Types of Glazing

You may think that glass is glass but the truth is that no one type of glazing is suitable for every application. This is why there are so many different types of glazing available.

Toughened Glass

Toughened glass is stronger and has higher compressive stress than annealed glass of the same thickness. This means that it is more resistant to impact breakage, it is able to withstand uniform loads better, and decreases the risk of thermal stress breakage. If it is broken, it shatters into small fragments, thus preventing major injuries. Toughened glass may be heat treated, or chemically strengthened.

Laminated Glass

Like the glass in windshields, laminated glass may crack on impact, but the fragments tend to adhere to the protective layer rather than fall and potentially cause injury. Laminated glass gives better protection to people and property than other glass products. The standard two-ply construction of laminated glass provides resistance to penetration when subjected to attempted forced entry.

Tinted Glass

Tinted glass reduces heat gain and glare in the home. Spectrally selective glazings absorb and reflect the infrared portion of sunlight while still transmitting visible daylight, meaning that your view is unaffected. The main uses for tinted glass is to reduce the glare from outside, reduce UV fading to furnishings, and decrease the amount of solar heat gain through windows.

Patterned Glass

Patterned glass is made by squeezing semi-molten glass between two rollers, one of which has a surface pattern, and creates a continuous, permanent impression onto the soft glass ribbon.

Reflective Glass

Reflective glass has either a vacuum-deposited thin-film metal coating or a pyrolytic coating. The vacuum-deposited coatings are soft, and for protection and longevity, they must be deployed inside an insulating glass cavity. Pyrolytic coatings are baked onto the surface while the glass is still hot.