Tempered glass and laminated glass are two of the most common types of safety glass. If you’re in the process of building or upgrading your home you may have already been asked to choose some safety glass for some of your windows and doors.
When laminated glass was originally invented it was designed for use in car windshields to reduce the number of injuries in car accidents. If the glass is dealt with a high-intensity impact, one side of the glass can shatter without causing the other side to shatter. Even if the glass does break on either side the pieces will stay together resulting in a spider-web pattern.
Laminated Glass
Some additional benefits of laminated glass are that it reduces transmission of high-frequency sound (soundproofing) and it blocks 97% of ultraviolet radiation. One major benefit is that laminated glass with minor impact damage can be repaired with a special clear adhesive resin.
In addition to being found in vehicles, laminated glass is also commonly used for the windows of tall buildings, skylights, balconies, and frameless glass railings. At Northglass, homeowners that live near an airport or golf course often request laminated glass.
Tempered glass, also known as toughened glass, is stronger than ordinary glass but can shatter. Similar to laminated glass, when the tempered glass suffers an impact it can break into a web-like interlocking pattern and remain within its frame. This is not always the case as the broken pieces only hold onto adjoining pieces and can fall out of their frame.
What makes tempered glass a safety glass is that it is significantly more durable than ordinary glass and it is designed to break into less harmful pebble-like pieces instead of sharp and jagged shards.
Unlike laminated glass, tempered glass cannot be repaired. Laminated glass can be repaired in cases of minor damage but damage to any part of a tempered glass will eventually result in the glass shattering. The glass shatters because the balanced stresses in the glass are disturbed by the high-stress impact.
Tempered Glass
Like laminated glass, tempered glass is intended for use in areas where the glass can pose a risk to friends and family. If you're looking to know where tempered glass is required, by code, in your home please review this document from Anemostat Doors
Also, like laminated glass tempered glass is found in vehicles. While laminated glass is used in the windshield, tempered glass is required for use in car rear windows and passenger seat windows. Tempered glass is also found in skylights, refrigerator shelves, oven doors, storm doors, shower doors, and bathroom areas.
Keep in mind that both tempered glass and laminated glass qualify as safety glass and that laminated glass is more expensive than tempered glass. Although laminated glass is stronger than tempered glass, tempered glass is more often used in household windows and doors. Due to its expensive price, laminated glass is used sparingly in residential construction.
Tempered glass offers strength and breakage-resistance but laminated glass provides UV-resistance, extra security, and soundproofing. Both types of glass are easy to clean and maintain as long as they are installed properly.
After learning about the benefits of safety glass it can seem like a good idea to use it in all applications, especially when considering them for your home, but opting for all safety glass can be very costly. Regular glass is perfectly adequate for most applications. In fact, the vast majority of window glass is not required to be tempered, but all door glass is tempered. If you have any questions regarding the use of safety glass in your home windows or doors, please contact us.
