Glazpartners 2025
Raising the Bar
How Rapierstar Helps Fenestration Meet Compliance and Performance Goals
Fasteners and fixings are crucially important in providing windows and doors which not only comply with today’ s much more stringent safety standards, but also exceed performance expectations. Andy Holland, Technical & Marketing Manager at Rapierstar, explains why.
If you’ re not familiar with the 2022 Building Safety Act( BSA), you should take time to understand what it means for the industry because it has changed the rules for everyone working in construction. In fenestration, it means that even the smallest components – screws and fixings – are now recognised as safety-critical products.
The performance, traceability, and supporting documentation of fasteners and fixings have always been important, of course. But it can now even determine whether a project moves forward or stalls at a regulatory gateway in commercial projects. A very low unit-cost product could now be the reason why a multi-million pound development is delayed for months.
That’ s why our industry must demonstrate that every fastener and fixing used in a window or door’ s assembly and installation is fit for purpose, with the correct evidence to back this up. This is essential for the‘ golden thread’, a secure, updatable digital record of building safety-critical information which already applies to Higher Risk Buildings( HRBs) – 18 metres tall or more, or at least seven storeys, with two or more residential units.
Assured performance through testing focus
Rapierstar products are supported by Declarations of Performance( DoPs), Technical Data Sheets( TDS), full batch traceability, and manufacturing origin records, all of which enable us to provide‘ golden thread ready’ solutions
Fundamentally, our products are designed to exceed the strict requirements of British, European, and international standards. This includes meeting with standards including BS 7412, PAS 24, BS EN 1670 and BS EN ISO 9227, amongst others, ensuring compliance in areas such as security performance, corrosion resistance and structural integrity.
Independent verification underpins this promise. That’ s why Rapierstar uses UKASaccredited laboratories to verify corrosion resistance – more than 300 hours for carbon steel and over 1000 hours for martensitic stainless steel – plus mechanical strength and ductility.
Innovative fasteners tailored to specific application needs
Our engineering capabilities enable us to refine and develop products to create fasteners that are tailored to the application where there is the potential for improved performance over more standard designs. Two examples of such products developed in recent years within our STARPVCU ® range are the LFG Low Profile Pan Head fastener, which prevents friction stay clashes, and the CBR, a new type of screw that is better for maintaining secure door hinge cover caps.
More recently, our technical developments have also benefited installers. The new pan head version of our STARFIX ® masonry screws provides additional benefits for a product designed to deliver ultimate grip in various substrates without the need for plastic plugs. In addition, our STARTURN ® woodscrews and STARDECK ® decking screws are optimised for lower drive-in torque, helping to boost productivity and extend tool life – all without compromising compliance.
A trusted supply chain partner
As the UK and Ireland’ s largest supplier of specialist window and door fasteners, Rapierstar is uniquely positioned to secure the supply chain for these vital components. Over one billion fasteners are held in stock at our Cheshire facility, ensuring fabricators and installers get the right, compliant product without risking substitutions that could void certification.
Sustainability is built into the Rapierstar brand, too. All fasteners are recyclable, and their extended service life means installed windows and doors can stand the test of time more reliably, reducing whole-life costs and overall carbon impact.
We also support customers extensively to ensure they can get the most out of every Rapierstar fastener through our technical support and resources. These include our Recommended Fixings Manuals( RFMs), which offer guidance on the correct fasteners to use for different PVC-U profiles, plus Fastener Health Checks. This is a comprehensive audit of the factory, which identifies where improvements can be made to fixing applications, whether that is to meet new standards or improve quality and efficiency.
All this ensures Rapierstar can provide the products, proof, and partnership to help fenestration professionals meet the increasing demands of Building Safety Regulations while delivering superior performance to the end user.
www. rapierstar. com
14 SEPTEMBER 2025 GLAZPART. COM