1.

GLASS AND GLAZING

Glass is a hard, brittle, chemically inert substance produced by
fusing silica together with a flux and a stabilizer into a mass that
cools to a rigid condition without crystallization. It is used in
building construction in various forms.
Foamed or cellular glass is used as rigid, vapor proof
thermal insulation.

Glass fibers are used in textiles and for material

reinforcement. In spun form, glass fibers form
glass wool, which is used for acoustical and
thermal insulation.

Glass block is used to control light transmission,

glare, and solar radiation.

Glass, however, is used most commonly to glaze

the window, sash and skylight openings of
buildings.
1. GLASS AND GLAZING

The three major types of flat glass are the following:

Sheet glass is fabricated by drawing the molten glass from a

furnace (drawn glass), or by forming a cylinder, dividing it
lengthwise, and flattening it (cylinder glass). The fire-
polished surfaces are not perfectly parallel, resulting in some
distortion of vision. To minimize this distortion, glass should
be glazed with the wave distortion running horizontally.

Plate glass is formed by rolling molten glass into a plate that

is subsequently ground and polished after cooling. Plate
glass provides virtually clear, undistorted vision.

Float glass is manufactured by pouring molten glass onto a

surface of molten tin and allowing it to cool slowly. The
resulting flat, parallel surfaces minimize distortion and
eliminate the need for grinding and polishing. Float glass is
the successor to plate glass and accounts for the majority of
flat-glass production.
1. GLASS
Other types of glass include the following:
• Annealed glass is cooled slowly to relieve internal
stresses.
• Heat-strengthened glass is annealed glass that is
partially tempered by a process of reheating and sudden
cooling. Heat-strengthened glass has about twice the
strength of annealed glass of the same thickness.
• Tempered glass is annealed glass that is reheated to just
below the softening point and then rapidly cooled to induce
compressive stresses in the surfaces and edges of the
glass and tensile stresses in the interior. Tempered glass
has three to five times the resistance of annealed glass to
impact and thermal stresses but cannot be altered after
fabrication. When fractured, it breaks into relatively
harmless pebble-sized particles.
• Laminated or safety glass consists of two or more plies of
flat glass bonded under heat and pressure to interlayers of
polyvinyl butyral resin that retains the fragments if the
glass is broken. Security glass is laminated glass that has
exceptional tensile and impact strength.
1. GLASS …other types
• Wired glass is flat or patterned glass having a square or
diamond wire mesh embedded within it to prevent shattering
in the event of breakage or excessive heat. Wired glass is
considered a safety glazing material and may be used to
glaze fire doors and windows.
• Patterned glass has a linear or geometric surface pattern
formed in the rolling process to obscure vision or to diffuse
light.
• Obscure glass has one or both sides acid-etched or
sandblasted to obscure vision. Either process weakens the
glass and makes it difficult to clean.
• Spandrel glass is an opaque glass for concealing the
structural elements in curtain wall construction, produced by
fusing a ceramic frit to the interior surface of tempered or
heat-strengthened glass.
• Insulating glass is a glass unit consisting of two or more
sheets of glass separated by a hermetically sealed air space
to provide thermal insulation and restrict condensation; glass
edge units have a 3/16” (5) air space; metal edge units have
a ¼” or ½” (6 or 13) air space.
1. GLASS …other types
• Tinted or heat-absorbing glass has a chemical admixture
to absorb a portion of the radiant heat and visible light that
strike it. Iron oxide gives the glass a pale blue-green tint;
cobalt oxide and nickel impart a grayish tint; selenium
infuses a bronze tint.

• Reflective glass has a thin, translucent metallic

coating to reflect a portion of the light and radiant
heat that strike it. The coating may be applied to
one surface of single glazing, in between the
plies of laminated glass, or to the exterior or
interior surfaces of insulating glass.
1. GLASS …other types
• Low-emissivity (low-e) glass
transmits visible light while
selectively reflecting the longer
wavelengths of radiant heat,
produced by depositing a low-e
coating either on the glass itself or
over a transparent plastic film
suspended in the sealed air space
of insulating glass.
 1. GLASS

