temperature and corrosive agents. Its use in the marine industry highlights its benefits in coastal applications where windows and doors are being constantly exposed to airborne and waterborne salt agents.

More stringent energy standards in the commercial market bode well for fiberglass products in such projects.

The appeal of fiberglass to the green community is perhaps most evident in the fact that it was chosen for the first ever LEED® Platinum project. It is this very appeal and realization of fiberglass benefits—in addition to the more stringent ENERGY STAR® requirements beginning this year—that have increased the demand for fiberglass windows and doors. Current trends and future forecasts suggest that the demand for fiberglass will increase at a steady pace, and hopefully accelerate.

Fiberglass windows and doors offer manufacturers, dealers and distributors the ability to differentiate themselves. Fiberglass provides a new option that can meet the most stringent demands.

The industry is responding with many manufacturers now rumored to be preparing to launch fiberglass lines. Similarly, many dealers and distributors across North America are now looking for a fiberglass window and door line to offer their customer bases. In both residential and commercial markets, the current price points of fiberglass windows and doors are finding greater acceptance through many channels of acquisition due to the recognized benefits.

Purchase Document

Purchase Document

Purchase Document