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Quick answer
Impact resistance is a garage door’s tested ability to survive strikes from wind-borne debris, such as a flying 2x4, and then hold up under repeated wind pressure cycles without opening up.
DASMA calls such doors impact rated, tested under procedures like ANSI/DASMA 115. Impact rating is separate from a wind-pressure rating: a door can resist pressure but not debris.
Quick facts
The key facts about Impact Resistance, with sources:
Key takeaways
- Impact resistance means the door survived debris strikes and then repeated pressure cycles.
- It is a separate test from the wind-pressure (psf) rating.
- Codes require it in wind-borne debris regions; your building department decides.
- In Florida, impact-rated doors can raise windstorm insurance credits 2.
- A wind-rated but non-impact door does not count as opening protection in Florida’s insurance form 2.
What impact resistance means
Hurricanes and strong storms throw debris: branches, roof tiles, lumber. A garage door that is strong against steady wind pressure can still be punctured by a flying board.
Once it is breached, wind and pressure enter the house. IBHS lists flying debris piercing the door as one of the ways garage doors fail in high winds 8.
DASMA explains that “impact rated” refers to garage doors and garage door glazing successfully evaluated under cyclic and impact test procedures such as those in ANSI/DASMA 115 1. The door is hit, then put through many cycles of positive and negative pressure to see if it holds.
Florida’s code calls this opening protection, and DASMA notes that opening protection involves wind-borne debris resistance, not wind load resistance 2. That distinction matters when you read a label or an insurance form.
How impact testing works
The best-known test is the large missile. In the Florida Building Code’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) text we read, the large missile is a 2x4 timber weighing 9 pounds, fired at 50 feet per second 9.
Each specimen takes two hits: one near the center and one near a corner 9. The test applies to assemblies up to 30 feet above ground 9.
Specimens that survive the hits then go through cyclic pressure loading 9. The point is realistic: a door that is dented but still closed must keep holding as gusts push and pull for hours.
Above 30 feet, the HVHZ text uses a small missile test instead: 2-gram steel balls at 130 feet per second, 30 impacts in groups of ten at the center, edge and corner 9. Garage doors are almost always below 30 feet, so the large missile is what matters for them.
The test specimen must be the complete assembly with frame and anchorage, and the fasteners must match field installation in size and spacing 9. That is why an impact rating, like a wind rating, belongs to a specific installed system.
- MountFull assembly with field-matched fasteners 9
- Hit 19-lb 2x4 at 50 ft/s near the center 9
- Hit 2Same missile near a corner 9
- CycleRepeated positive and negative pressure 9
- PassSpecimen holds without failure
Source: [9]
Florida opening protection levels (insurance form)
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| A | Verified cyclic pressure and large missile: 9-lb for windows and doors 2 |
| B | Verified cyclic pressure and large missile: 4 to 8 lb for windows and doors 2 |
| C | Verified plywood/OSB meeting the 2007 FBC table 2 |
| D | Non-glazed entry or garage doors verified for wind pressure only (ASTM E330, ANSI/DASMA 108 or TAS 202) 2 |
| N | Looks like A or B but not verified 2 |
| X | No wind-borne debris protection 2 |
Example: how a garage door affects a Florida mitigation inspection
Scenarios based on DASMA TDS-188’s answers about the 1802 form 2. Credits are set by each insurer’s rate filing.
| Garage door | Counts as opening protection? | Effect on credits |
|---|---|---|
| Non-glazed, wind-rated, not impact-rated | No | Neither earns nor removes a credit 2 |
| Glazed, not impact-rated | No | Can lower the home’s protection level 2 |
| Impact-rated (glazed or not) | Yes | Always increases credit eligibility as part of overall protection 2 |
| Has a Miami-Dade NOA or FL approval listed as impact resistant | Yes | Shows missile and cyclic testing 2 |
- 9 lbLarge missile: a 2x4 timberFBC HVHZ 1626.2.3
- 50 ft/sLarge missile speedFBC HVHZ 1626.2.4
- 2 hitsCenter and corner, per specimenFBC HVHZ 1626.2.5
- 30 ftLarge missile applies up to this heightFBC HVHZ 1626.2.1
Source: [9]
DASMA cites a potential 10 to 70 percent reduction in the windstorm portion of a Florida premium tied to the form’s credits overall, not to the door alone 2. See our wind mitigation credits research.
Where to find an impact rating
Check the wind label inside the door. DASMA’s code inspection checklist says a wind load label states the design loads, impact resistance, the wind load drawing number and, if applicable, an approval number 3. If impact resistance is required, the inspector confirms the door is impact rated 3.
In Florida, look up the approval number in the state register; DASMA says doors with a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida approval listed as impact resistant were tested for both missile impact and cyclic pressure 2 11.
For windows in the door, the glazing must match the type and size on the wind load drawing 3.
Rolling doors have their own version of the story. DASMA publishes separate guidance on rolling doors and hurricanes, and Florida’s register lists roll-up door assemblies with design pressures and an HVHZ yes/no field, just like sectional doors 11. If your garage uses a coiling door, ask for its impact listing the same way.
Impact ratings also appear on accessories. Some garage door windows are sold as impact glazing kits, and some homeowners use shutters or screens in front of a door.
In the HVHZ text, any external protection device must resist the large missile without deforming into the door it protects 9. A screen that dents the door behind it fails that test.
Benefits and trade-offs
Benefits
What impact rating does not cover
An impact rating does not replace a pressure rating; you need both where codes require both. It does not cover storm surge: DASMA notes some coastal areas have breakaway or surge rules that override wind requirements 6. And it does not cover the structure the door is fastened to 1.
