How Strong Are Aluminum Shutters?
If you own a home in Florida, you know the importance of finding strong window shutters. After all, you need assurance that they can stand up to the 100+ mph winds that can hurtle across the state during hurricane season. Aluminum has long been the material of choice for storm shutter manufacturers and accounts for a large percentage of the market. If your windows need protection, you might find yourself asking: How strong are aluminum shutters?
Manufactured for Endurance
One of the simplest ways to gauge the strength of aluminum shutters is to compare them to common alternative products. Homemade plywood “shutters” are a common sight as hurricanes barrel across the Atlantic toward Florida. However, while this cheap material offers better protection than nothing at all, it breaks too easily to mount much of a defense. In fact, if the heavy winds pry the damaged pieces away from a home, they quickly become window-shattering projectiles. Well-made fabric and polycarbonate shutters offer better protection, but possess a degree of flexibility that might also cause damage to a window.
Aluminum, on the other hand, possesses a high tensile strength. In other words, it can withstand a large amount pressure without breaking. This makes it an ideal material from which to manufacture window shutters. Certain manufacturers will further refine this alloy, creating hurricane shutters that can withstand high-velocity wind gusts and the projectiles that they carry.
Tested for Success
How can you tell whether your aluminum shutters are strong enough to resist Mother Nature’s fury? Start by looking at their hurricane rating. Most storm shutter manufacturers test their products against Miami-Dade county building codes, the most rigorous in the United States. Window shutters with a Miami-Dade hurricane rating have been tested in conditions featuring 165-180 mph winds – the same wind strength as a category 5 hurricane.
It’s time to protect your Kissimmee home from hurricane-force winds. Contact US Verticals today to learn more about our aluminum shutters.
