Kevlar Screens
If someone has quoted you a “Kevlar screen,” this is what they are
talking about — and what the fabric on it actually is.
What people mean by a Kevlar screen
They mean a fabric hurricane screen: cloth that rolls down out of a housing above the opening,
runs in a track down both sides, and covers the whole span in one piece with no post in the middle.
It is the product that goes on a lanai when the opening is too wide for panels and too tall for an
accordion to look right.
The name stuck because it is an easy way to say “this is not just a bug screen.” It is
not a description of the material.
What the fabric is on the systems we install
MagnaTrack Defender
OmegaTex, manufactured by Twitchell and used across a lot of hurricane screens on
the market. High-tenacity core yarns encapsulated in a durable vinyl. Self-extinguishing, and rated
for year-round use.
UltraShield
UltraShield cloth, designed and manufactured with Twitchell specifically for that
system and sold nowhere else. Carries a 15-year fabric warranty and doubles as an insect and solar
screen.
Kevlar is DuPont’s para-aramid fibre. It is what body armour, cut-resistant gloves and brake
pads are made of. Neither of the fabrics above is Kevlar, and we would rather tell you that than let
you buy on a word.
Why the fibre name is the wrong question
A hurricane screen is not approved because of what the cloth is called. It is approved because the
whole assembly — fabric, track, edge retention, housing, fasteners — passed a test as a
system. A nine-pound 2×4 is fired at it at speed, and then it is cycled through thousands of pressure
changes to simulate a storm. Passing that is what earns a Florida Product Approval for wind-borne
debris.
A fabric with a famous name in a track that is not approved protects nothing. The number on the
approval is the only part of this that a building department cares about, and it is the only part you
should care about either.
The material difference that does matter
| Fabric type | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Polypropylene — the cheap option | UV destroys it, so it is storm-only. It sits in the housing all year and comes out for hurricanes. |
| Vinyl-encapsulated — OmegaTex, UltraShield cloth | Rated for year-round use. The same screen is your insect and solar screen for the eleven months there is no storm. |
That is the difference that changes what you get for the money. A screen you only use during a
hurricane is a hurricane product. A screen rated year-round is a hurricane product that also gets the
bugs off the lanai and the afternoon sun off the deck — which is why most people end up using
it far more often for the second thing than the first.
What to ask whoever is quoting you
- What is the Florida Product Approval number for this exact system? Not the brand
— the system. It is a public record and you can look it up. - What is it approved for at my opening size? Approvals are written as size and
pressure schedules. A product approved to 30 feet is not approved to 30 feet at every height. - Is the fabric rated year-round or storm-only? This decides whether you own a
screen you use, or a screen you store.
Talk to us about your openings — Southwest Florida
Tell us what you are looking at and someone from our team will call you the same business day. We go through it on the phone first — your openings, the products that actually fit, what is involved — and if it is a fit we come out and put a written quote in your hand. No charge and no obligation.
Common questions
Are hurricane screens actually made of Kevlar?
Not the two systems we install. MagnaTrack Defender runs OmegaTex and UltraShield runs its own UltraShield cloth, both made by Twitchell. Kevlar is DuPont’s para-aramid fibre — body armour, cut gloves, brake pads. “Kevlar screen” has become shorthand for a fabric hurricane screen rather than a description of the material.
Does that mean a Kevlar screen is stronger?
The fibre name tells you nothing on its own. What tells you something is the Florida Product Approval number, because a product only gets one after a nine-pound 2×4 has been fired at it and it has been cycled through thousands of pressure changes. MagnaTrack Defender holds FBC #30798. UltraShield holds FL-42141 and is rated at 156 mph and above.
What is the difference that actually matters?
Whether the cloth survives the sun. Cheaper polypropylene screens break down under UV, so they are storm-only — they live in a housing and come out for hurricanes. OmegaTex and UltraShield cloth are rated for year-round use, which means the same screen works as an insect and solar screen for the eleven months there is no storm.
What should I ask a company quoting me a hurricane screen?
Three things. The Florida Product Approval number for the exact system they are quoting. The approved span for your opening, in the dimension of your opening. And whether the fabric is rated for year-round use or storm-only. Any company that installs these can answer all three on the phone.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
Florida Screen & Shutter, LLC · 883 NE 27th Ln #5, Cape Coral, FL 33909 · (239) 409-0426
License #SCC131152867 · Fully Licensed & Insured Florida Contractor · MagnaTrack President’s Club, #6 in the country, 2025