2.

4 Types of Glass

Annealed Glass – Annealed glass or standard glass is a type of soft glass. It has been thermally
treated and then subjected to slow and controlled cooling process to rid of the internal stresses. It
will shatter into pieces with large jagged shards when breakage occurs. Therefore, it is not
suitable for interior designs such as interior walls. This glass can be constructed in a lot of
designs and styles as it is flexible and versatile. Annealed glass has several applications includes
small-size windows, cabinet doors, shower screens and tabletops. It is cheaper than tempered
glass, thus it usually used when safety features and strength are not key concerns but cost is.

Laminated Glass – Laminated glass is a “glass sandwich” which is manufactured of two or

more glass layers together with plastic interlayers. Plastic interlayers are designed to hold and
support the glass together when broken, hence making it a safety glass. When it breaks, it forms
a spider web pattern. This glass has a hard and robust structure that is difficult to break and it has
better impact resistance. Thus, it commonly used in modern windshields to protect drivers and
passengers inside the vehicle from injuries. Besides, it helps to prevent furniture, wooden
flooring, carpets and curtains from fading. This is because it blocks and filters up to 99% of
ultraviolet rays.

Tempered Glass – Tempered glass (toughened glass) is also a type of safety glass. It formed by
heating and cooling standard glass in a tempering furnace. Before the glass is put into the
tempering furnace, it must be cut and edged. Then, it is heated to about 1200°F and then rapidly
cooled. Compressive stresses on its outer surface make its strength increase. So, this glass is 4
times stronger and harder than normal glass. Instead of crumbling into jagged shards as regular
glass does, broken tempered glass will splinter into small granular chunks. Tempered glass
mostly used for shower doors, fire-resistance doors, windows, elevators, solar panels and
swimming pools.

Float Glass – Float glass, also called soda-lime glass. It is produced from calcium silicate and
sodium silicate. Float glass is very smooth, distortion-free glass, extremely flat and clear. It
comes in uniform thickness from 3mm to 25mm. It usually used to make annealed glass, heat
strengthened glass, tinted glass and laminated glass. Float glass’s transmission of the incident
light is about 87% due to its translucent nature and inherent greenish hue. Float glass offers a
crystal-clear view. Generally, it used to design architectural glass, automobile glass, windows,
doors, countertop cases to display and protect jewellery, watches and wallets.
Reference

John Spacey. (2019, July 20). 38 Types of Glass. Retrieved from

https://simplicable.com/new/glass

AisGlass. (2019, December 22). ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLOAT GLASS.
Retrieved from https://www.aisglass.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-float-glass/

https://glasshape.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Information-on-various-glass-types-
used-by-Glasshape.pdf

Glasshape Ltd Management. (2013, June 26). Information regarding Glass types and
properties. Retrieved from https://glasshape.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Information-
on-various-glass-types-used-by-Glasshape.pdf

Lyle Hill. (2016, July 1). How To Choose Between Laminated vs. Tempered Safety Glass.
Retrieved from https://info.glass.com/laminated-vs-tempered-glass/

M3 Glass Technologies. (2019, March 29). Tempered Vs. Annealed Glass. Retrieved from
https://www.m3glass.com/blog/tempered-vs-annealed/