Wind Rated vs Impact Rated Garage Doors, Explained

Two terms come up whenever people talk about garage doors and strong storms: wind rated and impact rated. They sound alike, and they often get used as if they mean the same thing. They don't. Knowing the difference helps you understand what your door is built for.

This guide explains the terms. For the to-do list before a storm and the checks after one, see our storm season prep guide.

Wind pushes and pulls

Most people picture wind pressing on the front of a door. That's only half of it. When wind hits the front of a house, it presses the door inward. As it flows around the corners and over the roof, it can pull on the door from the outside, trying to draw it outward. Gusts flip between the two, so the door flexes one way and then the other.

A garage door is made of sections joined by hinges so it can roll over the curve of the track. That design is what lets it open, but it also gives it room to bow in the middle. The wider the door, the more it can flex. If it bows far enough, the rollers can pull out of the tracks and the door can give way, letting wind into the garage.

What wind rated means

A wind rated door has been designed and tested to resist a set amount of that push and pull without failing. The rating is often called a design pressure, and it usually lists one figure for pressure pushing in and one for pressure pulling out.

To get there, makers use sturdier sections, steel reinforcement across the panels, stronger hinges, heavier tracks and mounting hardware made to hold the door in its opening. The rating applies to the whole door as it was tested and installed, not just the panels. Swapping in different tracks or hardware can mean the door no longer matches what was tested.

What impact rated adds

An impact rated door has passed what a wind rated door does, plus a test where debris is fired at it. Think of a branch or a piece of fence flying in a storm. The door has to take the hit and still hold up to wind pressure afterward.

That matters because a door strong enough for wind alone can still fail once something punches a hole in it. In short, wind rated is about pressure. Impact rated is about pressure plus a hit.

Which one your home needs depends on where you live. Building requirements vary, and areas that see strong storms often have rules for new and replacement doors. Your local building department can tell you what applies.

Windows need a rating too

Windows are often the weak spot. A door can have strong sections and still have plain windows that break when something hits them. Once a window breaks, wind gets into the garage even if the door stays in its tracks.

• Rated doors with windows use window inserts tested along with the door, often with laminated glass or tough plastic glazing made to stay in the frame when struck.
• Adding or swapping windows on a rated door can change its rating. Ask a professional before you change them.
• A cracked window on a rated door should be replaced with the matching rated insert, not a generic one. Our window and panel care guide covers everyday care.

Reinforcement struts add weight

Some doors can be fitted with extra horizontal struts or a bracing system made by the door's maker. Struts stiffen each section so it flexes less. Whether your door can take them depends on the model, and adding them is a job for a professional.

Here's the part people miss. Every strut adds weight, and the springs are set to carry the door's weight as it was. A heavier door can end up out of balance, which makes the opener strain on every trip. Our guide to signs a door is out of balance explains what to watch for.

• Have the balance checked whenever reinforcement goes on or comes off.
• Don't adjust the springs yourself to make up for the extra weight. Springs are under high tension and need a professional.
• Skip homemade struts and boards. They can add stress in the wrong place and block hinges and rollers.
• Test the safety features after any change, using our sensor and auto-reverse guide.

How to find your door's rating

• Look for a label on the inside of the door. It's often on an end stile, the vertical edge of a section, on a lower section or near the track. It may list the maker, the model and the pressure ratings.
• Check the paperwork from the install or from when you bought the home.
• Note the maker and model if there's no label. A professional can often use them to look up the door.

If there's no label and no paperwork, don't assume either way. Labels fade, get painted over or get lost when a door is refinished.

A rating assumes a door in good shape

A rating describes the door as it was built. Worn rollers, loose track brackets, cracked hinges or a creased section all weaken it, and a rated door that has been ignored for years won't perform like the day it went in. Have a professional fix anything bent or cracked. Our rollers guide shows what worn rollers look like. Springs, cables and bottom brackets stay with a professional in any weather.