Skip to content 
A standard window is built to keep weather out on a normal day. An impact window is built to take a hit and hold the opening. That is a different job and a different piece of glass.
The laminated inner layer is the whole difference. It holds the glass together when it cracks, the way a car windshield does, so the opening stays sealed even after the pane is broken.
In a 150 mph wind zone that is not a luxury, it is what the code asks for. A standard window in a Florida storm is a hole waiting to open.
