AAMA Gold Label Certification Program

The AAMA Certification Program and its familiar Gold Label are accepted or required by many federal, state and municipal building codes and administrators as an indication of product quality to builders, dealers, and building and homeowners. Given the value of the AAMA Gold Label, some manufacturers have been known to use imitation labels. To protect those companies who have passed the required rigorous testing within its certification program quality assurance system, the online Certified Products Directory catalogs all products currently authorized for certification through the AAMA program and the companies that manufacture them.

Offer your customers what your competitors don’t: the confidence of AAMA Certification through FGIA. The stringent AAMA Gold Label Certification Program procedures assure your customers that the products selected, when installed properly, match the quality of the sample product tested.

Show your customers that your windows, doors and skylights meet stringent performance standards with the AAMA Certification Label, which tells them that:

• A sample of the product underwent testing per the performance-based, material-neutral requirements of the AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights industry standard or its predecessors
• Tests were performed at an independent AAMA Accredited Test Lab and met the following criteria
  • Prescribed maximum levels of air leakage through the assembly
  • No water penetration through the assembly at a specified simulated wind speed
  • Prescribed levels of structural resistance to wind and other dynamic pressures
  • Life cycle durability requirements as applicable based on the product’s performance class designation
  • Component performance verification to AAMA specifications
• Two unannounced plant inspections each year confirm
  • The manufacturer has continually monitored the product production for compliance and quality assurance procedures
  • The product is being built as described in the test report or with approved modifications
  • The manufacturer is using the required certified profiles and verified components where performance standards for those particular parts and materials exist

Energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important to homeowners, builders and manufacturers. Recognizing this, FGIA offers optional certification for thermal performance.

Manufacturers may certify product thermal performance to the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) requirements without the prerequisite of AAMA Gold Label certification for basic air, water and structural performance requirements. Products tested for thermal performance only are authorized to bear the AAMA Silver Certification Label.

In cases where the product has been authorized for certification for basic air, water and structural performance as well as thermal performance, an AAMA Gold Label with an additional tab indicating thermal certification is used.

Similar to the AAMA Gold Label certification program, FGIA also offers certification for windows and doors used in manufactured housing (mobile homes). These products are tested for air, water and structural performance to meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Manufactured Home Fenestration Products Certification Program is a third-party product testing and quality control verification program sponsored by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA). It is based on the conviction that any standard of quality is only as good as the application and continuous adherence to the requirements of the standard by those who claim to comply with its provisions.

The program is governed by AAMA 104, Procedural Guide for Certification of Manufactured Home Fenestration Products: Windows/Sliding Doors, Emergency Exit Windows and Devices, Swinging Exterior Passage Doors. Licensees can certify their products to three standards:

• AAMA 1701.2, Voluntary Standard for Utilization in Manufactured Housing for Primary Windows and Sliding Glass Doors
• AAMA 1702.2, Voluntary Standard for Utilization in Manufactured Housing for Swinging Exterior Passage Doors
• AAMA 1704, Voluntary Standard Egress Window Systems for Utilization in Manufactured Housing

The program is also designed to allow AAMA licensees to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards CFR 3280 including, but not limited to:

• §3280.403, Standard for windows and sliding glass doors used in manufactured homes
• §3280.404, Standard for egress windows and devices for use in manufactured homes
• §3280.405, Standard for swinging exterior passage doors for use in manufactured homes

In order for their products to be considered AAMA certified, a licensee must comply with four requirements:

1. Have representative samples of each product tested to the applicable standard
2. Have in place a quality management system that governs the assembly and labeling of the certified product
3. Submit to two annual unannounced in-plant inspections, where both the assembly of certified products and the application of the quality management system are audited
4. Send at least one product per year randomly sampled from the production line for testing

This last requirement is unique to the Manufactured Housing Program. It is used to show that production grade units are built to the same standards as the original prototype unit and perform as stated in the original test report.

