Glass types.
Glass types and their applications.
The types of glass we cut, toughen, laminate and assemble into insulating units. Here you will find what each one is and what it is used for. Solutions by application are under Products.
Float glass
Standard flat, clear glass. The name comes from the way it is made: molten glass floats on a bath of molten metal, so the sheet has an even thickness and gives an undistorted view. It is the basis for almost everything else: it is cut, toughened, laminated and built into insulating units.
| Thicknesses | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 mm |
| Sheet size | up to 6000 × 3210 mm |
Used for
windows, doors, façades, balustrades, shower enclosures and furniture
Low-E glass
Glass with a very thin metallic coating that reflects heat back into the room while letting light through. In winter it keeps the heat in with no visible difference in clarity. It is only ever used in an insulating unit, with the coating facing the cavity.
| Thicknesses | 4, 6, 8 mm |
| Laminated | 3.3.2, 4.4.2, 5.5.2, 6.6.2 |
| Coatings | Low-E, single-silver coating |
| Effect | 60–70% less heat loss through the glass than a standard insulating unit |
Used for
windows, doors and façades, in an insulating unit
Solar control glass
A coating that insulates and also keeps out the sun's heat in summer, while letting the light through. A solar control coating for homes, SunGuard™ for commercial façades.
| For homes | double silver (g ≈ 0.35) |
| For façades | SunGuard™ HD, HP, SN, SNX |
| Thicknesses | 4, 6, 8 mm |
| Laminated | 3.3.2, 4.4.2, 5.5.2, 6.6.2 |
Used for
windows, doors and façades, in an insulating unit
Laminated glass
Float or UltraClear™
Two panes bonded with an interlayer. If it breaks, the fragments stay stuck to the interlayer. Laminated glass is not just one product: the number of interlayers, their acoustic properties, their colour and any coatings decide whether it is about safety, quiet, design or protection from overheating.
| Designation | 3.3.2 means two 3 mm panes with two interlayers; 4.4.4 means two 4 mm panes with four interlayers |
| Thicknesses | 6 to 20 mm from stock |
| Interlayers | clear, opal/matt, tinted, acoustic |
Used for
balustrades, roofs, façades, fixed partitions, windows and doors, insulating glass units
Bird1st™
Laminated glass with dots in the interlayer
Laminated glass with tiny reflective dots in the interlayer. The bird sees a barrier, not a clear way through. You still look straight out.
| Interlayer | PVB with reflective dots, 9 mm, 90 mm spacing |
| Make-up | Float or UltraClear™: 3.3.4, 4.4.4, 5.5.4, 6.6.4, 8.8.4 |
| Coatings | in an insulating unit with Low-E or SunGuard™ SN and SNX |
| Sheet size | up to 6000 × 3210 mm |
Used for
large windows and glazed openings, façades next to trees and parks, conservatories, roadside screens
Satin glass
Float or UltraClear™
One side of the glass is acid-etched, so it is matt and you cannot see through it, yet almost all the light passes through. Unlike sandblasted glass, the surface is smooth and does not hold fingerprints.
| Thicknesses | 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 mm |
Used for
doors, shower enclosures, glass partitions and insulating glass units
Patterned and decorative glass
Classic patterned glass has a pattern rolled into the hot glass, on one or both sides. Premium Madras patterned glass is float glass with an acid-etched pattern. Light passes through, the view does not. Satin patterned glass is also available. Several patterns in stock.
| Classic patterned | Chinchilla, Delta clear, Delta mat, Kura, Master-Line, Ornament 108 and others |
| Premium patterned | Madras: Millerighe, Trix, Strip, Movie RS, Linea, Basic |
| Thicknesses | 4, 6, 8 mm |
Used for
windows and doors, bathrooms, partitions
UltraClear™ glass
Low-iron glass
Float glass with very little iron. The iron in ordinary glass gives it a greenish tint, which gets stronger the thicker and larger the glass. UltraClear™ has almost none, so it is clear and neutral in colour.
| Iron | 0.01% on average |
| Light | 91% transmittance (4 mm) |
| Thicknesses | 6, 8 mm |
| Laminated | 3.3.2, 4.4.2, 5.5.2, 6.6.2 |
| Sheet size | up to 6000 × 3210 mm |
Used for
balustrades, partitions, shower enclosures and furniture; as a base for laminated, satin and solar control glass
© Wojtek Dabrowski with courtesy of Guardian Glass™Parsol
Body-tinted float glass
The colour is not a coating but part of the glass itself: metal oxides are added to the batch. That is why it cannot peel off or be scratched away. Grey, dark grey, bronze, green and blue.
| Tints | grey, dark grey, bronze, green, blue |
| Thicknesses | 4, 5, 6, 8 mm |
Used for
doors, balustrades, shower enclosures and partitions
Mirrors
Classic mirror on float glass, made to measure, with a ground edge. Grey and bronze tinted mirrors for interiors where an ordinary mirror is too bright. Safety version with a film on the back.
| Thicknesses | 3, 4, 5, 6 mm |
| Tints | classic, grey, bronze |
| Processing | ground or polished edge, holes and notches |
Used for
bathrooms, hallways, halls, furniture, picture framing
Heat-resistant stove glass
Glass for stoves and fireplaces. A glass-ceramic that hardly expands when heated, so it can take the fire on one side and a cold room on the other without cracking.
| Thickness | 4 mm |
Used for
stove and fireplace doors
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