Blast-resistant glazing in Belfast

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

As a guide, allow £450 to £1,495 plus VAT (£540 to £1,794 inc VAT) per m² for blast-resistant glazing in Belfast, supplied and fitted. Size, glass makeup, access and frame condition move the price, which is confirmed in writing after the free 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.

Glass and fitting options

Blast-resistant net curtains as a fragment-catching layer
Work planned from the threat assessment and engineer's design
Manufacturer's test evidence supplied with your quote
Deep-bite frames and structural silicone or mechanical retention
Glazing classed to BS EN 13541 or tested to ISO 16933 and 16934
Anti-shatter film with edge-retention systems for existing windows

Fitting in Belfast and nearby

Surveys in Belfast (BT1) are booked around installer availability, as they are in nearby Newtownabbey (4 miles) and Holywood (5 miles).

County Antrim includes much of Belfast's Victorian commercial centre, Titanic Quarter offices and suburban high streets, plus Lisburn, Ballymena and the towns of the north coast.

Typical settings for blast-resistant glazing:

Transport hubs, venues and stadium frontages
Embassies, courts and police premises
Offices in city centres and near potential targets
Laboratories and industrial sites with process risks

Getting the right glass for your building

Frame and fixings

The frame must hold the glass and the fixings must hold the frame. Upgrading glass alone can move the failure to the frame.

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.

What the rules say in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Fire-rated glass is different

Glass in fire doors and fire screens must be fire-rated glass tested within that system, under Technical Booklet E and, for non-domestic premises, the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. Security and laminated glass are not fire-rated unless the product is tested for it.

Listed buildings and conservation areas

Listed buildings in Northern Ireland need listed building consent from the council for works affecting their character, which can include historic glass and sash windows. The Department for Communities' Historic Environment Division advises on these cases. Conservation areas bring extra scrutiny of shopfronts and external changes.

How it works

Postcode and a few photos
On-site survey
Fixed written price and lead time
Fit, check and explain

Blast-resistant glazing in Belfast: questions

Can you survey in Belfast and nearby towns?

Yes. Surveys in Belfast, Newtownabbey and Holywood are booked around installer availability.

Does blast glazing affect fire doors and fire screens?

Glass in fire-rated doors and screens must stay fire-rated glass tested in that system. Blast measures there need fire-rated products or a specialist design, never a swap to plain laminated glass.

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.

Can existing windows be made blast-resistant?

They can often be improved. Anti-shatter film with an edge-retention system, laminated replacement glass in strengthened frames or internal secondary glazing can cut the flying-glass hazard, depending on the threat.

Blast-resistant glazing in nearby towns

Other glazing in Belfast

Start with a guide price online, then we survey and fix the price in writing.

Free quote in Belfast