Before a piece of safety glazing can legally be installed in a hazardous location in Canada — beside a door, in a floor-level window, in a shower enclosure, on a staircase landing — it must bear the mark of an accredited safety glazing certification. In practice, for most Canadian projects, that mark is the SGCC certification. This article explains what SGCC is, why COMP+CAN matters specifically for Canadian projects, and — critically — how to verify that a supplier's claim is accurate before you commit to a purchase order.
What SGCC is and why it exists
The Safety Glazing Certification Council (SGCC) is an independent, not-for-profit certification body that tests and certifies glazing products against ANSI Z97.1 (the US safety glazing standard) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission's 16 CFR Part 1201 regulation. When a glazing manufacturer achieves SGCC certification, it means their product has been tested by an accredited laboratory, found to meet the safety performance requirements, and is subject to ongoing random auditing of production samples.
SGCC certification is not a one-time test. Certified manufacturers are subject to quarterly production audits, where SGCC purchases glazing samples from the manufacturer's production line and tests them independently. If a sample fails, the certification is suspended. This ongoing surveillance is what makes SGCC certification meaningful as a quality assurance signal — not just a historical test result, but evidence of current production compliance.
The Canadian dimension: Standard SGCC certification covers US standards (ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16 CFR 1201). The COMP+CAN designation goes further: it additionally certifies compliance with CAN/CGSB 12.1-2022, the Canadian safety glazing standard referenced by all provincial building codes. For Canadian projects, COMP+CAN is the required designation.
CAN/CGSB 12.1-2022: the Canadian standard
CAN/CGSB 12.1-2022 is published by the Canadian General Standards Board and specifies performance requirements for safety glazing materials used in buildings in Canada. It is referenced directly by the National Building Code of Canada, the Ontario Building Code, the Quebec Construction Code, and all other provincial building codes for glazing in hazardous locations.
A glazing product can be SGCC-certified against US standards only and still fail to meet CAN/CGSB requirements. The standards are broadly aligned but not identical. The COMP+CAN designation on an SGCC certificate is the explicit confirmation that the product has been tested and certified against both standards — the US requirements and the Canadian requirements simultaneously.
When a Canadian building inspector or permit officer asks for certification documentation on safety glazing, they are asking for evidence of CAN/CGSB 12.1-2022 compliance. SGCC #9744 with COMP+CAN provides exactly that.
How to verify certification at sgcc.org
The SGCC maintains a public online directory of all current certifications at sgcc.org. Verification takes approximately two minutes and requires no account or login. Here is the exact process:
Why certificate numbers matter: not all VIG is the same
Multiple manufacturers produce vacuum insulated glass. Each manufacturer has their own SGCC certificate number — or does not have one at all. A certificate issued to Manufacturer A covers only Manufacturer A's production, at their facility, under their quality management system. It does not extend to any other manufacturer's product, regardless of how similar the product appears on a specification sheet.
When evaluating a VIG supplier, the correct question is not "does this product have SGCC certification?" but "what is the SGCC certificate number, and can I verify it is current at sgcc.org?" A supplier who cannot answer the first question or whose certificate number cannot be verified at sgcc.org is selling you an uncertified product for use in Canadian hazardous locations — which is a code violation.
VIG Horizon Inc. exclusively supplies glass covered by Leadus Technology's SGCC Certificate #9744 (COMP+CAN, F26 period). A current certificate copy is included in every specification package and with every shipment. Verification at sgcc.org takes under two minutes.
"The certificate number is the credential. Not the product name, not the marketing language, not the company's country of origin. The number that appears — or doesn't appear — at sgcc.org."
VIG Horizon Inc.What to ask your supplier
Before committing to any VIG supplier, request the following in writing:
- SGCC certificate number and current period designation
- Confirmation of COMP+CAN designation for CAN/CGSB 12.1-2022 compliance
- IGCC/IGMA seal durability certificate number
- TÜV Rheinland or equivalent independent thermal test report number
- Confirmation of which glazing configurations are covered by each certificate
Any supplier who cannot provide all five items in writing is not adequately documented for use on Canadian commercial or institutional projects requiring code compliance.