What is toughened glass used for?

Toughened glass will withstand high temperatures and impact from an object.

At Stevenage Glass, we supply a wide range of glass types. In fact, very few of our customers actually realise just how many varieties of glass there are! 

Far beyond the simple glass that you see in your drinks bottles, recent years have seen incredible innovations in glass varieties. These include new varieties, which boast remarkable special properties.

Toughened glass is a great example of these modern highly specialist types of glass.

But what makes toughened glass so remarkable? How tough actually is it? And what can toughened glass be used for?

Below, our experts have shared their answers to some of your most common FAQs.

What is toughened glass, and what makes it special?

Toughened Glass – also known as tempered glass – is up to five times stronger than regular glass.

This type of safety glass is produced by taking annealed glass and cutting it into the required shape. Then, it is taken through a thermal tempering process. This process follows a series of thermal and chemical treatments, which give the glass its key properties. 

The process works by heating and rapidly cooling the outer surface of the glass. This compresses the glass’ outer surface, thereby giving it an extremely high compressive strength.

At the same time, the inner layer of the glass remains hot, keeping it in a state of tension.

Toughened glass is available in a range of different types, with each one designed to cater to a specific industry or use purpose. These types include: 

  • Reflective toughened glass
  • Clear toughened glass
  • Tinted toughened glass
  • Frosted toughened glass
  • Laminated toughened glass

Toughened glass is also available in single, double or triple glazed units.

What are the benefits of toughened glass?

 Thanks to its extreme strength, toughened glass gives property owners a wide range of benefits. These include (but aren’t limited to):

Strength

As its name suggests, toughened glass is extremely strong. It is one   of the most durable, weather-resistant and impact-resistant types of glass in existence.

Heat-resistance

Toughened glass has the ability to withstand direct sunlight, and both extreme cold and heat.

Safety

When it breaks (which is extremely rare), toughened glass breaks into small chunks with blunt edges. As a result, the breakage of toughened glass is far less likely to cause an injury.

Lightweight

Thermal glass offers this remarkable strength in a very lightweight product, making it ideally suited for large buildings, even skyscrapers.

Versatility

Toughened glass can be used for a wide range of rooms, building types and use cases. We’ll cover more on this below.

Design range

Toughened glass is available in a wide range of different styles, colours, patterns and sizes. This allows you to choose a glass product that perfectly adheres to your home’s existing aesthetic, while also giving you access to all these other benefits. 

What can toughened glass be used for? 

All of these impressive properties make toughened glass ideally suited to a vast array of different building types and features.

Toughened glass is commonly used for:

Toughened glass is used in both domestic, commercial and industrial buildings alike, spanning everything from the windows of small properties, to glass fronts in luxurious hotels.

Do I have laminated glass or toughened glass?

You will need to look for a printed kitemark in the corners of the glass, this identifies the type.

  • BS EN 14449 – laminated glass
  • BS EN 12150 – toughened glass

Whatever your requirements, size or scope, Stevenage Glass has the capability and industry knowledge to provide toughened glass that meets all of your expectations.

If you would like to find out more about the advantages of toughened glass, or to enlist our services for your upcoming project, don’t hesitate to contact our team for a quote.