What Does a Commercial Window Film Warranty Cover?

A commercial window film warranty usually covers two things: defects in the film itself, such as bubbling, peeling or delamination, and, for approved installations, glass breakage or insulated glass seal failure caused by the film. Among the three manufacturers compared here, 3M, Madico and Solar Gard, commercial film terms run from 7 to 16 years for interior architectural films, while glass coverage is shorter, capped per window and limited to approved glass. None covers a new owner, improper cleaning or a break-in.

Key points

• All three manufacturers warrant the film against defects such as peeling, bubbling, cracking, adhesive failure and delamination, and pay for replacement film and installation labor through an authorized dealer, within limits.
• Glass breakage coverage is 5 years for most 3M, Madico and standard Solar Gard films; Solar Gard’s PremierPlus warranties extend it to 7 or 10 years.
• The per-window cap differs most: $2,000 including labor on a commercial 3M installation, $500 at Madico and on standard Solar Gard films, and $1,000 to $1,750 on Solar Gard’s PremierPlus films.
• 3M requires the dealer to register the warranty within 30 days of installation or coverage is void. Madico and Solar Gard require a completed warranty and proof of purchase instead.
• All three apply glass coverage only to film approved for that glass, and none transfers the warranty to a new owner or tenant.
• For security film, 3M covers the film for 10 to 15 years with a $2,000 glass cap, Madico for 10 or 12 years at $500, and Solar Gard’s Armorcoat PremierPlus for 16 years at $1,000. 3M and Madico also address their own attachment systems.
• Exterior, decorative and bird safety films carry shorter or narrower warranties than interior architectural films.

What does a window film warranty actually cover?

Two separate things, and it helps to keep them apart.

The film. Each manufacturer warrants the film against defects. Madico lists peeling, bubbling, rippling, cracking, adhesive failure, delamination and demetallization. Solar Gard lists adhesive failure, bubbling, cracking or crazing, delamination, demetallization and peeling. 3M’s performance warranty covers adhesion, optical clarity and color. If the film fails, the manufacturer provides replacement film and installation labor through an authorized dealer, and each limits what it will pay: Madico and Solar Gard to the original invoice, 3M to labor by a dealer it selects.

The glass. Most interior architectural films also carry limited coverage if the glass cracks from thermal stress, or an insulated glass unit’s seal fails, because of the film. That coverage is shorter than the film coverage, capped per window, and only available when the film is approved for that glass. We explain how approval works in Will Window Film Crack Your Glass?

Every warranty also assumes the film was sold and installed by an authorized dealer, on appropriate flat glass, following the manufacturer’s procedures.

How do 3M, Madico and Solar Gard solar control film warranties compare?

Here are the commercial terms in each manufacturer’s current warranty documents for interior solar control films:

Manufacturer warranty documents reviewed October 18, 2026. Terms vary by film within each warranty and change over time; the document for the film on your quote governs.

How do their security film warranties compare?

Security film warranties follow the same pattern, with one more piece to check: the attachment system that anchors the film to the frame. Here are the commercial terms for each manufacturer’s interior safety and security films:

Manufacturer warranty documents reviewed October 18, 2026. Terms vary by film within each warranty; the document for the film on your quote governs.

Where the security warranties differ:

• Film term: 10 to 15 years at 3M depending on the film, 10 or 12 years at Madico, 16 years on Solar Gard’s Armorcoat PremierPlus.
• Glass coverage: 3M offers the highest cap, $2,000 per window including labor, for 5 years. Solar Gard’s Armorcoat PremierPlus runs longest, 7 years for glass and 5 for seals, at $1,000 per window. Madico covers 5 years for glass at $500 per window.
• Attachment: 3M and Madico each address their own attachment systems in their warranties; Solar Gard’s Armorcoat warranty does not include a separate attachment warranty. 3M also requires its Impact Protection Attachment on all four sides of the glass for certain applications. If your system uses a structural silicone or a separate anchoring product, ask whose warranty covers it: a warranty covering a manufacturer’s own attachment system should not be assumed to cover a different silicone or attachment product. We explain the systems in Security Film Attachment Systems Explained.
• Break-ins: none of these warranties covers what happens in an attack, as explained below.

Where do the warranties differ most overall?

• The glass cap. This is the biggest difference. 3M reimburses up to $2,000 per window on a commercial installation, including labor to replace the glass. Madico and Solar Gard’s standard warranties cap glass and seal claims at $500 per window, and Solar Gard’s adds a $25 deductible. Solar Gard’s PremierPlus warranties raise the cap to $1,000 for Armorcoat security film and $1,750 for Panorama, with no deductible.
• How long the glass coverage lasts. 5 years at 3M, at Madico and on Solar Gard’s standard films; 7 years on Armorcoat PremierPlus and 10 years on Panorama PremierPlus.
• Seal coverage. 3M matches the window maker’s seal warranty and ends coverage at the earliest of 3 years on a commercial installation, the end of the window warranty, the end of the film warranty, or the purchaser’s ownership or occupancy of the building. 3M also states its seal coverage is void if the window maker is no longer in business. Madico and Solar Gard also tie seal coverage to the window maker’s warranty being in force.
• Registration. 3M requires its dealer to register the warranty through its eWarranty system within 30 days of installation, and states that missing that deadline voids coverage. Madico requires the completed warranty, the original installation receipt and the film roll serial number. Solar Gard requires its warranty form to be completed by the dealer and customer at installation.
• Who does warranty work. 3M covers only labor performed by dealers it selects. Solar Gard pays an authorized warranty servicing dealer it approves. Madico starts claims with the original installing dealer.
• Change in tenancy. Madico states coverage ends on any sale, conveyance or change in tenancy. 3M states its warranties do not transfer to later owners or tenants. Solar Gard’s commercial warranties are not transferable.
• Glass replaced too soon. Madico voids glass coverage if the glass is replaced before the claim is filed, unless it was a dangerous situation and photos were taken, and it asks for two itemized glass replacement quotes. 3M and Solar Gard require their review or approval before repair work starts.
• Removal. 3M states adhesive residue left after film removal is not covered, and that its attachment sealant is not warranted as easily removable.

