The History of WDMA

Founded in 1927, WDMA continues to pursue, advance, and explore the possibilities for window, patio door, entry door, skylight and architectural doors manufacturers and their suppliers and customers.

Let’s take a look back at WDMA’s first 90 years.

  • 1927 –The association had its origin in 1927 with the formation of the National Door Manufacturers Association (NDMA).
  • 1938 – NDMA developed preservative treating standards and the Seal of Approval program. The Seal of Approval Program evolved into the WDMA Hallmark Certification Program.
  • 1945 – Eight men met to organize Ponderosa Pine Woodwork. The main goal of the new organization was to promote wood windows and doors.
  • 1949 - NDMA changed its name to the National Woodwork Manufacturers Association (NWMA) to be more representative of the diversity of products made by its members.
  • 1950’s – NWMA expanded its Preservative Seal of Approval program to encompass water repellence in the treatment of millwork items. The association also launched manufacturing efficiency studies, and the product standardization program expanded.
  • 1958 -- NWMA took over management of US Commercial Standards for ponderosa pine doors, Later, NWMA would produce U.S. Commercial Standards for wood windows. This would ultimately lead to today’s WDMA Industry Standards for these products.
  • 1953 – The association took the glaziers’ union all the way to the United States Supreme Court and won a decision allowing pre-glazed windows on job sites.
  • 1960’s -- Adhesive testing projects and fire testing of door constructions, undertaken cooperatively between NWMA, Forest Products Laboratory and Underwriters Laboratories led to the birth of the 20-minute smoke and draft control door, creating a major market for flush door manufacturers.
  • 1966 – The association took on unions for a second time, and again all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. This issue was to permit pre-machined and pre-finished doors on job sites. The decision in this case outlawed secondary boycotts of these products.
  • 1970’s – The association took a stronger role in standards code and certification development. The WDMA Hallmark Certification Program included testing, evaluation and certification of the complete products.
  • 1975 – Ponderosa Pine Woodwork (PPW) and NWMA merged the two groups to show consolidation within the industry.
  • 1985 – The association changed its name to the National Wood Window and Door Association to better describe to the building industry the interests of the association and its members.
  • 1998 – The association’s name changed again to the Window and Door Manufacturers Association, reflecting the increasing diversity of manufacturing materials represented.
  • 2002 - ANSI Accredits the WDMA Hallmark Certification Program in accordance with the ISO/IEC General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Programs.
  • 2009 – Opened an office in Washington DC that greatly expanded the association's legislative and regulatory advocacy initiatives. WDMA is the only industry association with a presence in our nation’s capital.
  • 2012 – WDMA created the National Architectural Door Council (NADC) to represent the interests of the leading manufacturers of architectural door manufacturers and their suppliers. Operating under the WDMA umbrella, the NADC represents over 90 percent of the nation’s architectural door industry and is responsible for developing and maintaining the primary industry standards for architectural wood doors.
  • 2014 – The WDMA and our third party certification agency, the Administrative Management Systems (AMS), released a new Certification Client Information Portal. This new tool was developed to facilitate a more efficient way to access client specific certification information in an online secure manner. In
  • 2016, it was expanded to include the ability to make electronic submissions to Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) for new Evaluation Report processing and issuance in a client specific secure environment.
  • 2017 – The Northeast Window & Door Association (NWDA) agreed to merger operations with WDMA, which created WDMA-Northeast to represent the interests of manufacturers and suppliers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states as well as Eastern Canadian provinces.