8mm 10mm 12mm Laminated tempered Storefront Glass with EN12150 12600

Know how to choose Storefront Glass

Most commercial buildings have what is commonly referred to as a storefront. This is often built from a combination of aluminum and glass to create a glass “wall.” The aluminum can be different colors and styles, and the glass as well.

Not all glass quality is the same, either.

Typically, glass storefronts are installed with what is known as “safety” glass.  There are essentially two main types of glass that are considered safety glass but for different reasons. These are known as Tempered Glass and Laminated Glass.

Tempered glass is made using a special heating process that makes it up to four times stronger than annealed glass, which is used in such items as tabletops, cabinet doors, and basement windows. Tempered glass, unlike annealed glass, breaks into thousands of tiny pieces when shattered, which are less dangerous than big glass shards.

Laminated safety glass, on the other hand, consists of two pieces of annealed glass with a very strong layer of laminate that is sandwiched between them to keep the glass shards firmly in place if it breaks.

One security advantage of laminated safety glass is its tendency to hold together as a sheet when broken, which provides an additional barrier against intruders. In addition, laminated safety glass is safer for anyone that may be near it when it breaks.

Insulated Glass is made up of two pieces of monolithic glass sealed to a spacer bar to create airspace between them. This airspace serves as an insulator of both temperature and sound (to a lesser degree).

Insulated glass has been used in windows and doors since the early-eighties and manufactures of insulated glass units (commonly referred to as IG units) have been constantly improving their techniques and the materials used to build them.

Insulated glass has stronger sound insulation and heat preservation performance .

Vacuum glazing glass is very similar to a double glazed unit in construction, except that it doesn’t have a gas in the cavity, it has a vacuum. The vacuum makes a far more effective insulated window than any gas could, and therefore only requires a small cavity. There is no need to have a big, thick unit to deliver exceptional performance – the double glazing thickness is greatly reduced.