A higher cap or a longer term only matters if the installation qualifies, so the approval of the film for your glass is still the first question.

What about exterior, decorative and bird safety films?

Their warranties are shorter or narrower than those for interior architectural films:

• Exterior films: 3M lists 10 years for Prestige Exterior (7 on sloped glass), 2 years for its Exterior Series sun control film and 7 years for its exterior safety films. Madico lists 3 years for its exterior films, with no glass breakage or seal coverage, and requires them to be edge sealed. Solar Gard covers its Sentinel Plus exterior films for 10 years on vertical glass and 5 on sloped glass.
• Decorative films: Madico lists 5 years for most decorative films. Solar Gard’s ByDesign decorative films run 1 to 7 years by series, some with replacement film only and no labor, and with no thermal stress glass breakage or seal coverage.
• Anti-graffiti films: 3M lists 1 year for its anti-graffiti films, with no glass coverage. Sacrificial film is made to be replaced when it is damaged.
• Bird safety films: Solar Gard’s WingSafe is covered for 3 years, or 10 years for Black Dot, exterior only, replacement film only, with no glass breakage or seal coverage.

Is the glass covered if it cracks?

Only in specific cases, at every manufacturer we reviewed. The coverage is for breakage from thermal stress, or seal failure, caused by an approved film application, and:

• The film has to be approved for that glass in the manufacturer’s film to glass guidance, or approved in writing before installation. 3M requires film on recommended glass types and a glass breakage questionnaire; Madico and Solar Gard require pre-approval for some combinations.
• Some glass does not qualify. Solar Gard’s exclusions, for example, include textured, wired and skylight glass, glass 3/8 inch or thicker, glass with more than one film, partial film on a pane, very large panes, and damaged, chipped, cracked or scratched glass. 3M voids coverage on curved glass and shortens it on sloped glass. Madico covers interior vertical glass and requires pre-approval for sloped and reflective glass.
• Buildings with a history of breakage or seal failure are excluded by Madico and Solar Gard.
• Projects over 2,500 square feet need written approval before installation at Madico and Solar Gard.

Breakage from approved installations is rare in our work. Since 2016 we have had one glass replacement, and it was handled under warranty.

What voids a window film warranty?

The exclusions that show up across all three manufacturers’ warranties:

• Improper cleaning or care. All three exclude damage from improper care or cleaning, and 3M and Solar Gard both say not to clean new film for 30 days.
• Multiple films or partial coverage. Applying film over existing film, or covering only part of a pane, can disqualify an installation from glass breakage or seal failure coverage. Requirements differ by manufacturer, so check the film to glass guidance before installation. New film goes on bare glass; see How Do You Replace Old or Failing Window Film?
• Missing edge sealing where the manufacturer requires it, including Madico’s exterior films and some Solar Gard films near large bodies of water. We apply Solar Gard’s edge sealant recommendation to buildings near Lake Michigan.
• Abuse and accidents, and at 3M and Solar Gard, storms and building movement.
• Missing paperwork. All three can deny a claim without the completed warranty and proof of purchase.

Some exclusions are specific to one warranty. Solar Gard’s solar control and Panorama warranties exclude vent-less roller, cellular or honeycomb shades added later. 3M excludes spliced film and non-3M substitute products. Solar Gard excludes buildings with other brands of film unless an installation schedule is attached at installation.

Does a security film warranty cover a break-in?

No. A security film warranty covers the product against defects, not how it performs in an attack. Solar Gard’s Armorcoat warranty excludes theft or break in and states it does not warrant the film against glass related injury. 3M’s bulletin states window films are not bulletproof and not designed to stop intruders, and excludes vandalism. Madico’s warranty excludes mechanical damage. What security film can do is covered in What Security Window Film Can and Cannot Do.

Does the warranty transfer to a new owner or tenant?

No, at any of the three. Coverage belongs to the customer who originally bought the film. If you have bought or leased a building with film already on it, read the original warranty before assuming the film is covered.

How do you make a warranty claim?

Start with the dealer that installed the film. The steps are similar across manufacturers:

1. Contact the installing dealer, or the manufacturer’s warranty department if the dealer cannot be reached.
2. Provide the completed warranty, proof of purchase and, for a seal claim, the window manufacturer’s warranty.
3. Let the manufacturer review the claim, and inspect if it asks, before any glass is replaced or film is reinstalled.

We provide and register the manufacturer’s warranty for the film we install and send the warranty information by email. Keep it with the invoice.

What should you ask for before you sign?

• The manufacturer’s warranty document for the exact film quoted, with its commercial term and per-window glass limit.
• Whether the film is approved for your glass, or the manufacturer’s written approval before installation.
• Confirmation that the warranty will be registered or completed as that manufacturer requires.
• Whether edge sealing is needed, and the care instructions for your cleaning crew.
• The same warranty basis on every bid you compare; see How to Compare Commercial Window Film Bids.

What is the next step?

Ask for the warranty document for every film on your quote, from us or anyone else, and compare them line by line: term, glass coverage, per-window limit and registration. If you already have film and are not sure what covers it, find the original warranty and invoice and we can help you read them. We do not subcontract installation; our own crews do the work. See our solar control window film service, or request a free assessment.