ACRYLITE® safety standards for glazing uses in motor vehicles

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard for Safety Glazing (FMVSS 205):

This safety standard essentially adopts most of the technical content of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard number Z26.1. These documents define the permitted uses and requirements of various materials including glass, laminated structures and plastics as glazing for all types of motor vehicles.

The standard classifies various glazing uses in motor vehicles and provides for different test requirements for each class. Classifications 4, 5, 6 and 7 are the only classes which permit acrylic glazing. These four classes are differentiated principally by flexibility and light transmission characteristics; however other tests are also required for each class.

• Class 4 is for rigid applications with greater than 70% light transmission.
• Class 5 is for rigid applications which do not require greater than 70% light transmission.
• Class 6 is for flexible applications with greater than 70% light transmission.
• Class 7 is for flexible applications which do not require greater than 70% light transmission.

The standard requires various physical properties testing which can be thickness dependent and light transmission which is color dependent. Thus the testing performed must be applicable to a specified thickness and color.

FMVSS 205 further requires that the manufacturer of the glazing be permanently identified (i.e. hot stamped) on each piece of glazing installed using a number assigned by the NHTSB (DOT78 for ACRYLITE®). For flat plastic glazing, the manufacturer of the plastic sheet is considered to be the manufacturer of the glazing. However, if any process such as thermoforming, stretching or annealing takes place which could change the thickness, mechanical or optical properties of the sheet, then we believe the fabricator would then become the manufacturer of the glazing. He would then have the responsibility to test the product and certify that the requirements are met.

In general, the following chart will help determine which products are found acceptable for use in each class for ANSI Z26.1 and FMVSS 205. This chart applies only for colorless material. Please contact the Technical Center at (207) 490-4230 for information on AS-5 and AS-7 classifications for colored or tinted sheet.