Polycarbonate ice rink shielding is the one glazing job where the design load is a flying object at head height. The panel has to stop a puck, deflect a player and stay clear enough for the crowd to see through it, and those three requirements set the thickness, the height and the joint detail.
A community rink in Ontario replaced its shielding after a puck put a 40 mm hole in a 6 mm panel during a junior game. The replacement specification was 12 mm hard-coated polycarbonate, and this is now the normal answer.
Polycarbonate ice rink shielding: thickness by league
- Recreational and public skating: 10 mm, 900 to 1200 mm height
- Youth and amateur contact: 12 mm hard coated
- Junior and semi-professional: 15 mm, with netting above
- Full professional: 15 mm plus netting to 4 m behind goals
Thickness is only half the number. The unsupported span between mullions decides deflection. A 12 mm panel spanning 1800 mm will flex enough under impact to touch a spectator rail; the same panel at 1200 mm span behaves like a wall.
Seams, mullions and the puck gap
Panels are usually 1.2 to 2.4 m wide and joined on an aluminium mullion. The gap at a seam must be small enough that a puck cannot pass, typically 5 mm maximum, but wide enough for thermal movement. That is a design conflict, and the resolution is a mullion with a stepped profile so the gap is not in line with play.
Behind the goal, the shielding is not enough on its own. Puck flight over the glass is the standard risk, and netting or a raised shielding zone is the accepted answer in every league above youth level.
Cleaning is where hard coats earn their money. Rink crews use warm water and a squeegee, and occasionally a mild disinfectant. Abrasive pads and solvent cleaners destroy the surface and the clarity in a season. Our polycarbonate scratch resistance guide covers coating options.
Where the rink also needs machine guarding or player tunnel protection, the hard coated polycarbonate for machine guards covers the same sheet families at different impact ratings.
Send your rink dimensions, board height and league level to oversales@rpplexiglass.com for a shielding schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickness polycarbonate for ice rink shielding?
10 mm for recreational rinks, 12 mm to 15 mm for contact leagues or where puck impact is routine. Below 10 mm the panel absorbs the strike but deflects enough to contact spectators through the gap.
How high should the shielding go above the dasher board?
Standard is 1200 mm of shielding above a 1000 to 1100 mm dasher, giving a total containment of about 2.2 m. Youth rinks often use 900 mm; professional rinks add netting above the glass for puck flight.
Does polycarbonate go cloudy on a rink?
It scratches and hazes from skate contact and cleaning. A hard-coated panel holds clarity far longer. Replacement is usually driven by visibility, not by impact failure, and panels are replaced bay by bay.