About IDWL
International Door & Window Laboratories Pty Ltd was established in 2008 in Australia due to increased demand in the Australian and international door hardware industry and the door and window fabrication industry, where certified testing compliance to Australian and international standards and building codes has become mandatory in the markets its clients operate.
To assist with this increased demand, IDWL has achieved internationally recognised NATA accreditation for weather testing and smoke testing of doors and windows, luminance reflectance testing, and wet pendulum slip testing. Accreditation No. 16929.
More recently, IDWL commissioned the very latest EN ISO 10140 series acoustic test laboratory.
IDWL’s state-of-the-art testing facilities are backed by a team of engineers and technicians with over 40 years’ experience in the door and window sealing industry.
NCC Compliance
The NCC offers multiple paths to achieve compliance to meet its requirements. These can be in the form of a Deemed-to-Satisfy construction where a prescriptive form of construction is identified and will meet the minimum requirement for compliance. Test methods may also be specified as part of the Deemed-to-Satisfy requirements. The other form is a performance solution or a mixture of performance solutions and Deemed-to-Satisfy solutions. With a performance solution the form of construction performance must be considered equivalent to the Deemed-to-Satisfy construction. Engineering and scientific methods are used to determine the performance in such cases. These can be in the form of calculations, professional assessments and testing to verify the performance of construction. Testing can also be used to verify the objectives of the NCC Deemed-to-Satisfy form of construction is achieved and, in many cases, exceeded.
IDWL can provide these services in the fields of smoke testing, weather testing and acoustic testing.
Smoke Testing
Testing to AS 1530.7 to provide smoke leakage after a smoke door has been exposed to 200°C for 30 minutes. It is accepted that door sets meeting the leakage rates specified in AS 6905 when tested to AS 1530.7 provide a performance solution for smoke doors.
Acoustic Testing
The NCC stipulates in class 2 and class 3 buildings that entry doors to sole-occupancy unit door sets are required to perform to at least Rw30 when rated to ISO 717-1. IDWL can perform tests to provide an Rw rating for door sets to achieve the acoustic requirements that are outlined in the NCC and where acoustic engineers provide performance solutions.
Weather Testing
The NCC stipulates external glazed windows and doors must meet the requirements of AS 2047. AS 2047 calls up testing to AS 4420.1. The IDWL weather testing facility allows testing to this standard to ensure the window being tested will meet the stringent performance requirements outlined in AS 2047 and the NCC.
Wet Pendulum Slip Testing to Determine Slip Resistance of Surfaces
The NCC requires pedestrian surfaces to be non-slip along trafficable areas and public entry and egress routes in buildings. This requires surfaces to be slip tested to AS 4586. Wet pendulum slip testing is performed on the surfaces to determine the slip resistance values. These measurements are then used to determine the non-slip suitability and compliance for the application.
Chromatic Testing to Determine Visual Contrast of Surfaces
The NCC requires pedestrian routes to have sufficient reflective contrast for the visually impaired to be able to easily navigate public entry and egress routes in buildings. This requires surfaces to have the luminance reflectance measured to determine the surface luminance reflective value (LRV). These measurements are then used to determine the visual contrast suitability and compliance for the application.