Glass Product Type Nominal Thickness Maximum Area Weight

inch (mm) inches (mm) psf*

Sheet Glass AA, A, B SS 3/32 (2.4) 60 x 60 (1525 x 1525) 1.22

DS 1/8 (3.2) 60 x 80 (1525 x 2030) 1.63
Float or Plate Mirror ¼ (6.4) 75 sf (7 m2) 3.28 * Verify maximum sizes with
Glazing 1/8 (3.2) 74 x 120 (1880 x 3050) 1.64 glass manufacturer
¼ (6.4) 128 x 204 (3250 x 5180) 3.28
*Any glass 1/8” or thicker can
Heavy Float or Glazing 5/
16 (7.9) 124 x 200 (3150 x 5080) 4.10 be tempered, except for
Plate 3/8 (9.5) 124 x 200 (3150 x 5080) 4.92 patterned or wired glass;
½ (12.7) 120 x 200 (3050 x 5080) 6.54 tempered glass can also be
5/8 (15.9) 120 x 200 (3050 x 5080) 8.17 incorporated into insulating or
laminated glass units
¾ (19.1) 115 x 200 (2920 x 5080) 9.18
* Reflective coatings may be
7/8 (22.2) 115 x 200 (2920 x 5080) 11.45 applied to float, plate,
Patterned Glass Various 1/8 (3.2) 60 x 132 (1525 x 3355) 1.60 tempered, laminated or
patterns 7/32 (5.6) 60 x 132 (1525 x 3355) 2.40 insulating glass
Wired Glass Polished-mesh ¼ (6.4) 60 x 144 (1525 x 3660) 3.50
Patterned- ¼ (6.4) 60 x 144 (1525 x 3660) 3.50
mesh 7/32 (5.6) 54 x 120 (1370 x 3050) 2.82
Parallel wires ¼ (6.4) 60 x 144 (1525 x 3660) 3.50
3/8 (9.5) 60 x 144 (1525 x 3660) 4.45
Laminated Glass (2) 1/8” float ¼ (6.4) 72 x 120 (1830 x 3050) 3.30
Heavy float 3/8 (9.5) 72 x 120 (1830 x 3050) 4.80
½ (12.7) 72 x 120 (1830 x 3050) 6.35
5/8 (15.9) 72 x 120 (1830 x 3050) 8.00

*1 psf = 47.88 Pa
 1. GLASS

Glass Product Type Nominal Thickness Maximum Area Weight

inch (mm) inches (mm) psf*

Tinted Glassd Bronze 1/8 (3.2) 35 sf (3 m2) 1.64

Gray 3/16 (4.8) 120 x 144 (3050 x 3660) 2.45
* Solar energy transmission
¼ (6.4) 128 x 204 (3250 x 5180) 3.27 reduced 35% to 75%
3/8 (9.5) 124 x 200 (3150 x 5080) 4.90 •Visible light transmission
½ (12.7) 120 x 200 (3050 x 5080) 6.54 reduced 32% to 72%
1/8 (3.2) 35 sf (3 m2) 1.64
3/16 (4.8) 120 x 144 (3050 x 3660) 2.45
¼ (6.4) 128 x 204 (3250 x 5180) 3.27
3/8 (9.5) 124 x 200 (3150 x 5080) 4.90
1/2 (12.7) 120 x 200 (3050 x 5080) 6.54

Insulating Glass Glass edge units

(2) 3/32” sheets 3/16” air space 3/8 (9.5) 10 sf (0.9 m2) 2.40 * R-value = 1.61
(2) 1/8” sheets 3/16” air space 7/16 (11.1) 24 sf (2.2 m2) 3.20 * R-value = 1.61
Metal edge units * R-value = 1.72
(2) 1/8” ¼” air space ½ (12.7) 22 sf (2.0 m2) 3.27 * R-value = 2.04
Sheet, plate or float ½” air space ¾ (19.1) 22 sf (2.0 m2) 3.27 * R-values for units w/
(2) 3/16” ¼” air space 5/8 (15.9) 34 sf (3.2 m2) 4.90 ½” air space and low-e
Plate or float ½” air space 7/8 (22.2) 42 sf (3.8 m2) 4.90 coating:
(2) ¼” ¼” air space ¾ (19.1) 50 sf (4.6 m2) 6.54 e = 0.20, R = 3.13
Plate or float ½” air space 1 (25.4) 70 sf (6.5 m2) 6.54 e = 0.40, R = 2.63
e = 0.60, R = 2.33

*1 psf = 47.88 Pa