The official Florida product approval package for the ESS UltraShield Hurricane Screen (FL42141-R2) from ESS Manufacturing, a woven impact-protection screen approved under the current 2023 Florida Building Code. Unlike a solid shutter or panel, this is a flexible screen — a high-strength fabric that blocks flying debris while still letting light and visibility through, making it ideal for large openings like patios, lanais, garages, and window walls. The package includes the state DBPR approval record naming the manufacturer, the licensed Florida engineer who prepared the evaluation report, and the demanding test standards the screen passed (ASTM E1886 and E1996 plus Miami-Dade protocols TAS 201, 202, and 203). Notably, it’s approved for use statewide, including the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (Miami-Dade and Broward), carries both large- and small-missile impact ratings, and holds design pressures up to ±150 psf depending on span. The remaining pages are engineer-sealed installation drawings and fastening requirements.
ESS UltraShield Hurricane Screen (Florida Approval FL42141-R2)
This is the official Florida product approval package for the UltraShield Hurricane Screen, made by ESS Manufacturing, Inc. Like other hurricane screens, it’s a high-strength, flexible fabric that stretches across an opening to stop flying debris — while still letting in light and airflow and preserving your view outside. It’s a popular way to protect the big spaces that solid shutters and panels struggle to cover, like patios, lanais, garages, and large window walls. If you’d rather not read through all the technical pages, here’s a plain-language overview of what this package contains and why it matters.
State Approval Record. The first pages are the official approval record from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR). They confirm the product is approved under the current 2023 Florida Building Code and identify the manufacturer (ESS Manufacturing of Port St. Lucie, FL), the independent quality-assurance agency (National Accreditation and Management Institute), and the licensed Florida professional engineer who prepared and sealed the evaluation report. They also list the national and Miami-Dade testing standards the screen was evaluated against — including ASTM E1886 and E1996 for impact and pressure cycling, and the demanding Miami-Dade protocols TAS 201, 202, and 203. Passing all of these is what qualifies a product for Florida’s toughest wind regions.
Product Details & Limits of Use. The UltraShield screen is woven from a high-strength technical fabric engineered to absorb the impact of windborne debris without tearing through. It’s rated for both large-missile and small-missile impact, and it’s approved for use statewide, including the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (Miami-Dade and Broward). It’s especially well suited to large openings: single units cover wide spans, and multiple screens can be ganged together using engineered vertical supports (mullions) to protect very large walls, corners, and multi-bay openings. Wind-pressure ratings reach up to roughly ±150 psf on smaller openings, scaling down as the opening gets wider — so the exact rating depends on the size of your space. Screens can be wall-mounted, inset, or built out from the surface, and those methods can even be mixed on a single project. Two honest notes: the screen’s housing box, while durable, is a covering feature, and any motorized roll-up mechanism is a convenience option outside the scope of this impact approval.
Engineering Drawings & Installation Specifications. The bulk of the package is detailed, engineer-sealed drawings. These show approved screen sizes and spans, the track and mullion layouts, and — most importantly — exactly how the system must be fastened to your building. The drawings and anchor charts cover attachment to concrete, filled block, steel or aluminum, and wood, and they specify the anchor type, embedment depth, edge distance, and spacing for each surface and each opening size. This matters because with any impact product, the anchoring to the structure is just as important as the screen itself.
Why This Matters to You. A hurricane screen only protects your home if it’s sized, rated, and installed correctly — and this package is your proof that the product is state-certified, independently tested, and engineer-approved to Florida’s strictest, most current standards. It’s also one of the most flexible ways to protect large, open spaces without boxing in your view. Because the ratings and spans vary with the size of the opening, the right configuration depends on your specific space.
Have a large patio, lanai, garage, or window wall you’re trying to protect — or want to know whether a screen or a solid shutter is the better fit? The Storm Shielder team can help you match the right system to your openings and make sure it’s installed exactly the way this approval requires.