A polycarbonate security screen is specified for the time between an attack and a response, which is usually four to eight minutes, and that number decides thickness and anchorage.
A convenience chain in Manchester fitted 6 mm screens across 30 stores. Two were breached in the first quarter, both at the frame rather than through the sheet, and the refit went to 12 mm panels with a steel sub-frame.
Polycarbonate security screen thickness and anchorage
- Low risk: 12 mm solid
- Certified attack class: 16 to 19 mm or glass-clad laminate
- Frame: steel or heavy aluminium, anchored into the substrate
- Edge bite: 25 mm minimum into the frame
The edge bite is the detail most often lost. A panel held 10 mm by a frame has 40 percent less resistance than the same panel held 25 mm, because the load path runs through the clamped band.
Repeated blows and the response window
A single impact is a material test; a sustained attack is a fatigue test. Polycarbonate absorbs the first blows and then scuffs and crazes where the blows land, and that patch is where the panel finally gives.
That is why a screen is designed around the response time and not around a single impact rating. A panel that holds for eight minutes is a different specification from one that holds for two.
For surface care on a screen that gets cleaned weekly, polycarbonate scratch resistance covers the chemistry that must be avoided.
Send your opening sizes, threat assessment and frame detail to oversales@rpplexiglass.com for screen pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickness polycarbonate for a security screen?
12 mm solid for a low-risk screen, 16 to 19 mm or a laminated glass-clad build where a formal attack class is required. A 6 mm panel stops a thrown brick and not a sustained attack.
Does a polycarbonate screen have a rated class?
Solid polycarbonate alone is not classified under glass attack standards; laminated glass-clad polycarbonate is, and can be specified to EN 356 P5A or equivalent. Buyers who need a certificate must ask for the clad build.
Where does a security screen fail first?
At the frame, not the panel. A 16 mm panel in a 2 mm aluminium frame pulls out of its anchorage; the frame and its fixing into the substrate carry the same load as the sheet.