Toughened glass

Toughened glass is grade ‘A” safety glass with 4-5 times the strength of ordinary annealed glass, and is 3 times stronger than heat-strengthened glass!

Overview of toughened glass

where strength, safety, and design excellence redefine architecture

Toughened glass is a Grade ‘A’ safety glass produced by furnacing annealed float glass at an approximate temperature of 620oC. After some time in the furnace chamber, the glass moves into a quenching chamber where it is rapidly cooled by high-pressure air. This ‘snap’ cooling or quenching induces compressive stresses to the glass surface, whilst the center remains in tension resulting in a product that is 4-5 times stronger than ordinary annealed float glass.

toughened safety glass ESG

Benefits of toughened glass

Why choose toughened safety glass
Toughened glass offers a great deal of improvement over standard glass, especially when constructing buildings with glass exteriors. Let us look at why you need to choose toughened glass if you are considering building a modern structure that involves countless glass panes.

STRONG AND SAFE

One of the most fundamental reasons behind tempering glass is to provide it with the strength to combat rigorous environmental conditions. Since it is far less likely to break, many high-rise buildings, skyscrapers, stand-alone glass partitions, etc., are built using this type of glass. Furthermore, even if it fails due to exposure to very harsh conditions, it never shatters. When standard glass shatters into sharp shards, it can seriously hurt people standing close by. Toughened glass develops countless cracks and breaks into blunt bits that are incapable of causing any serious injuries. This makes this glass very safe for use, even around kids.

SCRATCH-PROOF

Toughened glass is immune to daily wear and tear. It does not get damaged easily and maintains its sheen and finishes for years on end. It is ideal for glass partitions, residential as well as commercial doors and windows. No cricket ball will be able to shatter your windows as it used to in the 90s if they are built using toughened glass.

HEAT-RESISTANT

When the annealed glass is exposed to high temperatures continually, it can shatter, causing sharp shards of glass to sprawl all across your floor. This can be perilous, especially for children. However, toughened glass is manufactured using heat tempering and can endure uncomfortably warm and humid temperatures. This is why using them in your bathrooms makes much sense. For instance, a shower stall made from toughened glass gladly endures boiling water without incurring any damage.

VERSATILE APPLICATIONS

You can mould toughened glass in varied creative ways due to its incredible strength and the capability to withstand trying temperatures. This is why it finds its applications ranging from cookware to commercial buildings. Other applications include frameless glass doors, table tops, mobile phone screens, laboratory equipment, etc. Toughened glass is also amalgamated with laminated glass to manufacture bulletproof windows for vehicles.

SEVERAL DESIGN OPTIONS

Toughened glass comes in several patterns and designs to address your varied requirements. For instance, choose from a range of frosted, translucent, coloured, clear, and engraved options for different rooms that serve other purposes in your home or office. These diversities ensure that you achieve a keenly designed yet safe glass option.

RESISTS DAMAGE FROM SUNLIGHT

Sunlight heats exterior glass surfaces unevenly. Sometimes the direction of the building is such that one side sees more sun than the other. Direct sunlight expands and contracts glass surfaces. Unevenly absorbing direct sunlight makes the surface expand and contract unevenly. This difference may create stress in glass that may lead to damage or even breakage. Toughened glass can easily withstand this temperature differential up to 250°C.

Tempered Glass Technical Specifications

Applications, Production Capacity & Considerations

INTERIOR APPLICATIONS

Railings, glass doors and partitions, shower doors and enclosures.

EXTERIOR APPLICATIONS

  • Insulated glass units and spandrel glass
  • Skylights, storefronts

Thickness:

  • 4mm to 19mm  - Toughened 
  • 4mm to 12mm Heat Strengthened
  • 9.52mm to 39.52mm - Toughened/Laminate 

  • Minimum Size: 300 x 300mm
  • Maximum Size: 3660 x 18000mm

America Standards:

  • ANSI Z97.1 – Safety glazing materials used in buildings. This standard provides guidelines for safety glazing materials in residential and commercial applications, including tempered glass. It specifies the performance criteria for impact resistance and requires glass to meet certain fragmentation requirements.
  • ASTM C1036 – Flat Glass.
  • ASTM – C1048 – Heat-treated flat glass. This standard sets the minimum requirements for tempered flat glass. It covers glass thickness, surface compression, and fragmentation characteristics.
  • CAN/CGSB 12.1 – Safety or laminated glass,
  • CPSC 16 CFR- 1201 – The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard in the United States sets the requirements for architectural glazing materials, including tempered glass. It tests the glass for impact resistance and establishes different categories based on the glass thickness and the drop height required to break it.

Australian Standards:

Architectural – 4mm to 12mm Grade ‘A’ safety glass manufactured to AS/NZS 2208-1996 Safety glazing materials in buildings and 15mm to 19mm Toughened glass.

The Australian/New Zealand standard for safety glazing materials assesses the impact resistance of tempered glass. It classifies glass based on the drop height required to break it and provides guidelines for its use in different applications.

British & European Standards

  • BS 6206 - ' Code of practice for glazing for buildings'. Part 4: 1994 'Safety related to human impact'
  • BS EN 12600:2002 - Glass in building. Thermally toughened soda lime silicate safety glass.
  • EN 12150:2015 - This European Standard specifies tolerances, flatness, edgework, fragmentation, and physical and mechanical characteristics of monolithic flat thermally toughened glass.

Toughened Glass: Related products

Discover more
Low iron tempered laminated glass

Laminated safety glass

Laminated glass is a Grade ‘A’ Safety product made by laminating two or more panels of glass with a flexible plastic interlayer or PVB (polyvinyl butyral).

From metallics and pearls to custom art, the design possibilities are endless.

laminated vaceva glass

Colored laminated glass

Glass across a full spectrum of vibrant colors, available in a range of translucency levels. 

white translucent laminated glass

Translucent laminated glass

With a stylish frosted appearance, PurColor™ Translucent is durable, reliable, and designed to secure your privacy.

Get in touch with our team to get a quote or free sample now