NAFS and CSA A440 Window Certification for Canadian Projects: What Imported Windows Must Show

Windows, doors and skylights in a Canadian building have to meet two documents read together: the North American Fenestration Standard, AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 (NAFS), and its Canadian Supplement, CSA A440S1. The Supplement decides which performance grade the building’s location needs, and the product label has to show the ratings achieved. An imported window is judged on the same test reports and the same label as one made in Canada.

This guide is for developers, general contractors, builders, commercial project owners, interior design and construction companies and FF&E solution providers pricing a window and door package from China for a Canadian condominium, rental, hotel or mixed-use project. It covers which code clauses apply, which editions are in play as of 25 September 2026, and what the label and test reports need to show. For how Canada compares with the EU, the UK, the US, Australia and Saudi Arabia, see our comparison of window and door export certifications by market. This article deals only with Canada. Every code clause below was read in the published text of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).

What Does the National Building Code of Canada Require for Manufactured Windows?

Part 9 of the NBC covers buildings of 3 storeys or less in building height with a building area not exceeding 600 m2 in residential, business and personal services, mercantile and some industrial occupancies (Division A, Article 1.3.3.3.). In NBC 2025, Article 9.7.4.2. requires manufactured and pre-assembled windows, doors and skylights and their installation to conform to:

1. AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, which the code calls the Harmonized Standard;
2. CSA A440S1, the Canadian Supplement;
3. the remainder of Subsection 9.7.4.; and
4. the applicable installation requirements in Subsection 9.7.6.

Article 9.7.4.3. adds that performance grades are selected according to the Canadian Supplement “so as to be appropriate for the conditions and geographic location” of installation. Products must meet those grades when tested to the Harmonized Standard, and the minimum level of performance is Performance Class R.

Taller and larger residential, office and retail buildings fall under Parts 3 to 6 (Division A, Article 1.3.3.2.). There, Article 5.9.2.2. requires the same pair of documents, again with grades selected under the Canadian Supplement. So a condominium tower and a three-storey townhouse block reference the same standards. What changes between them is the loads the windows must be graded for.

Two more Part 9 clauses affect the order. Article 9.7.5.3. requires windows in dwelling units, any part of which is within 2 m of adjacent ground level, to meet the forced-entry requirements in Clause 5.3.6 of the Harmonized Standard. Article 9.7.6.1. requires installation to conform to CSA A440.4, Window, door, and skylight installation.

Which Editions Apply: NAFS-17, NAFS-22 or NAFS-26?

Several editions of both documents exist at once, and the code a project is permitted under may not reference the newest. As of 25 September 2026:

Two points follow. First, NBC 2025 pairs NAFS-22 with the 2019 Supplement, whose title still refers to NAFS-17, not with the 2025 Supplement. Second, the national codes are models. The NBC preface says provinces and territories may adopt it “without change or with modifications to suit local needs”. The adoption table of the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes lists British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec on the 2020 edition with provincial variations. Its rows are dated between August 2024 and August 2025, and it lists Quebec’s enforcement date as 17 April 2025.

So the window specification should name the editions accepted by the authority having jurisdiction, and every factory test report should state the edition it was tested to. Whether a report to one edition is accepted where the code names another is for the project’s consultant and the building official to confirm, not the factory. Settling it before the order is placed keeps the question out of permit and inspection.

What Must the Label on an Imported Window Show?

The NBC’s explanatory Note A-9.7.4.2.(1) states that the Canadian Supplement requires performance ratings to be shown on a label, following the designation rules of the Harmonized Standard. The label must include:

• design pressure, where applicable;
• negative design pressure, where applicable;
• water penetration test pressure; and
• the Canadian air infiltration and exfiltration levels.

The same note makes two further points. To carry a label in Canada, a product must meet all applicable requirements of both the Harmonized Standard and the Canadian Supplement, including forced entry. Design pressure is also reported on a secondary designator, which the Supplement requires to be affixed to the window.

Doors need a separate check. Side-hinged doors can comply with the Harmonized Standard when tested below the minimum water pressure for their class and grade. These doors carry a “Limited Water” (LW) rating on the label. The note says an LW door can be used where its tested water penetration resistance is at least the site’s specified driving rain wind pressure. Otherwise, the Supplement says it should be installed only in a protected location, such as under a porch roof. Check this for ground-floor entrances and balcony doors on exposed elevations.

