Canadian Standards Association

    
     Windows are tested for air and water penetration as well as undergoing structural testing for wind load deflection. All windows meet strict standards for resistance to forced entry. Multiple tests are performed to create increasingly adverse conditions in order to determine the performance limits of the window. 

     Almost all windows have been tested to the CSA A-440-M98 standard, but only very few of those tested have also been certified. To get a CSA test report, a specially made window is sent to the test lab by a manufacturer. These windows are made for the test and every effort is made to make them perfect.

     However, it has became apparent to both the window industry as well as the government, that tested windows do not always give an accurate evaluation of the window performance as regularly produced. The Canadian Window & Door Association (CWDMA) together with the government have come upon a solution: the development of a certification program.

     The CSA certification program is designed to verify that the window you buy is made with exactly the same materials and processes as the lab tested window. CSA certification means that windows are pulled from production and inspected at random. These windows are carefully examined and tested to assure that they are made and perform according to the published tests.