What is tempered glass?

Tempered glass is one of the most popular materials that people use in a vast range of different industries. Over the years, tempered glass has become more and more popular, and it’s a good idea to understand what it is and why it has gathered such huge popularity. We have tempered glass windows at home, but there are also glass railings and shower enclosures made with tempered glass. This material has many industrial uses.

What is tempered glass?

What makes tempered glass unique is that it is basically toughened safety glass. What makes it different and more powerful is that it undergoes a heat treatment. It helps make the glass significantly safer and more durable when compared to regular glass. It’s not unbreakable, but it’s more resilient and durable if you compare it to traditional glass.
The manufacturing process for tempered glass involves heating it in a dedicated tempering oven. Then it gets cooled down with a quenching procedure that helps cool the exterior surfaces of the glass quicker when compared to the center. In doing that, the outer part of the glass is compressing, which makes it a lot more durable and robust.
Of course, before creating tempered glass, the glass is inspected to ensure that it has no imperfections that can cause problems. With that in mind, regular glass gets cooled down via annealing, but that’s not the case with tempered glass. That alone makes it way more durable.

How do you know if you have tempered glass or not?

There are a few signs that will automatically show you whether you have tempered glass or not. In general, tempered glass has slight imperfections on the surface, which is not the case with regular glass. You will also notice that tempered glass shatters into small squares when you break it. One test you can try yourself is to hold a lighter up next to the glass. If you see two flames in the reflection, it’s most likely tempered glass.

Is tempered glass only suitable for security purposes?

In general, tempered glass is a lot more durable when compared to traditional glass. It’s also safer because it doesn’t shatter all over the place. It has a smaller shattering area, and the best part is that it splits into small squares. It’s easier to clean up, and you diminish any potential problems and risks that appear from such a thing. So, if you want glass that’s long-lasting and secure, this is the way to go.

Conclusion

Using tempered glass is a great idea, whether you need it for your home or office. It’s very efficient and reliable and lasts for a very long time. The fact that it’s safer is a significant benefit since it can help protect you and your family. At the same time, tempered glass is versatile and extremely easy to adjust to your own requirements. That’s why it can be a good idea to try, and we guarantee it’s well worth the investment!

At Built by Glass Inc., we only use tempered glass products to ensure our clients safety and to ensure our products last a lifetime. Give us a call today for a free consultation at 647-778-0430 and see how we can help you on your next project.