How Is the Required Performance Grade Worked Out for a Site?

The explanatory note in the NBC sets out the method:

• Water penetration. In the Harmonized Standard, the water test pressure is a percentage of design pressure; for R-class products it is 15%. In Canada, driving rain wind pressures (DRWP) have been determined for the locations listed in Appendix C of the code. The Supplement adds a way to calculate the specified DRWP at the building site, taking exposure into account.
• Why the percentage is not enough. Specified DRWP values are sometimes greater than 15% of design pressure and sometimes less. The note says relying on a percentage “will not always be adequate”, and that the Supplement’s DRWP should be used for all products within the Harmonized Standard’s scope.
• Structural test loads. Products are tested at 150% of design pressure for wind, and skylights and roof windows at 200% for snow. The NBC keeps these factors for Canada-US harmonization, although its own load factors are lower.

In practice, the project’s consultant uses the Supplement to calculate design pressure and water test pressure for each elevation and height band, and the window schedule carries those values. The factory then has to show test reports for the same product line, configuration and size range that meet or exceed them. A schedule that says only “to NAFS” leaves the grade undefined.

What Falls Outside NAFS: Curtain Walls, Storefronts and Window Walls

In NBC 2025, Article 5.9.3.1. defines “other fenestration assemblies”: curtain walls, storefronts, glazed architectural structures, window walls, and other glazing not covered by the NAFS pair. These follow separate requirements:

• Air leakage (Article 5.9.3.4.). At a 75 Pa pressure difference under ASTM E283/E283M, no more than 0.2 L/(s·m2) for fixed portions, including opaque portions, and 1.5 L/(s·m2) for operable portions. Commercial entrance systems, revolving doors and commercial steel doors are among the exemptions.
• Water penetration (Article 5.9.3.5.). Tested under ASTM E331 or ASTM E547, at the driving rain wind pressure calculated under CSA A440S1.
• Thermal break. Metal-framed assemblies between conditioned space and the exterior need a thermal break to minimize condensation, unless they are required to have a fire-protection rating (Articles 5.9.2.4. and 5.9.3.3.).

A mixed-use building may combine NAFS-labelled windows on upper floors with a storefront at grade, and each needs its own evidence. Our note on turning window and door drawings into an order sheet shows how to keep such systems on separate lines.

Energy Performance: Code Tables, CSA A440.2 and ENERGY STAR Canada

Part 9 prescriptive values. NBC 2025, Table 9.36.2.7.-A, sets a maximum U-value, or a minimum Energy Rating (ER), for fenestration and doors by heating-degree-day zone:

That is one path only. Article 9.36.1.3. also allows performance, tiered and NECB compliance, and requires the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings where non-residential occupancies exceed a combined 300 m2. The energy consultant chooses the path; the factory supplies ratings in the form it needs.

Condensation. Table 9.7.3.3. uses a Temperature Index (I). The NBC note says only the physical test in CSA A440.2, Fenestration energy performance, can establish I values, and that simulated Condensation Resistance Factors (CR) are “not interchangeable” with them.

ENERGY STAR Canada. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) runs this voluntary program under its own specification, which differs from the U.S. one. Version 5.0, effective 1 January 2020, is the version NRCan’s August 2025 labelling requirements apply to. It sets:

• windows and doors: maximum U-factor 1.22 W/m2·K, or minimum ER 34;
• unit skylights: maximum U-factor 2.29 W/m2·K;
• air infiltration and exfiltration: each no more than 1.5 L/s/m2;
• scope: products for buildings meeting Part 9 of the NBC; products for non-residential buildings are excluded; and
• certification: by an organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada for that scope, or by the U.S. National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), with each model registered with NRCan.

NRCan also states that ENERGY STAR in Canada does not require certified structural performance results, so the ENERGY STAR mark says nothing about NAFS grades. NFRC-route labels must show the U-factor in metric units as well, and must carry “Do not remove until final inspection / Ne pas retirer avant l’inspection finale”. For the U.S. counterpart, see our guide to NFRC ratings and U-factor for US projects.

