Technical Resources

ODL doorglass systems protect against moisture and air infiltration in two areas:

1. Infiltration into the insulated glass air space through the glass seal.
2. Infiltration from the outside that attempts to penetrate the frame seals against the door and the glass.

ODL doorglass includes premium components that enable certification by the Insulating Glass Certification Council (IGCC) as meeting the requirements of ASTM E 2190. ASTM E 2190 is a harmonized standard test protocol adopted by the U.S. and Canada for evaluating insulating glass (IG) performance, durability, and longevity. There are three main parts to the standard:

1. The High Humidity Test subjects samples to high humidity and temperature with the objective of forcing moisture into the sealed air space in an IG unit. Specimens are tested for 42 days and subjected to 95% ±5% relative humidity.
2. Accelerated Weather Cycling simulates weather cycling from hot to cold extremes with moisture added during the hot cycle. Specimens are tested for 63 days and subjected to 252 cycles.
3. The Volatile Fog Test shows that components, or trapped impurities, will not out-gas a volatile fog, which could result in a deposit on the interior glass surface. No fog must be visible at arm's length.

ODL doorglass must survive our test of 25,000 slam cycles, so you can be assured that it will remain intact when your exterior door occasionally slams shut.

Blinds + Glass are tested through 10,000 raise and lower cycles to ensure years of reliable operation.

Sound Transmission Class (STC)  is expressed in decibels (dB) and is used to measure a building material's ability to reduce sound. A higher STC rating translates into more reduction in sound. Laboratory testing is used to measure the resistance of partitions such as walls, windows, or entry doors to the passage of sound.

The material with the lowest resistance to the passage of sound limits a partition's STC value. Poor construction practices can also nullify a partition's sound reduction properties. Cracks due to improperly fitted doors or windows can be a prime source of sound leakage.

Select ODL doorglass styles reduce sound transmission from the outside, often a desired feature in densely populated areas.

ODL conducted third party IAS-accredited lab testing on a range of doorglass configurations. All of the doorglass samples were 22" x 64" except the sliding patio door blind which was 33" x 74". These sound transmission loss tests were conducted in accordance with ASTM E 90. The Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating was calculated in accordance with ASTM E 413. Test results and benchmark values are presented below.

*Source: HUD Noise Notebook chapter 4 supplement, Sound Transmission Class guidance

Opacity is an indicator of how much light passes through a material. For glass, a higher opacity will mean that less detail can be seen when you look through it, which translates to higher privacy when used in homes and buildings. 

The level of privacy that a piece of glass or specific glass design offers is important to know in order for homeowners to feel secure in their homes and know what the opacity of their purchase is. However, there is no industry standard for measuring privacy, which results in a subjective opacity scale that requires interpretation from manufacturer to manufacturer. 

Beginning in 2023, ODL, Inc. has instituted a new privacy rating system that uses a standardized, repeatable test so that you know exactly what level of privacy you are getting in each ODL product. This new system helps professionals and homeowners understand more about the glass they purchase and takes the guesswork out of opacity and privacy. 

ODL’s privacy rating system uses a process that tests the amount of light that is able to pass through the glass that we use in our stylized products. Using a tool called a spectrophotometer, every texture or pattern of a glass design is tested to see how much light passes through each particular part of the piece. The readings from the spectrophotometer are then used to calculate the exact privacy level for each glass design.

The new privacy rating system from ODL assigns each glass design and style into one of four categories: Low Privacy, Medium Privacy, High Privacy, and Maximum Privacy. This new system replaces the previous number scale and provides a precise and proven opacity level for every ODL design.