How is glass made?

Modern life just would not be possible without glass. From the jar that holds the
morning jam, the mirror in which we brush our teeth, the windows and car
windscreen we look through, the computer screens, smart phones and tablets many of
us use at work every day, the communications infrastructure to the light bulb we
switch off last thing at night; glass is around us everywhere.
Glass is made by melting together several minerals at very high temperatures. Silica in
the form of sand is the main ingredient and this is combined with soda ash and
limestone and melted in a furnace at temperatures of 1700C. Other materials can be
added to produce different colours or properties. Glass can also be coated, heattreated, engraved or decorated. Whilst still molten, glass can be manipulated to form
packaging, car windscreens, glazing or numerous other products. Depending on the
end use, the composition of the glass and the rate at which it is allowed to cool will
vary, as these two factors are crucial in obtaining the properties the glassmaker is
seeking to achieve.

Glass is made by fusing together some form of silica such as sand, an alkali such as
potash or soda, and lime or lead oxide. The colour is produced by adding a metallic
oxide to the raw materials. Copper oxide, under different conditions, produces ruby,
blue, or green colours in glass. Cobalt is usually used to produce most shades of blues.
Green shades can also be obtained from the addition of chromium and iron oxide.

Golden glass is sometimes coloured with uranium, cadmium sulphide, or titanium, and
there are fine selenium yellows as well as vermilions. Ruby colour glass is made by

adding gold.