ASD · LRFD · HVHZ · COMPONENTS & CLADDING

Pick the window that survives the pressure

Match a window, door, or storm shutter's Design Pressure rating to the wind pressures your building actually sees. Get the numbers right and the product approval follows.

Calculate My Pressures HVHZ Product Approvals
0.6WASD SERVICE LEVEL
1.0WLRFD ULTIMATE
2HVHZ COUNTIES
2002SOLVING WIND LOADS SINCE

DESIGN METHODS

ASD, LRFD & HVHZ — three lenses, one pressure

The wind doesn't change. The load combination you check it against does. Read the same C&C pressure through the right method.

ASD — Allowable Stress

Service-level wind is 0.6W: 60% of the ultimate pressure. Window DP ratings are published at this service level, so ASD pressures compare directly to a product's DP.

0.6 × ULTIMATE

LRFD — Load & Resistance

The wind load factor on strength-level wind is 1.0W — the full ultimate pressure straight off the ASCE 7 maps. No service reduction is applied at the ultimate level.

1.0 × ULTIMATE

HVHZ — South Florida

The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone is Miami-Dade and Broward counties only. Openings need tested impact protection plus a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval.

TAS 201 / 202 / 203

There is no wind importance factor in ASCE 7-16 or 7-22. Risk category instead selects a different basic-wind-speed map — higher category, longer return period, higher design wind — not a fixed multiplier.

READING THE NUMBER

What each method hands the window

Same building, same wind. Choose the pressure your product datasheet was tested against.

MethodWind LevelPressureUse For
ASDService0.6 × ultimate (0.6W)Matching published DP ratings
LRFDUltimate1.0 × ultimate (1.0W)Strength-level structural design
HVHZUltimate + impactPer FBC / TAS protocolsMiami-Dade & Broward openings

FOUR STEPS

How to pick the right DP-rated window

Design Pressure is the rated load a unit was tested to resist. Match it to the calculated Components & Cladding pressure on that opening.

1 · Locate the opening

Find each window or door's zone — interior wall (Zone 4) or corner (Zone 5). Corners pull harder.

C&C ZONE

2 · Use effective area

Smaller effective wind area means higher pressure. A small fixed lite sees more psf than a wide slider — size it on its own.

AREA → PRESSURE

3 · Compute both signs

Solve positive (pushing in) and negative (suction) pressures. Suction usually governs — the DP rating must cover the larger magnitude.

±GCp

4 · Match DP ≥ pressure

Specify a unit whose Design Pressure meets or beats the governing C&C value. In HVHZ, confirm a current NOA or Florida Product Approval too.

DP ≥ DEMAND

WHY ENGINEERS RUN IT HERE

Numbers your plan reviewer accepts

Permit-ready output

Code-traceable ASCE 7 wind pressures formatted for window, door, and shutter submittals.

ASCE 7-16 / 7-22

Solving wind since 2002

More than two decades across multiple ASCE 7 editions — used by engineers, architects, and contractors.

24+ YEARS

HVHZ aware

Built to flag Miami-Dade and Broward openings where NOA / Florida Product Approval and TAS impact testing apply.

FBC HVHZ

START WITH THE PRESSURE

Get the C&C numbers, then spec the DP

Run your building's wind load pressures and carry the governing value straight onto your product schedule.

Open the Wind Load Calculators Learn C&C Pressure