GCs bid Florida federal work with two stamps in the same folder. One is a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval. The other is UFC 4-010-01. Those documents answer different questions. Treating them as interchangeable is how a storefront package fails AT/FP review after the buyout.
A Miami-Dade NOA is not a blast rating
A Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance and a Florida Product Approval are wind and impact approvals. They prove the assembly was tested for design pressure and wind-borne debris under Florida protocols. They do not prove ASTM F1642 airblast performance. They do not prove the inboard lite is laminated. They do not prove the UFC 4-010-01 Section 5-11.1 bite.
If the job is in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, you still need the NOA. That is a Florida permit path, not a federal AT/FP path. See the HVHZ glazing requirements for the wind and impact side, and the AT/FP blast-rated glazing hub for the federal overlay. Put both proofs in the glazing submittal package. One stamp does not stand in for the other.
UFC Section 5-11 does not require a blast-tested window
UFC 4-010-01, DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, dated July 2, 2026, Section 5-11 is the glazing floor for inhabited DoD buildings. The commentary is direct:
“Glazing standards in this section are only intended to minimize hazardous glazing fragments and is not designed for blast resistance.”
That sentence is in the current UFC, not a blog paraphrase. Read it in the official text: WBDG digital criteria and the UFC 4-010-01 landing page.
The 2018 edition used C3 Standard 10 for the same idea under old numbering. That standard is cancelled. If a spec still cites C3 Standard 10, it is pointing at fragment reduction, not a blast test. Confirm the July 2, 2026 section numbers before you price a tested assembly that nobody asked for.
The floor is laminated inboard glass and a specified bite
Section 5-11.1 is the construction rule. Minimum glass is 1/4 inch laminated or polycarbonate. The alternate makeup is two 1/8 inch plies with 0.030 inch PVB. On an insulated glass unit, the innermost lite must be laminated or polycarbonate. A monolithic inner pane does not comply.
Bite is written into the same paragraph. Silicone bite is the larger of 3/8 inch or the glass thickness. The silicone bead is 3/16 inch minimum. Tape bite is twice the silicone bite. On a single pane, bite applies on both sides. On an IGU, bite applies to the inboard lite only.
UFC 4-010-01 Section 5-11.1 floor. Laminated inboard glass and bite. Not a blast test.
| 5-11.1 item | Floor requirement |
|---|---|
| Glass | Min. 1/4 in laminated or polycarbonate |
| Alternate makeup | Two 1/8 in plies + 0.030 in PVB |
| IGU | Innermost lite laminated or PC; no monolithic inner pane |
| Silicone bite | Larger of 3/8 in or glass thickness |
| Silicone bead | 3/16 in minimum |
| Tape bite | 2× the silicone bite |
| Where bite applies | Both sides on a single pane; inboard lite only on an IGU |
Florida impact IGUs often laminate the outboard lite. That is the opposite of 5-11. An HVHZ makeup that puts the laminate on the weather side and leaves a monolithic inboard lite can pass Miami-Dade and still fail UFC. Do not assume the impact unit in the shop drawing is the UFC unit.
Section 5-11.2 pulls vestibules and stairs into the same fragment-reduction rule. Do not price those openings as unprotected interior glass. Section 5-12.1 covers doors. Section 5-11.4 is explicit: film is not acceptable as a substitute for the laminated inboard glass and bite in 5-11.1.
If the spec cites ASTM F1642 / F2912 / F2248, you are above the UFC floor
When Division 08 names ASTM F1642, F2912, or F2248, the package is no longer a 5-11 floor job. Those standards are a spec overlay. Hazard levels, standoff, and equivalent static load belong on that overlay, not in a 5-11 takeoff. Read the AT/FP hub for those methods. This post does not recap them.
Replacing windows on an inhabited DoD building triggers 5-11 even on a small renovation
Section 5-1.1.2.1 is the trigger people miss. Replacement of windows on an inhabited DoD building still has to meet 5-11. It is not the 50 percent renovation trigger. A six-opening package on an occupied admin building is enough.
Supplemental interior windows and new openings are included. If you add a borrowed lite or cut a new punched opening, treat it as 5-11 work. Do not wait for a major renovation percentage to show up on the cover sheet.
