How Impact Products Get Certified:
The Testing Process Explained
From missile tests to pressure cycling — here’s exactly what certified impact windows and doors go through before they reach your home.
The Process
The 4-Stage Testing Process
Every NOA-certified product must pass all four stages without exception. There are no partial passes.
Large Missile Impact Test
A 9-lb 2x4 board is fired at 50 feet per second at the product. The product must not crack, break, or allow penetration. This simulates real debris from category 4–5 hurricane winds.
9 lbs
2x4 board at 50 ft/sec
Small Missile Impact Test
10 steel ball bearings are fired at the product at 80 ft/sec. Every square inch of the product must pass. This tests the glass and frame at vulnerable points.
80 ft/s
Steel ball bearing velocity
Cyclic Wind Pressure Test
The product is subjected to thousands of positive and negative pressure pulses, simulating the sustained winds of a major hurricane. Products must not leak, warp, or fail structurally.
1,000s
Pressure cycles applied
Water Infiltration Test
Water is sprayed at 8 gallons per square foot per hour while pressure cycles continue. Products must not allow any water penetration — keeping your home dry during storms.
8 gal
Per sq ft per hour
Certification Authority
Independent Third-Party Labs
“Manufacturers cannot self-certify. All testing must be performed by accredited third-party laboratories.”
All testing must be performed by accredited third-party laboratories approved by Miami-Dade County and the Florida Building Commission. Labs include Hurricane Test Laboratory, National Accreditation and Management Institute (NAMI), and others.
Results are reviewed by the Miami-Dade Building Department, which issues or denies the NOA. This means no manufacturer can simply claim their product is certified — every approval is independently verified and publicly searchable.
Miami-Dade Building Department
Issues & denies all NOAs
Hurricane Test Laboratory
Accredited third-party testing
NAMI
National Accreditation & Management Institute
The Bottom Line
What This Means for You
When you see “NOA Approved” on a product, it means an independent laboratory fired lumber at it, blasted it with steel balls, cycled it through thousands of pressure changes, and soaked it with water — and it held.
Every product Maker’s Windows & Doors installs has passed all four stages.
4
Mandatory test stages
0
Self-certifications allowed
100%
Third-party verified
Every
Product we install
Get Started Today
Install only certified products in your home.
Every window and door we install is fully NOA-certified and independently tested. We handle the paperwork, the permits, and the proof.