{"id":12479,"date":"2026-11-03T09:16:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T09:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dkhardware.com\/blog\/?p=12479"},"modified":"2026-11-03T09:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T09:34:11","slug":"ul-752-bullet-resistant-levels-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dkhardware.com\/blog\/ul-752-bullet-resistant-levels-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"UL 752 Bullet Resistant Levels Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA contractor hands you an estimate for a transaction window, and there’s one line on it: “UL 752 Level 3.” That tells you the glass stopped three .44 Magnum rounds in a lab. It doesn’t tell you what the panel weighs, whether the frame and deal tray were part of the test, or whether you and the fabricator are even talking about the same edition of the standard.<\/span>\n\nUL 752 bullet resistant levels run from Level 1 (three 9 mm rounds) to Level 10 (one .50 caliber round), plus two shotgun tests. Levels 1 to 3 cover handguns and handle most retail, bank and pharmacy counters. Levels 4 to 10 cover rifles and call for heavier glass-clad polycarbonate, deeper frames and a structural check.<\/span>\n\nGet the level wrong on the low side and the barrier fails on the one day it matters. Go too high and you’re paying for 500 lb lites (a lite is a single pane of glazing), steel sub-frames and wall reinforcement nobody needed.<\/span>\n

How Many UL 752 Levels Are There?<\/h2>\nThe 11th edition, which most catalogs and drawings still use, has ten numbered ballistic glass levels plus two extra shotgun tests. Each test round has to hit inside a set speed window, from the minimum up to 110% of it, which is why every velocity in the UL 752 chart below is a range.<\/span>\n

UL 752 Chart of Test Rounds, Speeds and Shot Counts<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Level<\/b><\/td>\nTest Round<\/b><\/td>\nBullet Weight (gr)<\/b><\/td>\nShots<\/b><\/td>\nVelocity, ft\/s (m\/s)<\/b><\/td>\nWhere It’s Usually Specified<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/span><\/td>\n9 mm full metal jacket<\/span><\/td>\n124<\/span><\/td>\n3<\/span><\/td>\n1,175\u20131,293 (358\u2013394)<\/span><\/td>\nGas stations, convenience stores, pharmacies, ticket booths<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/td>\n.357 Magnum jacketed soft point<\/span><\/td>\n158<\/span><\/td>\n3<\/span><\/td>\n1,250\u20131,375 (381\u2013419)<\/span><\/td>\nCheck cashing, dispensaries, hotel night windows<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/td>\n.44 Magnum lead semi-wadcutter<\/span><\/td>\n240<\/span><\/td>\n3<\/span><\/td>\n1,350\u20131,485 (411\u2013453)<\/span><\/td>\nBanks, jewelers, police lobbies, safe rooms<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/span><\/td>\n.30-06 rifle, lead core soft point<\/span><\/td>\n180<\/span><\/td>\n1<\/span><\/td>\n2,540\u20132,794 (774\u2013852)<\/span><\/td>\nCourthouses, government offices, guard booths<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/span><\/td>\n7.62 mm military ball (.308)<\/span><\/td>\n150<\/span><\/td>\n1<\/span><\/td>\n2,750\u20133,025 (838\u2013922)<\/span><\/td>\nCorporate lobbies, utilities<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/span><\/td>\n9 mm full metal jacket<\/span><\/td>\n124<\/span><\/td>\n5<\/span><\/td>\n1,400\u20131,540 (427\u2013469)<\/span><\/td>\nRarely specified for buildings<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/span><\/td>\n5.56 mm full metal jacket (.223)<\/span><\/td>\n55<\/span><\/td>\n5<\/span><\/td>\n3,080\u20133,383 (939\u20131,031)<\/span><\/td>\nSchool entries, embassies<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/span><\/td>\n7.62 mm military ball (.308)<\/span><\/td>\n150<\/span><\/td>\n5<\/span><\/td>\n2,750\u20133,025 (838\u2013922)<\/span><\/td>\nEmbassies, federal facilities<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/span><\/td>\n.30-06 armor piercing<\/span><\/td>\n166<\/span><\/td>\n1<\/span><\/td>\n2,715\u20132,987 (828\u2013910)<\/span><\/td>\nArmories, military sites<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/span><\/td>\n.50 caliber military ball<\/span><\/td>\n709.5<\/span><\/td>\n1<\/span><\/td>\n2,810\u20133,091 (856\u2013942)<\/span><\/td>\nMilitary and defense sites<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shotgun, slug<\/span><\/td>\n12 gauge rifled lead slug<\/span><\/td>\n437<\/span><\/td>\n3<\/span><\/td>\n1,585\u20131,744 (483\u2013532)<\/span><\/td>\nSpecified only with a documented shotgun threat<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shotgun, buckshot<\/span><\/td>\n12 gauge 00 buckshot<\/span><\/td>\n650<\/span><\/td>\n3<\/span><\/td>\n1,200\u20131,320 (366\u2013402)<\/span><\/td>\nSpecified only with a documented shotgun threat<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nThat last column is what the industry usually does, not something the standard says. UL 752 doesn’t assign levels to building types. If you want to know what each level costs per square foot, the<\/span> bullet proof windows cost guide<\/span><\/a> lays the bullet resistant glass levels out side by side.<\/span>\n

The Handgun Tiers (Levels 1 to 3)<\/span><\/h3>\nMost robberies involve a handgun, so most bullet resistant counters get specified somewhere between Level 1 and Level 3.<\/span>\n