What Is Tempered Glass And How Does It Improve Safety?

You’ve likely heard of tempered glass when dealing with shower doors, car windows, glass tables, and more. If you’re unfamiliar with the glass world, you may not know what the difference is between tempered glass and normal glass and wonder why it is significant that these types of items use tempered glass. Alternatively, perhaps you’ve heard of tempered glass and how it is a type of safety glass, and assumed that means it is so safe, it’s bulletproof.

Here, we’ll expound on what, exactly, tempered glass is, some of its useful features, and why certain products, like shower doors, need this type of glass over another. Let’s jump into it!

What Is Tempered Glass?

Tempered glass is among the most common types of glass used in various types of architecture. It is a type of safety glass made from heating annealed glass up to extreme temperatures and then rapidly cooling it down in order to change its composition.

Have you heard of annealed glass before? If you’re like the average homeowner, it’s likely that you haven’t. Annealed glass is essentially clear glass that is allowed to cool slowly. In short: it’s your standard, everyday glass. When normal glass breaks, it shatters into sharp, jagged pieces.

When tempered glass breaks, it shattered into little round pebbles. This is because the stored energy from how it is made causes the glass to break in a safer manner. It would still be broken glass, of course, but it’s safer for the glass to break into these dull little pebbles than it is for it to break into these sharp pieces. 

How Can You Tell If Glass Is Tempered?

Aside from how it breaks, there are a few ways in which you can tell whether or not glass has been tempered.

• It has smooth, sanded edges, rather than sharp ones.
• You can see any surface imperfections.
• When you look at it through a polarized lens, you can see little dark lines and spots on it. 

And of course, if it breaks into little pebbles when broken rather than jagged pieces, that is a sure sign it has been tempered, as well.

What Is Tempered Glass Used For?

This is a type of safety glass, which means that is both stronger and safer than your standard annealed glass. However, this type of glass isn’t the best if your aim is to improve security rather than just general safety. Strong as it may be, it breaks, the safety component is in how it breaks. 

This type of glass is used for:

• Shower doors
• Glass surfaces in wet areas, such as windows around a sauna
• Auto windows
• Glass surfaces near stairs
• Glass tables
• Kitchen appliances
• And more

Generally, if your goal is to improve the safety and durability of a glass surface, you want to use a type of safety glass. Glass that has been tempered can fit the bill. Some other types of safety glass that you may opt for, depending on your needs include: laminated glass, wire glass, and armed glass.  

Useful Features Of Tempered Glass

The number 1 benefit of this type of glass is in how it breaks. This reduces the risk of major injuries, which you want especially within your own home and should you experience the rare phenomenon of glass shower doors spontaneously combusting. 

Aside from how it breaks, this type of glass has multiple other useful features:

• Increased strength
• Increased durability
• Increased thickness
• Increased thermal strength
• Versatility
• Quality assurance

Why Do Some Parts Of Your Home Require This Type Of Glass?

If you’re on the hunt for a new shower door, you may have seen that such a type of glass installation requires glass that has been tempered. This is because it improves the safety of your home. Water can disguise glass, so if your shower door were to break, you want to minimize the risk of injury as much as possible. 

Are There Any Disadvantages To This Type Of Glass?

Some would say so. This type of glass is designed to break entirely on impact. Have you ever had a rock come flying out of nowhere while driving and your little mirror window instantly broke into tons of tiny little pieces? This can help with safety, but you can see why we say that this isn’t the best glass for security. If security is your priority, there are other types of glass available to you. 

Safe Glass Services For Your Home Or Business

Moyes Glass provides top-of-the-line glass services in Northern Utah, including shower doors, broken glass repair, windows, and more. To learn more about our services and the products we have available, feel free to swing by our showroom in Ogden, UT, or to contact us!