The European standards that define zip screen performance

Which standard covers what

EN 13561 lays down performance requirements, safety included, for external blinds and awnings; EN 13659 does the same for shutters and external venetian blinds [1]. EN 1932 describes how resistance to wind loads is tested [3]. EN 12045 addresses the safety in use of power-operated blinds and shutters, including how the force they transmit is measured [3].

EN 14501 provides the thermal and visual comfort classes, with g tot as its central thermal value [4]. EN 17037, published in 2018 as Europe’s first common standard for daylight in buildings, deals with daylight provision, view out, exposure to sunlight and glare [7]. It is a reminder that shading should be judged by the light and view it preserves as well as by the sun it blocks.

Where the standards are used

Their first role is market access: EN 13561 and EN 13659 are harmonised standards, so CE marking and the declaration of performance are built on them [8, 2]. Their second role is in specification. Declared values such as a wind class or g tot let architects and contractors set products from different manufacturers against one scale, and green building schemes draw on the same properties; LEED v4.1, for instance, accepts movable external shutters, blinds and louvres under its glare control credit [9].

Coastal sites: corrosion and coatings

ISO 9223 and QUALICOAT concern the durability of materials rather than the function of the product. ISO 9223 classifies how corrosive an atmosphere is, with salinity among the deciding factors [10]. QUALICOAT is the quality label for organic coatings on architectural aluminium [11], and its Seaside class adds deeper etching during pre-treatment and further corrosion tests [12]. For projects near the sea, the coating class and the aluminium alloy belong in the specification from the outset.

Revisions ahead

The current editions of EN 13561 and EN 13659 were published in 2015. The Commission’s first working plan under the new Construction Products Regulation schedules the rewriting of the harmonised standards for doors, windows and shutters for 2028–2029 [5, 6]. The regulation also puts a digital product passport and environmental performance data on the agenda, and today’s standards stay in force until their replacements appear [13]. For motorised products, a separate change comes sooner: the Machinery Regulation succeeds the old Machinery Directive on 20 January 2027 [14].