1. Scope

1.1 This test method provides a standard laboratory procedure for determining the air leakage rates of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors under specified differential air temperature and pressure conditions across the specimen.

1.2 Specified temperature and pressure conditions are representative of those that may be encountered at the exterior thermal envelope of buildings, excluding the effects of heat buildup due to solar radiation.

1.3 This laboratory procedure is applicable to exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors and is intended to measure only such leakage associated with the assembly and not the installation; however, the test method can be adapted for the latter purpose.

1.4 This is a laboratory procedure for testing at differential temperature conditions. Persons interested in a laboratory test at ambient conditions should reference Test Method E283. Persons interested in a field test on installed windows and doors should reference Method E783.

1.5 Persons using this procedure should be knowledgeable in the areas of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and instrumentation practices, and shall have a general understanding of fenestration products and components.

1.6 Throughout this test method, SI units are listed first in accordance with ASTM Committee E-6 metric policy and shall be considered the primary units. Inch-pound units are provided in parenthesis.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard statements, see Section 7.

• standards: ASTM : air leakage, window
• ventilation: airtightness, air leakage, : test, rate of air leakage, fenestration
• windows, doors, fenestration : measuring air leakage

1. ASTM C991-03 Standard Specification for Flexible Glass Fiber Insulation for Metal Buildings
2. C1046-95, Standard Practice for In-Situ Measurement of Heat Flux and Temperature on Building Envelope Components
3. C1060-90(1997)e1 Standard Practice for Thermographic Inspection of Insulation Installations in Envelope Cavities of Frame Buildings
4. C1134-90(2001) Standard Test Method for Water Retention of Rigid Thermal Insulations Following Partial Immersion
5. C1155-95, Standard Practice for Determining Thermal Resistance of Building Envelope Components from the In-Situ Data
6. C1193-00 Standard Guide for Use of Joint Sealants
7. C1199-00 standard test method for measuring the steady-state thermal transmittance of fenestration systems using hot box methods
8. C1363-97 standard test method for the thermal performance of building assemblies by means of a hot box apparatus
9. C1498-01 standard test method for hygroscopic sorption isotherms of building materials
10. C168-01 Standard Terminology Relating to Thermal Insulating Materials
11. C177-85 Standard test method for steady-state heat flux measurements and thermal transmission properties by means of the guarded-hot-plate apparatus
12. C209-98 standard test methods for cellulosic fiber insulating board
13. C236-89, Standard test method for steady-state thermal performance of building assemblies by means of a guarded hot box
14. C518-91, Standard test method for steady-state heat flux measurements and thermal transmission properties by means of the heat flow meter apparatus
15. C755-85 Standard practice for selection of vapor retarders for thermal insulation
16. C976-90(1996)e1 standard test method for thermal performance of building assemblies by means of a calibrated hot box
17. D1413-76 Standard method of testing wood preservatives by laboratory soil block culture
18. D3273-00 Standard Test Method for Resistance to Growth of Mold on the Surface of Interior Coatings in an Environmental Chamber
19. D3274-95 Standard Test Method for Evaluating Degree of Surface Disfigurement of Paint Films by Microbial (Fungal or Algal) Growth or Soil and Dirt Accumulation
20. D3679-02 Standard Specification for Rigid Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (PVC) Siding
21. D4442-92(1997)e1 standard test methods for direct moisture content measurement of wood and wood-base materials
22. D4444-92e1 standard test methods for use and calibration of hand-held moisture meters
23. D4933-99 Standard guide for moisture conditioning of wood and wood-base materials
24. D6329-98 standard guide for developing methodology for evaluating the ability of indoor materials to support microbial growth using static environmental chambers
25. E1105-00 Standard Test Method for Field Determination of Water Penetration of Installed Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform or Cyclic Static Air Pressure Difference
26. E1186-98 Standard practices for air leakage site detection in building envelopes and air retarder systems
27. E1258-88 Standard Test Method for Airflow Calibration of Fan Pressurization Devices
28. E1503-06 Standard Test Method for Conducting Outdoor Sound Measurements Using a Digital Statistical Sound Analysis System
29. E1557-02 standard classification for building elements and related sitework-UNIFORMAT II
30. E1646-95 Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Metal Roof Panel Systems by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference
31. E1677-95(2000) standard specification for an air retarder (AR) material or system for low-rise framed building walls
32. E1700-95(1999), standard classification for serviceability of an office facility for structure and building envelope
33. E1825-96 Standard Guide for Evaluation of Exterior Building Wall Materials, Products, and Systems
34. E1825-96, standard guide for evaluation of exterior building wall materials, products, and systems
35. E1827-96 Standard Test Methods for Determining Airtightness of Buildings Using an Orifice Blower Door
36. E1827-96(2002) Standard Test Methods for Determining Airtightness of Buildings Using an Orifice Blower Door
37. E2099-00 standard practice for the specification and evaluation of pre-construction laboratory mockups of exterior wall systems
38. E2099-00, standard practice for the specification and evaluation of pre-construction laboratory mockups of exterior wall systems
39. E2128-01a Standard Guide for Evaluating Water Leakage of Building Walls
40. E241-04 Standard Guide for Limiting Water-Induced Damage to Buildings
41. E283-04, standard test method for rate of air leakage through exterior windows, curtain walls and doors
42. E29-04 standard practice for using significant digits in test data to determine conformance with specifications
43. E330-02 standard test method for structural performance of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by uniform static air pressure difference
44. E331-00 Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference
45. E331-00, Standard test method for water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by uniform static air pressure difference
46. E547-00: water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by cyclic static air pressure differential
47. E631-93a(1998)e1 Standard Terminology of Building Constructions
48. E632-82(1996) standard practice for developing accelerated tests to aid prediction of the service life of building components and materials
49. E72-98 Standard Test Methods of Conducting Strength Tests of Panels for Building Construction
50. E74-04 standard practice of calibration of force-measuring instruments for verifying the force indication of testing machines
51. E741-00 Standard Test Method for Determining Air Change in a Single Zone by Means of a Tracer Gas Dilution
52. E773-01, Standard test method for accelerated weathering of sealed insulating glass units
53. E779-03, ASTM Method for Determining Air Leakage Rates by Fan Pressurization Test
54. E779-99 Standard test method for determining air leakage rate by fan pressurization
55. E783-02 standard test method for field measurement of air leakage through installed exterior windows and doors
56. E917-99 standard practice for measuring life-cycle costs of buildings and building systems
57. E964-93(1998)e1 Standard Practice for Measuring Benefit-to-Cost and Savings-to-Investment Ratios for Buildings and Building Systems
58. E96-93 Standard test methods for water-vapor transmission of materials
59. F1249-90(1995) Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Modulated Infrared Sensor
60. F372-99 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate of Flexible Barrier Materials Using an Infrared Detection Technique
61. G84-89(1999)e1 standard practice for measurement of time-of-wetness on surfaces exposed to wetting conditions as in atmospheric corrosion testing
62. Heat transmission measurements in thermal insulations
63. Performance of exterior envelopes of whole buildings VIII: integration of building envelopes
64. Standard guide for statistical evaluation of indoor air quality models. ASTM D 5157-97