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If you're shortlisting security screens on the Gold Coast, Amplimesh® SupaScreen® and Prowler Proof ForceField® are likely both on your list. Both use 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh. Both are tested under the current Australian Standard, AS 5039.1-2023. Both are made in Australia and sold through licensed dealer networks.
This is the closest spec-for-spec comparison of any two flagship security screens on the Australian market. We've kept it factual on purpose. No opinions dressed up as data, just published manufacturer figures side by side.
Amplimesh® SupaScreen® is the flagship product from Amplimesh®, a brand backed by Capral Aluminium. Capral is Australia's largest aluminium extruder with more than 85 years in the industry. The mesh is Meshtec high tensile 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel, held in place by a patented Pressure Fit system that uses no screws, rivets or snap-ins. Amplimesh® has been securing Australian homes for more than 60 years.
Prowler Proof ForceField® is the flagship product from Prowler Proof, manufactured by Gershwin Pty Ltd in Banyo, Queensland. Prowler Proof's manufacturing differentiator is that every product comes out of a fully automated factory where welding robots assemble the aluminium frames to 1/10mm accuracy. The mesh is also 316 marine grade stainless steel, joined to the welded frame by both a mechanical interlock and an aerospace-grade adhesive.
Both are Australian made, sold through licensed dealer networks, and tested to AS 5039.1-2023.
The table below will help you see the product and technical differences between Amplimesh® SupaScreen® and Prowler Proof ForceField® at a glance.
This is where the two products are closest on paper.
Both use 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel mesh in 0.8mm wire. Both publish a viewing angle of 156°. Aperture is functionally similar: 1.55mm average for SupaScreen® (1.5mm × 1.6mm) and 1.62mm for ForceField®. Open area is also close, with 41% for SupaScreen® and 42.5% for ForceField®.
The way that mesh is held in place is where the manufacturing philosophies diverge. SupaScreen® uses a patented Pressure Fit system with no screws, rivets, glue or clamps through the mesh. ForceField® combines a mechanical interlock with an aerospace-grade adhesive to create what Prowler Proof describes as a chemical and mechanical bond. Both approaches isolate the stainless steel from the aluminium frame to prevent galvanic corrosion. Both are credible solutions.
The other notable difference is at the frame itself. ForceField®'s aluminium perimeter frame is fully welded, while SupaScreen®'s frame is mechanically assembled. Both manufacturing approaches pass the same Australian Standards testing for security screens, so the practical difference comes down to how much value you place on the assembly method itself.
Both products are tested under AS 5039.1-2023 and AS 5039.3-2023, the current versions of the Australian Standard. Both pass the full test suite: dynamic impact, jemmy, knife shear, pull and probe.
There is one nuance on classification. ForceField® is formally published as SL200 classified under the current standard, which is the maximum dynamic impact classification (5 × 200-joule impacts). SupaScreen®'s published dynamic impact testing also meets the 5 × 200J threshold and extends well beyond it, with Amplimesh® publishing results up to 49 × 500J on a single sample. The Amplimesh® consumer documentation does not use the SL200 label explicitly.
In practice, both products pass the same dynamic impact thresholds and the same full test regime. If formal SL200 labelling is something you specifically want to see in writing, Prowler Proof publishes it. Amplimesh® publishes the underlying test results that meet the same threshold.
SupaScreen® carries a 16-year warranty from the date of installation, offered through your authorised Amplimesh® dealer. It covers defects in the framing and mesh. Powder coat, locks and accessories carry their own separate warranties.
ForceField® carries a 10-year warranty offered jointly by Prowler Proof and the dealer. Where it differs from SupaScreen® and most Australian competitors is that it's a full-replacement warranty. Prowler Proof provides a brand new product rather than a repair. The warranty is also transferable in its original application and does not require the original receipt, because serial numbers are tracked in their system. Lockwood cylinders fitted as standard are covered separately by Lockwood's 25-year mechanical warranty.
