USA-made fire-rated glass and framing, tested as complete assemblies
SAFTI FIRST manufactures fire-rated glass and the framing that holds it, in the United States. It has been doing so for over forty years as the fire-rated division of O'Keeffe's Inc., headquartered in Brisbane, California with manufacturing in Merced.
What distinguishes it in this category is vertical integration. Much of the fire-rated glazing sold in the US is imported glass fitted into separately sourced framing. SAFTI FIRST makes both, so the glass and the frame are tested and listed together — and it is the assembly that carries the rating, never the glass on its own.
That point is not a technicality. A fire-rated pane in an unrated frame is not a rated opening, and an inspector checking the label will fail it. Mismatched components are among the most common reasons fire-rated work does not pass.
Full listings and technical data are on SAFTI FIRST's website, which opens in a separate window.
If you take one thing from this page, take this. Fire-rated glazing divides into two categories that are not interchangeable, and confusing them is the single most common specification error in this field.
| Fire Protective | Fire Resistive | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical ratings | 20, 30 and 45 minutes | 60, 90 and 120 minutes |
| Blocks flame and smoke | Yes | Yes |
| Blocks radiant heat | No | Yes |
| Area limitations | Yes — restricted glazed area | No area limit |
| Can act as a wall? | No | Yes |
| Tested to | NFPA 252 / 257, UL 10C / UL 9 | ASTM E119 / UL 263 |
Fire protective glazing blocks flame and smoke. It does not block radiant heat — stand next to it during a fire and you would feel the heat through it. Because of that, codes limit how much of it can be used in an area, and it cannot serve where a wall is required.
Fire resistive glazing, tested to the wall standard ASTM E119, blocks radiant heat as well. That is why it can function as a transparent wall with no area limitation.
The failure mode is predictable: a drawing calls for a rated wall, someone supplies protective glazing because it is cheaper and the rating number looks adequate, and it fails inspection. At that point the glass is fabricated, the framing is installed, and the fix is expensive.
We check which category the code actually requires before anything is ordered. If the answer is not clear from the drawings, that is a question for the architect or the code official, not something to assume.
Fire-rated openings are life-safety assemblies. They are inspected, they carry permanent labels identifying the listing, and substitutions are not accepted on the basis that a product looks equivalent.
The label is the evidence. An inspector reads it, checks it against the listing, and checks that the frame carries a matching label. If the glass came from one source and the frame from another and they were never tested together, there is no listing to point at.
This is why we work from the architect's fire rating schedule and confirm the assembly listing before ordering. If a detail on the drawings will not achieve the rating as drawn — a size beyond the tested maximum, a frame depth that does not match, a hardware item not in the listing — we would rather raise it at submittal than at inspection.
It is also why lead time matters here more than on ordinary glazing. Custom fire-rated assemblies involve submittals, approvals and fabrication, and none of those steps compress well.
Several conditions come up repeatedly in city work.
Lot line and property line openings. Where a building sits close to a boundary, openings in that wall face restrictions, and glazed openings generally require rating. In dense boroughs this is one of the most frequent triggers.
Stairs, corridors and exit passageways. Enclosures protecting the means of egress require rated construction, and any glazing in them has to match. Modern designs increasingly want daylight in stairs, and fire-resistive glazing is what makes that possible.
Atria and floor openings. Where a floor is penetrated, rated separation is generally required around it — and fire-rated floor systems exist for the horizontal condition as well.
Institutional, educational and transit buildings. Higher occupancy and more demanding egress requirements mean more rated separations, and these are exactly the buildings where transparency between spaces is wanted for supervision and wayfinding.
Requirements depend on construction type, occupancy, separation distance and the specific edition of the code in force. Confirm with your architect or code official — this page describes the product, not your project's requirements.
Anyone whose reference point is older buildings expects fire-rated glazing to mean wired glass in a small pane with an amber tint. That is no longer the case, and it changes what is architecturally possible.
Current fire-rated products offer high visible light transmission and clear appearance, and the listed sizes are far larger than they were — large enough that a fire-rated wall can read as a glass wall rather than as a series of small ports.
The practical consequence is that daylight and visual connection no longer have to be traded away for fire separation. A rated stair can be glazed. A corridor separation can be transparent. That is a design capability, not just a compliance product.
Framing follows the same logic. Fire-rated aluminium systems are available in multiple profile depths with finish options including powder coat, anodised, Kynar, wood veneer and ornamental metal — so a rated assembly can be detailed to match the surrounding non-rated glazing rather than standing out as an obviously different product.
Some projects need a rated opening to do more than one job. SAFTI FIRST assemblies are available addressing several hazards in a single unit — combining fire rating with bullet resistance, blast resistance, hurricane impact or forced-entry resistance.
This matters because those requirements would otherwise conflict. A security laminated build-up and a fire-rated build-up are different constructions, and putting one behind the other is rarely practical in a frame. Assemblies tested for both are the workable answer.
These come up in government, transit, correctional, healthcare and financial buildings, and increasingly in schools. If more than one hazard is in your specification, say so early — it narrows the available listings considerably and affects both cost and lead time.
We treat fire-rated glazing as a distinct discipline rather than as glass with a certificate attached, and we would rather be involved before the drawings are finalised.
What we need: the fire rating schedule, the opening sizes and locations, the required ratings, whether any opening also has a security or impact requirement, and what the surrounding glazing looks like so the rated assemblies can be detailed to match.
What we will tell you: whether the assembly as drawn is achievable within a tested listing, whether protective or resistive is required, what the realistic lead time is, and where a design change would save significant cost without affecting compliance.
For steel-framed fire-rated windows, see also Optimum Window, which we carry for that application. For the underlying glass technologies, see laminated glass and tempered glass.
Optimum Window Laminated Glass Tempered Glass Commercial Doors Curtain Wall Systems Panels & Partitions
Tell us about the opening and we will specify it for you.
