Which international standards and certifications must a unitized curtain wall comply with globally?

Unitized curtain walls must comply with a mixture of international, regional, and project-specific standards that cover structural performance, water and air tightness, thermal performance, fire resistance, and quality management. Commonly referenced standards include ASTM standards (for wind load testing, water leakage, air infiltration, and glass testing), EN standards such as EN 13830 (Curtain walling — product standard), CWCT performance standards (UK) for rigorous façade testing protocols, and AS/NZS standards in the Australia/New Zealand market. Fire performance may reference local building code requirements together with EN/ASTM fire-test standards for glazed partitions and spandrel assemblies. Thermal and energy performance typically align with ISO thermal bridging guidance and regional energy codes (e.g., ASHRAE for the United States, national energy codes in Europe and the Middle East). Certifications and quality systems often requested by clients include ISO 9001 (quality management), factory production control (FPC) declarations where relevant, and third-party façade testing and inspection reports (accredited lab test results, ETL/CE markings depending on region). Project-specific requirements often add LEED, BREEAM, or other green-building documentation demonstrating thermal and daylighting performance. It is essential to review contract documents to identify mandatory standards for the project jurisdiction and coordinate with testing laboratories and certifiers early in the design phase to ensure compliance and documentation readiness.