It also does not mean “indestructible.” The test uses a defined missile, speed and number of hits. A larger object or a tornado can exceed it. IBHS says wind-rated doors can narrow the path of damage in tornadoes of EF2 or less 8, which is a modest claim, not a guarantee.
What drives the cost of impact resistance
No prices on this page. See the cost guide.
How to get an impact-rated door installed
- Ask the building department if the site is in a wind-borne debris region and what psf is required 1.
- Choose a door listed as impact resistant with a rating that meets the psf.
- In Florida, confirm the product approval number in the state register 11.
- Install exactly per the wind load drawing 3.
- Keep the label and paperwork for the permit and any insurance inspection 2.
Keeping the rating valid
Risks and warning signs
A door that has taken a hit may look fine but have damaged struts, hinges or track. DASMA’s post-storm guidance says any deformation of panels, tracks or hardware makes a door questionable to operate 5.
Do not try to straighten or brace a damaged door. Close it carefully if it is safe, keep clear, and call a trained technician.
After a storm, look but do not touch
Springs, cables and brackets stay under high tension even on a damaged door. DASMA says occupants should not remove, adjust or repair door parts; call a trained technician 5.
Codes and standards
The garage door impact standard is ANSI/DASMA 115 1 2. Florida’s HVHZ code text sets large and small missile tests and cyclic loading in Section 1626 9.
Florida also requires statewide product approval for exterior doors and impact protective systems, and prohibits marketing a product as hurricane or debris protection unless it is approved 10.
Outside the HVHZ, whether impact resistance is required depends on whether the site is in a wind-borne debris region under the adopted code; check with the building department 1.
Impact resistance vs related terms
| Term | What it covers | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Impact resistance | Debris strikes plus cyclic pressure | ANSI/DASMA 115 1 |
| Wind-load rating | Steady pressure in and out | ANSI/DASMA 108, ASTM E330, TAS 202 8 |
| Product approval | Legal approval to sell/install | F.S. 553.842 in Florida 10 |
| Safety glazing | Human impact with glass | 16 CFR 1201; rarely triggered by garage doors 7 |
| Vision panel | Windows in the door | Must match the tested glazing 3 |
Myths about impact doors
Where impact resistance is required
Do you need an impact-rated door?
If your building department says you are in a wind-borne debris region, yes. If you are in Florida, an impact-rated door can help insurance credits even where code does not require it.
If your current door has glass that is not impact rated, it can pull down your home’s protection level on the Florida form. Start with the wind requirement estimator and confirm locally.
Check both numbers
Ask for the psf rating and the impact rating separately. A quote that only says “hurricane door” is not enough.
Questions about Impact Resistance
What is an impact-resistant garage door?
A door tested to survive wind-borne debris strikes and then repeated wind pressure cycles. DASMA calls these doors impact rated, tested under procedures such as ANSI/DASMA 115.
Is impact-rated the same as wind-rated?
No. Wind rating covers steady pressure in psf. Impact rating also covers debris strikes plus cyclic pressure. A door can be wind rated without being impact rated.
What is the large missile test?
In the Florida HVHZ code text, it is a 9-pound 2x4 fired at 50 feet per second, hitting each specimen near the center and near a corner, followed by cyclic pressure loading.
Do I need an impact-rated garage door?
If your site is in a wind-borne debris region under the adopted code, likely yes. Your building department decides. In Florida, impact doors can also raise windstorm insurance credits.
Does an impact garage door lower insurance in Florida?
It can. DASMA says an impact-resistant garage door always increases credit eligibility as part of the home’s overall opening protection. A non-glazed, wind-rated door that is not impact rated neither adds nor removes a credit.
How do I know if my garage door is impact rated?
Check the wind label inside the door for impact resistance and an approval number. In Florida, look up that number in the state’s product approval register.
Do garage door windows need to be impact rated?
On an impact-rated door, the glazing must match the type and size on the maker’s wind load drawing. Glass that is not impact rated can lower a Florida home’s protection level.
Can a damaged impact door still protect my home?
Maybe not. DASMA says any deformation of panels, tracks or hardware makes a door questionable. Have a trained technician inspect it after a storm.
Sources
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #168, Wind Loads on Garage Doors: FAQ, retrieved .
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #188, Insurance Mitigation Factors for Homeowners Purchasing Garage Doors in Florida, retrieved .
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #181, General Code Inspection Guidelines for Wind Load, retrieved .
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #183, Garage Door Component Substitution, retrieved .
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #174, Building Occupant: Checking a Residential Sectional Garage Door for Damage, retrieved .
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #152, Garage Doors & High Wind Events, retrieved .
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet #158, Glazing in Garage Doors, retrieved .
- Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), Why A Strong Garage Door Matters, retrieved .
- Florida Building Code, Chapter 16 High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions (2010 text, 2013 code development copy), retrieved .
- Florida Statutes § 553.842 (2025), Product evaluation and approval, retrieved .
- Florida Building Commission, Product Approval search (floridabuilding.org), retrieved .
Expert review
Written by the HyreGarage Research team. Not yet reviewed by an outside expert. We say so rather than imply a review that has not happened; see our editorial policy.
How the numbers were checked: Impact definitions from DASMA TDS-168 and 188; test parameters from Florida Building Code HVHZ Section 1626 text; inspection and label rules from TDS-181; homeowner context from IBHS. Held for review by a licensed engineer or code official.
Suggest a correction. We fix errors and say what changed.