Blast-resistant glazing in March

Blast-resistant glazing in March: what will it cost?

Budget £450 to £1,495 plus VAT (£540 to £1,794 inc VAT) per m² for blast-resistant glazing in March, supplied and fitted. Larger panes, thicker makeups and difficult access cost more; the price is fixed in writing after the survey.

Blast-resistant glazing is laminated glass fitted in a frame and fixing system designed to stay in the opening, or fail safely, when hit by the pressure wave from an explosion. Its purpose is to stop glass becoming high-speed fragments, which cause most injuries in a blast, and it is designed from a threat assessment rather than chosen off the shelf.

Specification at a glance

Manufacturer's test evidence supplied with your quote
Work planned from the threat assessment and engineer's design
Sealed units with a laminated inner pane
Anti-shatter film with edge-retention systems for existing windows
Deep-bite frames and structural silicone or mechanical retention
Laminated glass with thick or stiff interlayers

Fitting in March and nearby

Whether you are in central March or at the edge of the PE15 district, we can arrange a survey. Nearby Wisbech and Peterborough are covered too.

Cambridgeshire has listed college streets and shopfronts in Cambridge and Ely, Peterborough's Victorian terraces and modern retail, and science-park offices with large glazed facades.

Typical settings for blast-resistant glazing:

Government, council and civic buildings
Offices in city centres and near potential targets
Transport hubs, venues and stadium frontages
Embassies, courts and police premises

Getting the right glass for your building

New glazing or retrofit

New facades can be designed as a full tested system. Existing buildings often get film with edge retention, internal secondary glazing or curtains instead.

Fragment hazard

Some designs accept that glass will break but keep it in place; others allow controlled failure into a catching system. Both aim to stop flying shards.

What the rules say in England

England

Fire-rated glass is different

Glass in fire doors, fire screens and protected escape routes has to be fire-rated glass tested as part of that door or screen system, under Approved Document B and the fire safety duties of the building's responsible person. Laminated and security glass are not fire-rated unless the product says so. Where a pane needs both fire and security performance, it must be a product tested for both.

Glazing in workplaces

Regulation 14 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires windows and transparent surfaces in walls, partitions, doors and gates to be of safety material or protected against breakage where health or safety makes that necessary, and to be marked so people notice them. The employer or the person in control of the premises decides what is needed through their risk assessment.

How it works

Tell us about the glazing
Survey, measuring and frame check
Written quote naming the glass
Fitting and handover

Blast-resistant glazing in March: questions

Do you cover Wisbech as well as March?

Yes. As well as March, we can arrange surveys in nearby Wisbech, Peterborough and King's Lynn. Dates depend on installer availability.

What does ER1 to ER4 mean?

They are explosion-pressure classes in BS EN 13541. Glass samples are tested in a shock tube, with higher classes meaning higher pressures. The class applies to the glass, so the frame must be designed to match.

Who decides what level of protection we need?

Your security adviser, insurer or a blast engineer, based on a threat and risk assessment. Government guidance from the National Protective Security Authority covers the approach.

Is blast film enough on its own?

Film helps hold glass together but works much better when the film is anchored to the frame so the whole pane cannot fly in. Plain film without retention offers less.

Blast-resistant glazing in nearby towns

Other glazing in March

Get a guide price now and book your free survey in March.

Free quote in March