For raw duration, SupaScreen® wins by six years. For type of cover, ForceField®'s full-replacement and transferable structure is unusual in the market. If you're likely to sell the home before the warranty expires, the transferable element is worth weighting.
Bushfire: ForceField® is approved for all BAL levels under AS 3959, including BAL-FZ (Flame Zone) as a standalone product. SupaScreen® is rated to BAL-40 in its own right under AS 3959 and can also be used in BAL-FZ areas when installed with a window that has an FRL of at least -/30/-, or in accordance with AS 1530.8.2.
For most Gold Coast suburbs sitting outside designated BAL-FZ zones, both products satisfy bushfire screening requirements at the BAL ratings that apply. If your property is in a BAL-FZ area and you'd rather not add a fire-rated window to the build, ForceField®'s standalone BAL-FZ pathway is the simpler option.
Fire attenuation: SupaScreen® is the only one of the two products that publishes fire attenuation results. Tested by CSIRO under AS 1530.4-2014 Appendix B7, SupaScreen® reduces radiant heat by 59% when subjected to a 40kW/m² heat source for 121 minutes. Prowler Proof does not publish fire attenuation figures in its current consumer documentation.
Fire attenuation matters most for openings within 3 metres of a property boundary, or within 6 metres of another building on the same allotment (NCC Clause C3.4). If that applies to your property, SupaScreen® has the published numbers. ForceField® does not.
View the Amplimesh fire attenuation certificate of compliance.
ForceField® is independently tested to AS/NZS 1170 and ASTM 1996-06 Level D, the standards for cyclonic and hurricane-force windborne debris impact. It can be used as a cyclone screen in declared cyclone regions C and D.
The standard SupaScreen® is not cyclone rated. For homes in cyclone zones, Amplimesh® offers a separate product, StormGuard®, tested to debris impact at 44m/s (3,870 joules).
Most Gold Coast suburbs sit outside cyclone-designated regions, so this distinction usually doesn't apply. If cyclone rating is a requirement for your build, ForceField® delivers it in one product line; with Amplimesh®, you'd specify StormGuard® for the openings that need it.
Both products publish substantial salt spray testing. The numbers are close on mesh but not on the complete product.
SupaScreen® has been tested to 3,000 hours of both acetic acid and neutral salt spray on the complete product, with a further 10,000 hour neutral salt spray milestone on the mesh itself.
ForceField® publishes 1,000 hours of both acetic acid and neutral salt spray on the complete product, with the same 10,000 hour neutral salt spray test on the mesh.
The mesh testing is comparable between the two. The product-level testing duration is three times longer for SupaScreen® on both salt spray protocols. For Gold Coast homes close to the water, that gap is the most relevant durability data we have to work with.
Both products come standard with 3-point door locking, which is required for AS 5039 compliance.
ForceField® includes Lockwood Kinetic Defence cylinders as standard. These are bump-proof cylinders designed to resist lock-bumping attacks. SupaScreen® doors come standard with a triple-lock, and Lockwood-grade upgrades are available through your dealer.
ForceField® offers what Prowler Proof calls H.I.T. (Hidden Installation Technology), a concealed fixings option for sliding door interlocks that removes visible screw heads. SupaScreen® has no equivalent product feature.
On colours, Prowler Proof publishes 100 standard colours plus 200 or more optional finishes, the broadest range in the category. Amplimesh® dealers can quote on a wide range of frame colours through Capral's powder-coat options.
SupaScreen® is compatible with smart locking through the Yale Unity Security Screen Lock, which connects via the Yale Access app and works with Google, Samsung, Alexa and Apple HomeKit. ForceField® uses traditional Lockwood mechanical locks as standard. Smart-lock integration is not part of the published ForceField® spec.
Choose SupaScreen® if you want the longer warranty period (16 years vs 10), if fire attenuation data is important for your property (boundary walls, NCC C3.4 compliance), if salt spray testing on the complete product matters because of coastal proximity (3,000hr vs 1,000hr), or if you're considering a smart-lock integration via Yale Unity.
