A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing The Best Glass for Your House.

The 10 Best Types of Glass for Your double glazing windows and doors – Compared & Reviewed

Introduction: which glass is best for doors and windows for your home.

As you walk down your street you will notice that many of the residential homes have double or even triple glazing and you may be tempted to get it for your own home. However, besides thinking about double or triple-glazing, you should pay attention to the actual glass that has been used. Glass windows and doors are a great way to give your home an updated look. But with so many different types of glass, it can be difficult to know which one is best for you. Here’s a quick guide on the types of glass for your house are available and their benefits.

There are three main categories of glass: strength (1-6), efficiency and look (7), and privacy (8-10).

2. Annealed Glass

Making annealed glass is a very precise process. This glass is created by cooling a panel of float glass in a controlled process to reduce stress and strengthen the material. Annealing allows the surface tension in the glass to be lowered, which in turn reduces the chance of breakage. It also increases the cohesion between individual pieces of glass and helps them resist stress-induced fracture.

The gentle thermal treatment & cooling relieves the stress introduced during the manufacturing process and allows for a better glass surface quality. The process most often takes place from 450 °C to 480 °C. The glass is heated until it reaches a homogenous temperature, and stress is relieved. Finally, the pieces are planed and polished to remove the thermal stresses.The annealing process is used on a variety of different types of glass, such as flat glass, plate glass and toughened safety glazing. It is a very important step in creating strong, durable products. Manufacturers often anneal their glass during the manufacturing process, but this is also done after production to give the glass more strength, durability and longevity.

3. Heat Strengthened Glass

Heat strengthened glass is a tough glass and the strengthening process increases the mechanical and thermal strength of the glass, making it twice as tough as annealed glass with a surface compression of 3,500 to 7,500 psi. The glass is heated to a uniform temperature of approximately 650 °C to 700 °C. Ceramic rollers then move the glass through the furnace at a regulated speed to ensure temperature uniformity and minimal distortion.

The process for heat strengthening glass is similar to the traditional process of glass tempering, but the cooling cycle is less rapid. This means that when heat strengthened glass is heated and cooled in a controlled manner, it will develop less internal stresses than fully tempered glass would. When comparing tempered glass to heat-strengthened glass, the most important difference is in their post-breakage characteristics (i.e. break pattern). Cracked heat strengthened glass will mean that the pieces left on the window will be larger and generally easier to remove than those for tempered glass.

Tempered glass is made by heating and then quickly cooling the glass, which makes it much stronger than untreated glass The glass is heated over 540° Celsius, which is then cooled using high-pressure air blasts and cools the outer layers more quickly than the internal layers. This causes the inner layers to cool down first, and as they do, they pull away from the outer surfaces. Compression forces push inwards while outside tension is pulling everything tightly together. These opposing forces make tempered glass much stronger than annealed glass.

When this type of glass is broken, it breaks into small, rounded pieces instead of sharp, jagged shards. Regular, untreated glass, however, is known to shatter into sharp pieces called spall, Tempered glass is often called “safety glass” for its ability to protect against broken glass and keep building occupants safe. The safety and durability of this glass are ideal for car windows, shower doors, glass tables, and other installations where increased safety standards are necessary or where high temperatures may cause breakage. The glass has a high melting temperature, making it suitable for use in fireplace doors or kitchen ovens.

Tempered glass is one of the strongest types on the market because it’s made to be durable. However, tempered glass cannot be re-sized, re-cut, or re-shaped once it has been heated and created into a glass product. This means that all sizing needs to happen before the tempered glass is heated so that every piece of tempered glass has the correct dimensions and shape.

5. Safety Laminated Glass

Laminated glass is a type of reinforced glass that is resistant to shattering and is used for security purposes on private areas like doors & windows in the back of a building. It’s built in PVB (polyvinyl butyral) layer protects against burglars as it’s difficult to pierce. For this very reason, laminated glass is often used in skylights or glass ceilings to make sure that if the glass were to shatter from above, it would not fall to the ground and cause an accident.

Laminated glass is also often found in car windshields and airplane cockpits for the same reasons- to avoid the dangers of shattered windows at high speeds. As a side bonus, laminated glass also offers an additional layer of protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays, and also helps reduce the occurrence of noise-inducing vibrations.

The wire mesh does not improve the impact resistance of the glass, in fact, the wire in the glass actually weakens the glass from the strength standpoint and makes it more susceptible to breaking. However, while some might find wired glass less visually appealing and not as strong as laminated or toughened glass, it has the major advantage of staying in place if it breaks and thus provides a barrier to fire or intruders.

7. Insulated Glass

Insulated glass is more commonly known as double- or triple-glazing. Insulated glass is optimized for energy efficiency, and will keep your home insulated and comfortable. Insulated glass is a perfect choice for those looking to make their home more energy efficient. The best part? You can get this type of window with two or three panes of glass and a desiccant component.

This will help keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter as well as reduce humidity. The frames are typically made out of wood, metal or plastic. uPvc is the most common material because it is easy to work with and it can be molded into any shape. There are other options that are very similar to insulating with double or triple glazing; one is thermal glass. This is made from two panes of glass which have a thin layer of metal between them that helps deflect heat from the sun, making it more energy efficient.

Another is Low-e which is just one pane with a coating on the outside to help keep in heat in the winter and out in summer. This type also has an anti-reflective coating on the inside, which will make your space brighter during daylight hours but darker at night when less light comes.

The other way of adding a metal coating to glass is by adding it via a vacuum after the glass has been finished. This is called a soft coat. A soft coat is more susceptible to scratches and other damage, so is usually applied to the inside surface of a glass pane as part of a double-glazed system. Reflective glass has the ability to provide an even, clear reflection which can be used for all manner of purposes it is most often used to serve as mirrors a but if often also used for architectural or decorative purposes, such as facades or table tops. Two-way mirrors, also referred to as one-way mirrors, are types of glass typically used for security and privacy purposes for businesses. Reflective glass as well increasing privacy helps reflect heat, which in turn lowers energy costs for the building.

9. Obscured Glass

Obscured glass or privacy glass is a form of glass that allows light through but does not allow clear vision, but some form of image can sometimes be seen through it. It often has frosted, etched or other patterns on it. Obscured glass is a type of window that is commonly used in buildings, homes and commercial spaces.

Different patterns on the glass give it a unique appeal and allow some light to pass through while still obscuring the view.

This particular type of glass is helpful for adding privacy or if you’re looking for a glass wall or door that has a frosted look, this could be the option for you.