What Are the Benefits of Tempered Glass?

Small fragmentation is a sign of high-quality tempered glass.

Tempered glass is made by either a heating and cooling process or a chemical process. Tempered glass is four to six times stronger than regular glass. There are many benefits of tempered glass, including safety, design flexibility and sustainability.

Identification

Tempered glass is made by placing the product on a roller table to pass it through a furnace that heats the glass above 720 degrees Celsius. The surface of the heated glass is cooled rapidly while the inner glass cools more slowly. Tempered glass can also be manufactured with a chemical process that fuses the glass layers in molten potassium nitrate. Tempered glass may have a wavy surface and appear thicker than plate glass.

Safety Benefit

Tempered glass is less likely to cause injury, including lacerations, when it is broken. It often has a safety seal. The primary characteristic of tempered glass is its ability of shattering into small cubes instead of sharp shards. In applications where glass may break and cause bodily injury, tempered glass is the preferred material.

Beneficial Uses

Three to five times stronger than regular glass, tempered glass is often required by local building codes and meets safety requirements. It is used in automobile glass, windows in high-rise structures, large entry doors and other public building applications. Tempered glass has the ability to sustain blasts and is used in locations that are vulnerable to terrorism and natural disasters, like hospitals, airports and train stations.

Thermal Resistance

Sunlight can heat glass panes unevenly, causing stress that might lead to cracking. Tempered glass has a high tolerance to thermal extremes. Tempered glass withstands microwave oven use and is often used for cookware and oven-to-table dinnerware.

Sustainability

Tempered glass contributes to sustainability, which is the effort to preserve natural resources. The strength of tempered glass protects live and work spaces from violent weather, like hail, strong wind and extreme heat.

Design Flexibility

Because tempered glass has high edge strength, designers and architects can use glass in locations where regular plate glass would not be safe. Large expanses of glass for external walls and on high-rise buildings, floating glass doors and windows, and other design elements are made possible by specifying tempered glass.

References

• Dundy Glass
• Continuing Education
• AIS Glass Solutions