Bullet Resistant Laminated Glazing, Polycarbonate

Bullet-resistant laminated glazing is a bonded multi-ply build - hard-coated polycarbonate faces, polyurethane interlayers, and polycarbonate or acrylic cores - engineered and tested as an assembly. It is used for teller and transaction windows, pharmacy and dispensary glazing, reception and guard positions, and vehicle glazing.

The most important thing on this page: we do not infer a UL 752 level from a thickness, and neither should you. A level belongs to a specific tested and certified construction - a plain one-inch polycarbonate sheet is not Level 2. What we can do is name the construction. The standard certified builds are a 3/4 inch laminate at 5.1 pounds per square foot and 88% transmission rated Level 1, a 1 inch all-polycarbonate laminate at 6.5 pounds and 72% rated Level 2, and a 1-1/4 inch all-polycarbonate laminate at 8.1 pounds and 72% rated Level 3. Tell us the protection level your specification calls for and we will supply against the certified construction and give you the certificate.

For reference, UL 752 Level 1 is three shots of 9 mm, 124 grain, at 1,175 to 1,293 feet per second; Level 2 is .357 Magnum; Level 3 is .44 Magnum; Levels 4, 5, 8 and 9 are rifle threats; Level 6 is five shots of 9 mm from a submachine gun; and the standard runs to Level 10, which is .50 calibre. There are separate shotgun levels too.

Two more things worth knowing. One common 3/4 inch build is NOT all-polycarbonate - it is hard-coated polycarbonate faces over a half-inch ACRYLIC core, which is why it transmits around 88% where the all-polycarbonate builds transmit about 72%, and why its combustibility class is CC2 against CC1 for the all-polycarbonate ones. So "bullet-resistant polycarbonate" is the wrong name for that one; it is a polycarbonate and acrylic laminate. An all-polycarbonate 3/4 inch build also exists, at a lower 65% transmission, so at this thickness you have to ask which you are getting. And a rated glazing material needs a tested frame and glazing system around it to perform as rated - UL 752 covers assemblies, not just the panel. The shipping weights here use the published areal weights rather than thickness times density, which understates a laminate.

We say bullet resistant, never bulletproof. UL 752 is resistance at a stated threat, round count and velocity window.

Chemical compatibility and cleaning, which is where most polycarbonate failures start. Clean it with mild diluted dish soap and a soft microfibre cloth, or an ammonia-free glass cleaner. Do NOT use ammoniated glass cleaner - the common blue kind - because ammonia attacks polycarbonate, and the resin maker's own testing shows 0.1% ammonia is enough to do damage in the presence of water. Also avoid abrasive or high-alkaline cleaners, scrapers and squeegees, dry rubbing, and solvent in direct sun. Isopropyl alcohol diluted 50/50 with water handles oil and tar. Acetone, MEK, methylene chloride, chloroform, toluene, xylene and aromatic fuels all attack it, and so do amines and the plasticisers that migrate out of flexible PVC - which is why PVC gasket, tape and cable tie contact is a real failure mode. The important subtlety is that chemical resistance is not a fixed property: stress cracking only develops where the part is in tension, so a cold-bent, over-torqued or tightly framed part will fail with chemicals a compatibility chart calls safe.