Window Protection Film
Protective window film reinforces the glass in windows, doors, mirrors and shopfronts. It is clear, multi-layered, and made in several thicknesses. Two things it does: it makes a forced entry slow and noisy, and when the glass does break it holds the fragments in the opening instead of letting them fly. What it does not do is stop the glass from breaking — no film does that; the difference is that a filmed pane cracks and stays in one piece.
These films go on apartments, private homes, commercial properties and public buildings — anywhere the glass is reachable from outside.
Technical Characteristics of Protective Window Films
- Polyester, multi-layer structure, hard coat above 2H against scratches.
- Clear: the 4 mil transmits 86% of visible light (VLT), the 8 mil 84%, the 12 mil 82% — the window keeps its own look. All three block 99% of UV radiation.
- Self-adhesive, with the adhesive layer already on the film.
- Thicker and far more tear-resistant than any tinting film — that is the whole point of the material.
Made to EN12600 and EN356
Our protective films are manufactured to the European safety standards EN12600 (impact resistance of glazing) and EN356 (resistance to manual attack). These are the two norms that define what a protective glazing film has to withstand.
The Range Is Split by Thickness
Thickness is what separates one protective film from the next, and it decides both what the film withstands and what it costs. It also decides how the film installs: a 12 mil sheet does not follow the glass under a soft squeegee the way a 4 mil one does.
Top Five Varieties of Protective Window Films
Five names are in common use for films of this family. Two of them are sections of this store; the other three are terms you will meet elsewhere, and sections for them are on the way.
- Safety glass film for windows — the thinner end, 4 mil. Holds the shards together when the pane goes.
- Security window film — the dense end, 8 and 12 mil, meant to cost an intruder time.
- Shatterproof glass film — a trade name rather than a property: the glass still breaks, the film keeps it in the frame.
- Anti-graffiti film — a clear sacrificial layer that takes the paint and the scratches and is peeled off and replaced instead of the glass.
- Hurricane window film — thick film for wind-borne debris, where the edges of the glass matter as much as the film itself.
Marking and Labeling of Protective Window Films
These films are measured in mil — thousandths of an inch. Thicker film, more resistance, higher price, in that order. In our range: the 4 mil film (VLT 86%, TSER 16%) for standard protection, the 8 mil security film (VLT 84%, TSER 20%), and the 12 mil security window film (VLT 82%, TSER 24%), the thickest we cut.
Self-Adhesive Properties
Every protective glass film we sell is self-adhesive. What it needs besides the film is a mounting solution and a rigid-edged squeegee — both go into the order, together with a free piece of film to practise on before the real pane. The details are in the self-adhesive window tint film section.
Each piece is cut to your own measurements in inches, in steps of 1/32", up to 110" on the long side.
Other Types of Protective Films
The phrase window protection film is wider than this section. Sun protection window films and UV window tinting also protect — from heat and from fading rather than from impact.