Where Does a Chinese Factory’s Test Report Fit?

The clauses above name NAFS, the Canadian Supplement and CSA A440.2. None of them refers to the country of manufacture. A report written to another standard, such as a Chinese national standard, AS 2047 or EN 14351-1, is a different test. The ENERGY STAR Canada specification requires NAFS and Supplement testing to be done by an organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, or by another signatory to the APLAC and/or ILAC mutual recognition arrangements, for the scope of the product tested.

For each window and door type, the submittal should include:

• the NAFS test report, stating edition, product line, configuration, tested size and the Canadian Supplement ratings;
• a drawing of the label and secondary designator as they will be applied;
• the energy rating (U-value or ER, and SHGC), plus a CSA A440.2 Temperature Index where the code path needs one; and
• for storefronts and window walls, ASTM E283 and E331 or E547 reports at the site DRWP.

Where the profile system and the finished windows come from different companies, check whose product the report actually tested. Our guide to uPVC window and profile manufacturers in China for multifamily projects sets out the evidence a multifamily team needs for uPVC systems.

How Does FBM Sourcing Handle a Canadian Window and Door Package?

As a sourcing partner in China for project teams, FBM Sourcing starts from the window schedule and the values the consultant has set for each elevation. We write the required editions and values into the factory enquiry. At quotation we collect test reports and label drawings for each type, and we raise any gap with the project team before the order is placed.

After bulk production is finished and before shipment, our own team carries out one inspection at the factory, with photo and video records, checking the units against the approved drawings and labels. The inspection report goes to the client before the balance is paid. Sometimes, on a large project, the windows and doors alone fill full containers; sometimes the windows and doors share containers with the other product categories of the same project; and sometimes, in one batch, we combine a dozen or more product categories from several projects of the same client into a few containers — always full containers, and for us this is routine, well-practised work. Condominium teams pairing windows with kitchens can also read our guide to kitchen cabinet manufacturers in China for Canadian multifamily and condo projects.

FBM Sourcing does not certify products, issue labels or decide which code edition applies. Those decisions belong to the certification body, the project’s consultant and the authority having jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the National Building Code of Canada require NAFS for windows?

Yes. NBC 2025 Article 9.7.4.2. (Part 9 buildings) and Article 5.9.2.2. (larger buildings) require windows, doors and skylights to conform to AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 and CSA A440S1. Curtain walls, storefronts and window walls follow Subsection 5.9.3. instead. Provinces adopt the code themselves, so confirm the edition in force where the project is.

What is CSA A440S1?

It is the Canadian Supplement to NAFS. Under the NBC it is used to select performance grades for the building’s location, including the site driving rain wind pressure for the water test, and it requires ratings on a label. NBC 2020 and NBC 2025 both reference the 2019 edition; a fifth edition written for NAFS-22 was published in January 2025.

What has to be on a NAFS label for Canada?

Per the NBC’s note to Article 9.7.4.2., the label shows design pressure and negative design pressure where applicable, the water penetration test pressure, and the Canadian air infiltration and exfiltration levels. Design pressure also goes on a secondary designator affixed to the window.

Is an ENERGY STAR label enough to show a window meets the building code?

No. NRCan states that ENERGY STAR in Canada does not require certified structural performance results. The Version 5.0 specification covers energy performance and air leakage for Part 9 residential products only, so NAFS and Canadian Supplement testing and labelling are still needed.

Can windows made in China be NAFS-rated for a Canadian project?

Yes. The code clauses set performance, testing and labelling requirements and do not refer to the country of manufacture. What matters is a test report for the same product line, configuration and size range, to the edition the project’s code accepts and graded to the site’s loads, with the correct label.

About FBM Sourcing

FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. Since 2014 we have worked with developers, general contractors, builders, commercial project owners, interior design and construction companies and FF&E solution providers across more than 20 countries and over 1,000 containers, as their sourcing partner in China — from the schedule or BOQ through factory selection, sampling, inspection by our own team before shipment, consolidation and shipping. All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing, and sea freight is quoted to you before shipment. If you have a window and door package to price, start at China building materials and FF&E procurement.