Curtain Wall Standards Hub
The codes that govern curtain wall performance — air, water, structural, thermal and fire — in one quick-reference table: scope, regions, key values and how each relates to the Chinese framework your team may already know.
Six Questions, Many Codes
Every curtain wall standard on earth asks the same six questions: How much air leaks? How much water gets in under wind? What wind load can it take? How does it behave under building drift? How much heat passes? How does it perform in fire? The codes below differ in method, units, class boundaries and legal force — not in the questions. Find your project's jurisdiction, read the scope, then verify the exact class or pressure against your specification.
The full explainer with test-report reading method lives on the Global Facade Standards guide; the hub below is the index. For fire-specific ratings, see the Fire-Rated Glass & Curtain Wall Ratings matrix.
Curtain Wall Standards at a Glance
| Standard | Region | What It Covers | Key Values / Classes | Relation to Chinese Framework |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB/T 21086 | China | Performance grading of curtain walls | Air 1–4, water 1–5, wind 1–9 | Base performance standard |
| JGJ 102 | China | Glass curtain wall engineering practice | Design, materials, acceptance | Engineering code for GB/T 21086 |
| GB 50009 | China | Structural loads (incl. wind load) | Design wind pressure by region | Feeds wind load into facade design |
| ASTM E283 | USA | Air leakage test method | Reported as m³/h·m² at pressure | Method equivalent to GB/T 7106 family |
| ASTM E330 | USA | Structural wind load test | Tested at 1.5 × design, L/240 max | Method equivalent to GB/T 15227 |
| ASTM E331 | USA | Static water penetration test | No leakage at stated pressure | Method equivalent to GB/T 15227 water |
| AAMA 501.1 | USA | Field water test of installed facade | Field test protocol | Counterpart: on-site inspection per JGJ 102 |
| AAMA 501.4 | USA | Inter-storey drift test | Drift capability verification | Counterpart: GB/T 29043 drift tests |
| AAMA 501.5 | USA | Thermal cycling of fenestration | Cycling protocol | Less common in CN practice |
| AAMA 2604 | USA | High-performance organic coatings | Coating performance classes | Counterpart: GB/T 5237.5 |
| AAMA 2605 | USA | Superior PVDF coatings (20 yr) | Strictest coating class | Counterpart: GB/T 5237.5 high class |
| EN 13830 | Europe | Product standard for curtain walling | Air AE classes, water RE classes | Framework counterpart of GB/T 21086 |
| EN 12152/12153 | Europe | Air permeability classification/test | AE 0 best .. AE 1350 | Counterpart: GB/T 21086 air classes |
| EN 12154/12155 | Europe | Watertightness classification/test | RE 1.5 kPa upward | Counterpart: GB/T water classes |
| EN 13116 | Europe | Wind resistance test | Classes up to 5 × pressure | Counterpart: GB/T wind classes |
| BS EN 13830 | United Kingdom | UK-adopted EN 13830 (CE marking) | Same classes; CE legal route | See dedicated comparison below |
| CWCT | UK / Middle East | Systemised building envelopes, performance | Air/water/structural/thermal/fire/E MC | Performance standard; often on top of EN |
| ETAG 002 | Europe | Structural sealant glazing (SSG) | SSG system requirements | Feeds SSG design practice worldwide |
| ISO 10077-2 | International | Thermal U-value of frames | Frame U-value calc | Used inside CN thermal design too |
| EN 1364-3 | Europe | Fire resistance of curtain walling | E/EI 30–120 ratings | Counterpart: GB/T 29467 / JGJ fire rules |
Reading note: "Counterpart" means the Chinese system covers the same performance question with its own method — class numbers and pressures do not map one-to-one between frameworks. Always read the tested pressure/class, the code and the acceptance criteria together. The comparison table below illustrates the two most common translation pairs.
BS EN 13830 — The UK Product Standard
BS EN 13830 is the British adoption of the European product standard for curtain walling, harmonised under the Construction Products Regulation (EU 305/2011). For UK and many international projects it is the legal route to market: curtain walling kits carry CE marking (and UKCA for the GB market) based on system-level assessment to EN 13830, supported by the EN test-method family — EN 12152/12153 (air), EN 12154/12155 (water), EN 13116 (wind), EN 13119 (terms), with thermal performance per ISO 10077-2 and EN ISO 12631.
Performance is expressed in class systems, not single numbers: air permeability from AE 1350 (loosest) to AE 0 (tightest), watertightness from RE 1.5 kPa upward in 0.5–1.0 kPa steps, and wind resistance classes verified at increasing test pressures. On UK towers, CWCT testing (performance-based) is frequently added on top of EN 13830 certification, with the most onerous requirement prevailing.
| Aspect | BS EN 13830 (UK / Europe) | GB/T 21086 & JGJ 102 (China) |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Harmonised product standard — CE/UKCA route for kits | Performance grading + engineering practice code |
| Air permeability | Classes AE 1350 → AE 0 (lower = better) | Classes 1–4 (higher = better) |
| Watertightness | RE 1.5 kPa+ class steps | Classes 1–5 (fixed), 1–3 (operable) |
| Wind load | Pressure classes, verified to 5 × design in family tests | Classes 1–9 by P3 test pressure |
| Legal force | CE/UKCA required for market access | JGJ 102 mandatory for domestic acceptance |
| Thermal | ISO 10077-2 / EN ISO 12631 U-values | GB 50176 / JGJ 102 thermal requirements |
| Fire | EN 1364-3 (E/EI ratings) | GB/T 29467 + national fire rules |
The practical takeaway for international projects: choose one primary code, then verify the numbers, not the names. Hanart routinely engineers to both frameworks and documents each performance class with independent test evidence — see the full standards guide for how to read and compare test reports.
How Hanart documents code compliance
For every export project Hanart issues a compliance matrix that maps each relevant standard clause to the engineering response: calculation method, test standard, component certificate or inspection record. This is prepared at design stage, not at handover, so gaps surface while they are still cheap to close.
Test evidence comes from three levels: accredited laboratory reports (air, water, structural and thermal), in-plant seal and dimensional inspection records, and site verification including watertightness testing before handover. The combination covers the standard, the product and the installation.
- Standard-by-standard scope and key values, as in the tables above
- Clause-level compliance matrix for the project jurisdiction
- Laboratory, in-plant and site test evidence in one dossier
- BS EN 13830, EN 13830, ASTM, AAMA, CWCT, GB/T 21086 and JGJ 102 mapping
Typical documentation we hand over
Each project closes with a standards-aligned dossier: compliance matrix, calculations, laboratory and in-plant test records, site watertightness verification, as-built drawings and a maintenance manual. For UK projects the BS EN 13830 classification summary and CE / UKCA documentation are included as part of the handover set.
Need a facade that passes in your market?
Tell us the jurisdiction and the performance budget. Hanart engineers and tests to GB/T, ASTM/AAMA, EN/BS EN and CWCT — with independent evidence for every class claimed.