Choose ForceField® if you need standalone cyclone or BAL-FZ rating without specifying a separate product, if the fully welded aluminium frame matters to you on engineering principle, if you want hidden fixings (H.I.T.) on sliding doors, or if the transferable, full-replacement warranty structure is worth more to you than the longer 16-year period.
For most Gold Coast homes within a few kilometres of the water and outside cyclone-designated zones, the practical decision usually comes down to warranty length, fire attenuation data, and salt spray performance on the complete product. SupaScreen® leads on each of those.
Carefree Security Screens & Blinds is an authorised Amplimesh® dealer based in Nerang. We have been supplying and installing security screens on the Gold Coast for over 28 years, and we know the local conditions: coastal salt air, summer storms, and the building requirements that apply here.
We can show you SupaScreen® mesh in person, walk you through how it compares against Prowler Proof or any other screen on your shortlist, and give you a free measure and quote for your home.
Both products use 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh in 0.8mm wire, both are tested under AS 5039.1-2023, and both are Australian made. The differences come down to warranty (16 years on SupaScreen® vs 10 years full-replacement and transferable on ForceField®), fire attenuation (SupaScreen® publishes 59% heat reduction at 40kW/m²; ForceField® does not publish fire attenuation data), cyclone rating (ForceField® is standalone cyclone rated; SupaScreen® needs Amplimesh® StormGuard® for cyclone zones), and salt spray performance on the complete product (3,000 hours for SupaScreen® vs 1,000 hours for ForceField®).
Both products are tested under AS 5039.1-2023, the current Australian Standard, which includes dynamic impact, jemmy, knife shear, pull and probe tests. ForceField® is formally published as SL200 classified under the current standard. SupaScreen®'s published dynamic impact testing meets the 5 × 200-joule threshold required for SL200 and extends well beyond it, although Amplimesh®'s consumer documentation does not use the SL200 label explicitly.
SupaScreen® carries a 16-year warranty from the date of installation through your authorised Amplimesh® dealer, covering defects in the frame and mesh. ForceField® carries a 10-year full-replacement warranty offered jointly by Prowler Proof and your dealer. The Prowler Proof warranty is transferable in its original application and does not require the original receipt, because serial numbers are tracked. Both warranties require claims to be lodged within 30 days of identifying the fault.
ForceField® is rated for all BAL levels under AS 3959, including BAL-FZ (Flame Zone) as a standalone product. SupaScreen® is rated to BAL-40 in its own right under AS 3959, and can also be installed in BAL-FZ areas when paired with a window that has an FRL of at least -/30/-, or in accordance with AS 1530.8.2. On fire attenuation, SupaScreen® reduces radiant heat by 59% at 40kW/m² (tested by CSIRO over 121 minutes); Prowler Proof does not publish fire attenuation figures in its consumer documentation.
Prowler Proof ForceField® is cyclone rated as a standalone product under AS/NZS 1170 and ASTM 1996-06 Level D. The standard SupaScreen® is not cyclone rated. For homes in declared cyclone regions C or D, Amplimesh® offers a separate product, StormGuard®, tested to debris impact at 44m/s (3,870 joules). Most Gold Coast suburbs sit outside cyclone-designated zones, so cyclone rating is only a deciding factor for properties in specific areas.
Carefree Security Screens & Blinds is a local family-owned business in Nerang, Gold Coast. We have over 28 years manufacturing, supplying and installing quality security screens for doors and windows, indoor blinds and outdoor awnings. If you're looking for a security screen installer near you, call us now.
We offer FREE measure and quotes, extensive warranties, and we stand by our products and quality workmanship. Serving the entire Gold Coast region, including Coolangatta and Jimboomba.
Located on the Gold Coast, Carefree Security Screens & Blinds have over 28 years of experience in delivering quality security screens, blinds, doors, awnings, and fly screens.
QBCC Licence Number: 68835
Carefree Security Screens & Blinds is a proud member of the National Security Screen Association.
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