The AAMA-sponsored Certification Label is a sign that all products bearing it conform to the designated specifications. Products are not certified unless and until they are labeled. There are three types of labels available to the program licensees:

AAMA 1701.2 Window Label- Blue Text on White Background, used for windows and sliding doors

AAMA 1702.2 Door Label- Gold Text on White Background, used for swinging exterior passage doors

AAMA 1704 Egress Label- Black Text on White Background, Serialized

Licensees also have the option of showing compliance to the optional wind speed requirements mandated by HUD code for high-wind zones. Additionally, AAMA now offers manufactured housing licensees the option to add their NFRC certification information in the form of an additional tab. This is a new feature for the manufactured housing program, and allows licensees to comply with the requirements of both programs using only one label.

AAMA 1701.2 Window Label- Blue Text on White Background w/ Design Wind Pressure Rating and NFRC Thermal Certification Tab

KEY:
A = Manufacturer’s Code Number. As an option, manufacturer may show company name in addition to the required Manufacturer’s Code Number.
B = Specification Identification
C = NFRC Product Line Identification Number
D = Design Wind Pressure Rating for compliance with HUD code

The Florida Building Commission currently has a Validation requirement for Florida Product Approval Applications submitted using the Certification Method, to be completed for product Applications after they have been uploaded through the BCIS website. AAMA is an approved Validator and offers the AAMA Florida Validation Program as a benefit to our Licensees. This checklist is a quick reference guide to utilizing the AAMA Florida Validation Program.

❑ Confirm that the method being used for validation is the Certification Method – this is the only method AAMA can validate.

❑ Be certain that AAMA Authorization for Product Certification (APC) documents and test reports are current; not expired or going to expire before the next Florida Program Oversight Committee (POC) meeting.

❑ Submit everything needed as required by the Florida Building Code (application, photos, test reports, etc.) online at the BCS website.

❑ Select AAMA as the “Product Approval Certification Agency” and the “Validation Entity” when filling out your online forms.

❑ Advise AAMA’s Certification Manager immediately after submitting your application if you have selected AAMA as your Validator, and include the Florida application number.

❑ Application and all attachments will be reviewed for content; if errors or corrections are found notification will be sent.

❑ When any/all issues are resolved, the application will be validated, and the authorized individual will receive notification of validation.

Advantages to Using AAMA as a Validator

For the majority of our Licensees, having products validated for purchase and use in Florida is an essential part of their market. As such, AAMA has worked to become approved as a Validator for the Florida Product Approval Program. So, why should you use AAMA’s Validation Services?

• Test reports do not need to be reviewed by a Registered Professional Engineer (PE).
• In lieu of the use of rational analysis (and the required Evaluation by a FL registered PE), alternate (not “as-tested”) methods of installation may be verified by test.

Installation instructions identical to the “as-tested” installation do not need to be reviewed by a third-party PE, as long as they are identical to, or more stringent than, the installation described in the test report for the product.

The AAMA Certification programs are funded by fees charged to the licensees of the program. These fees are categorized as follows:

• Annual fees: covers the administration and maintenance of the program
• Inspection fees: covers the cost on annual or bi-annual in-plant audits
• Product line fees: incurred whenever a product is approved for certification and listed in the CPD or Verified Components List

Copies of the fee schedules associated with each program may be obtained by contacting [email protected]. 

FGIA communicates updates for all of its programs using Certification Bulletins. 

Access the Certification Bulletins

FGIA maintains a firm commitment to impartiality. All product certification activities, including all testing, surveillance inspections, audits and evaluations, shall be conducted impartially, objectively, uniformly, accurately and in a timely manner per the requirements of applicable product standards and those of ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17021 as applicable for independent third-party programs. No commercial, financial or other pressures shall be permitted to compromise that impartiality.

All personnel who have direct access to proprietary information by the nature of their duties shall consider all such information to be confidential and only released to others upon written request or approval of an authorized representative of the participating Licensee or applicant and with the approval of the Certification Manager Services Manager, Fenestration.

All programs shall be nondiscriminatory in that:

• Access by applicants and participants who meet published program requirements shall not be conditioned upon membership in any organization, nor otherwise impeded or inhibited in any way.
• Access shall not be conditional upon the size of the licensee nor upon the number of products it certifies.
• Applicable fees shall be applied equally and uniformly to all applicants and participants with the exception that fee reductions may be offered if the participant is an FGIA member. 

This policy shall be communicated throughout the organization and understood as to its implications for the performance of all responsibilities.