DoD on the installation is UFC; GSA/leased off-post is ISC; VA is VA
The federal regime follows occupancy, not the county. A building on a DoD installation uses UFC 4-010-01. GSA and leased off-post space uses the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) criteria. VA medical work uses the VA design manuals, not a copied UFC section. Wrong regime is a bid-day error. Start at the government glazing contractor page and, for VA work, the VA hospital glazing requirements page.
Dual path in Florida: one assembly, two proofs
On a Florida DoD job you usually need one physical assembly and two paper paths. Path one is the Florida wind and impact approval: Miami-Dade NOA in the HVHZ, Florida Product Approval elsewhere. Path two is UFC 4-010-01 Section 5-11 glass and bite. ASTM F1642 / F2912 / F2248 is a third path only if the spec cites it.
Do not shop a unit that has an NOA and call the federal side done. Do not shop a 5-11 laminate and skip the Florida product approval. Federal sourcing rules sit next to both proofs; see TAA / BABA / Buy American for glazing in one line, then get back to the glass.
For the Florida code side of the same opening, use the Florida Building Code commercial windows guide.
Bid-day mistakes
- Treating an NOA as AT/FP. Wind and impact approval is not a blast rating and it does not satisfy 5-11.
- Treating 5-11 as a blast test. The UFC commentary says the opposite. Do not price F1642 unless the spec cites it.
- Wrong IGU lite. Florida impact often laminates outboard. UFC 5-11 laminates inboard. Check the makeup, not the word “laminated.”
- Film in lieu of laminate. Section 5-11.4 rejects it.
- Skipping UFC on a small package. Window replacement on an inhabited DoD building triggers 5-11 under 5-1.1.2.1.
- Calling a vestibule interior. Section 5-11.2 includes vestibules and stairs.
- Wrong federal regime. DoD on-post is UFC. GSA/leased off-post is ISC. VA is VA.
- Shops that omit bite. 5-11.1 is glass and bite. A laminate without the specified silicone or tape bite is incomplete.
- Assuming spandrel is exempt. Confirm the opening type against 5-11 before you exclude it.
Confirm which UFC is on the drawings
Ask for the edition date on sheet T-001 or in Division 01. July 2, 2026 uses Section 5-11. The 2018 edition used C3 Standard 10. Same fragment-reduction idea, different numbering. A change-summary memo is not the criteria. Unified Facilities Specifications (UFS) are not the UFC. Price the document stamped on the drawings, then send the elevations if the edition is missing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Miami-Dade NOA satisfy AT/FP?
No. A Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval is a wind and impact approval. It does not prove ASTM F1642 performance, inboard laminated glass, or the UFC 4-010-01 Section 5-11.1 bite. It does not satisfy AT/FP.
Does UFC 4-010-01 Section 5-11 require ASTM F1642?
No. Section 5-11 is fragment reduction: laminated inboard glass and a specified bite. The July 2, 2026 commentary states the glazing standards in that section are only intended to minimize hazardous glazing fragments and are not designed for blast resistance. ASTM F1642 is a spec overlay above that floor.
What glass and bite does UFC 5-11 require?
Section 5-11.1 requires a minimum 1/4 inch laminated glass or polycarbonate, or two 1/8 inch plies with 0.030 inch PVB. On an IGU the innermost lite must be laminated or polycarbonate. Silicone bite is the larger of 3/8 inch or the glass thickness, with a 3/16 inch minimum bead. Tape bite is twice the silicone bite. Bite applies on both sides of a single pane and on the inboard lite only of an IGU.
When do ASTM F1642, F2912, and F2248 apply?
They apply when the project specification cites them. That is above the UFC 5-11 floor. Do not treat a 5-11 assembly as a blast-tested window unless the spec names those ASTM standards. Details live on the AT/FP hub.
Does replacing windows on a small renovation of an inhabited DoD building trigger UFC 5-11?
Yes. Section 5-1.1.2.1 applies window replacement on an inhabited DoD building to Section 5-11. It is not the 50 percent renovation trigger. Supplemental interior windows and new openings are included.
Can window film satisfy UFC 5-11?
No. Section 5-11.4 states film is not acceptable as a substitute for the laminated inboard glass and bite required by 5-11.1.