Toughened (or tempered) glass is a type of reinforced safety glass. It is specially manufactured to enhance strength, resilience, and durability, making it an excellent addition to various residential, commercial, and industrial settings, where it can deliver user protection and productivity.
Tempered glass panels can be made-to-measure, offering thicknesses up to 19mm for the highest level of durability.
Key features of toughened glass
There are a few key features of toughened glass to be aware of. These characteristics make tempered glass safer, more reliable, and more resistant than standard (annealed) glass:
- Industry-grade strength: It is up to five times stronger than standard glass and manufactured to withstand heavy impacts.
- Impact-resistant: It has a compression-tension structure that is designed to maintain its solidity, making it more resilient to sudden impacts.
What is toughened glass used for?
Thanks to its protective benefits, toughened glass is commonly used in a variety of industry settings. From residential projects and commercial builds to automotive enhancements, this type of safety glass is popular for its versatility.
Examples of toughened glass applications
Here are a few examples of where you may see toughened glass being used in your day-to-day:
- Residential: Windows, doors, shower screens, balustrades, stair panels, table protectors, shelves.
- Commercial: Display units, shop front displays, office partitions, protective screens.
- Industrial: Cab glass for machinery, plant equipment, and vehicles such as diggers, forklifts, trains, and boats.
How is toughened glass manufactured?
At Caldwells Windows Ltd., we manufacture reinforced glass panels at our on-site glass plant. We use COOLTEMPER glass tempering equipment and Denver CNC machines to deliver cut-to-size toughened glass across the UK.
Here’s a bit more information about how toughened glass is made:
- Cutting and shaping: We precision-cut and shape the glass to a specific size before the toughening process begins. It’s essential to do this first, as glass cannot be cut or shaped after the ‘toughening’ part has taken place.
- Extreme heat exposure: We heat the glass to temperatures of over 600°C in a furnace.
- Rapid cooling: The final cooling stage is also known as quenching. We use high-pressure air to trigger a structural change in the glass components, forcing the outer glass surface to compress while the inner core goes into tension. This change is what gives toughened glass its impressive strength and resistance.
The end result is an impressively robust glass that can withstand the risks that often appear in high-safety and high-traffic environments.
What is the difference between standard, laminated, and toughened glass?
With so many different types of glass on offer, it can be hard to decide which glass type is best for your needs. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve put together a simple comparison table with the key features of each:
| Feature | Standard (annealed) glass | Laminated glass | Toughened glass |
| Strength | Weak | Medium | Extremely high strength |
| Uses | Domestic projects, including decorative panels, small windows, and display cabinet doors | Car windshields, security glazing, soundproofing | Shower screens, balustrades, shop front displays, vehicle cab windows, security screens, wall mirrors, flooring, doors, bridges, and walkways |
| Impact resistance | Low | Medium | High |
| Breakage pattern | Sharp, dangerous shards | Maintains structure with a plastic interlayer | Small, blunt fragments |
As you can see, toughened glass is a versatile option that can be applied and benefited from in almost any industry or sector. Its durability is second to none, with cut-to-size and made-to-measure panels providing a tailored solution for any use.
Toughened Glass from Caldwells Windows
We manufacture our toughened glass at our Wigan-based glass plant, but we’re proud to deliver glass products across the UK.
Contact us today so we can discuss your requirements and answer any questions you may have, and we’ll manufacture bespoke toughened glass panels to suit your project.
