What Are Ballistic Doors?
In movies and TV shows, the bulletproof glass seen in banks or car windows is often depicted as indestructible. However, this isn’t actually the case – as the glass is neither bulletproof nor actual glass. The “glass” is actually acrylic or polycarbonate plastic, and the name is a misnomer, as the correct term for “bulletproof” glass is actually bullet resistant glass. While we shouldn’t believe everything that we see in the movies, bullet resistant doors, or “bullet proof” doors, play a very important role in a building’s physical security. In fact, ballistic rated doors are often commonplace in government buildings, municipal facilities, or police stations.
Isotec's Bullet Resistant Doors
Dimensions and security requirements often differ, so our ballistic security doors are manufactured to be risk appropriate to the facility being protected. Our forte is designing systems that are site-specific, meaning each one of our ballistic doors is designed to your facility’s aesthetic requirements, including the actual door sizes.
Our ballistic doors are created by using a mix of 6061 T65 high tensile strength aluminum alloy; paired alongside 1/8” aluminum tubing for UL Level I ballistic protection or ¼” thick aluminum tubing for UL Level II protection, and bullet resistant glass that holds a UL 752 classification in either a UL Level I or UL Level II glass rating.
A ballistic security door (“bullet proof door”) with UL Level I glass can withstand high-velocity rounds from a 9MM handgun; while, ballistic doors with UL Level II glass are tested to stop high-velocity rounds from a .357 magnum handgun. Meaning that our bullet-resistant doors can be designed to withstand high-velocity rounds from an AK-47 or other high-powered rifles.
The Isotec Difference
We understand that the performance of a ballistic door is a mission-critical part of an access control system. For this reason, we recommend only UL 752 certified bullet-resistant glass for our ballistic security doors, which complies with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Anti-terrorism Technology requirements.
Our ballistic doors are also heavier than standard commercial access control doors. To support this added weight, we use concealed door closers with a 10-year warranty, along with heavy-duty closers protected by a solid aluminum header. This design helps shield critical components from vandalism or attempted forced entry.
These bullet-resistant doors are swinging doors that can be configured to open from either the right or left side. They can also be designed as bi-directional doors with a full 180-degree swing.
In addition, they are rated to withstand wind speeds exceeding 115 mph, meeting building code requirements for regions prone to tropical storms and hurricanes, including Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico. For more information about our ballistic door security solutions, contact us.
