Toughened glass can be up to five times stronger than ordinary float glass, making it the perfect solution for both indoor and outdoor use. This type of safety glass is a popular choice due to its strength and durability.
At Express Glass Warehouse, we offer two main types of glass to our customers. These are clear toughened glass and low iron toughened glass, available at competitive prices for incredibly versatile uses.
If you’re looking for bespoke toughened glass for commercial or residential buildings, then you’ve come to the right place! Here at EGW we offer toughened glass cut to size, so you can tailor your safety glass solution for windows, doors, balustrades, glass shower screens or furnishings like, table tops, and kitchen splashbacks.
Whether you need toughened glass that’s tinted, obscured, painted, or printed, or a simple transparent barrier, we can do it all at Express Glass Warehouse. Depending on your project requirements, we’ll be sure to supply what you need!
For more details about our toughened glass products, read the information below and consult our FAQs. You can also call our team on 020 8500 1188 for further assistance or submit your project specifications online to request a quote.
Clear Toughened Glass
The perfect multi-purpose option, a toughened clear glass with a slight green tint. Also known as clear float toughened glass, it makes an excellent base for further treatments. This includes any type of processing such as laminating, printing, painting, privacy glass, and crackle glass.
Here at Express Glass Warehouse, we can provide this type of toughened clear glass in a wide range of sizes and shapes. This toughened glass is also available in 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm, and 19mm thicknesses, suitable for a variety of applications.
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Low Iron Toughened Glass
When maximum transparency is required, low iron toughened glass is extra clear. Its lower iron content and higher light transmittance reduce the green tint for optimal clarity. This is often the better choice for painted glass or printed glass, for purity of colour.
This type of custom toughened glass can be used both indoors and outdoors, guaranteeing impressively clear views from either side. Available in 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm, and 19mm thicknesses, this heat-strengthened glass is always a great choice.
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Low E Glass (Hard Coat/Soft Coat)
As expert manufacturers of toughened glass, we’re also happy to offer a selection of Low E glass coatings. Unlike standard glass, ‘Low Emissivity’ glass has a special coating applied to one side, which improves thermal insulation without compromising on light transmission through the glass.
Low E glass enables users to meet UK Building Regulations for energy efficiency with less effort. The thin coating can be either ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ depending on the process and materials.
Hard coated Low E glass is created via the pyrolytic method or chemical vapour deposition (CVD), and can be used in single glazing applications due to its longer shelf life. Soft coated Low E glass is made through magnetically sputtered vacuum deposition (MSVD), and should be incorporated into double glazed units due to its shorter shelf life. Hard Low E glass can be a more affordable alternative.
Toughened Glass Product Information
With more than 91% visible light transmittance, low iron glass is ideal for displays. The greenish tint of standard tempered glass prevents full colour representation of whatever may be on the other side, so low iron toughened glass is the best solution for safe displays in museums and exhibitions.
Due to fewer impurities and a more uniform composition, low iron glass is also less likely to self-temper (spontaneously break). Particularly beneficial for thicker laminated glass products, affording a higher level of transparency, the edges of low iron toughened glass remain clear from all angles.
That said, standard clear toughened glass does the job more than just fine when the edges aren’t visible or the tint is desired. It’s just as effective as a practical base for laminated, tinted, or frosted glass, but with less optical clarity – which isn’t always necessary for glass with manifestations.
Toughened glass cut to size is typically used for:
- Glass staircases
- Glass shelves
- Glass windows
- Table tops
- Desk tops
- Shower screens
- Kitchen splashbacks
- Balconies or canopies
- Balustrades
- Glass roofs
- Greenhouses
- Juliet balconies
- Glass cough/sneeze guards
- Office partitions/meeting rooms
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Need more help? Read through our toughened glass FAQs below or get in touch with the EGW team to speak to someone about your requirements. We can cater to most bespoke toughened glass projects, so please get in touch online or call 020 8500 1188 for assistance.
Toughened Glass FAQs
Once glass has gone through the toughening process, it can no longer be cut, drilled, or shaped. This is because the impact will disrupt the layers and cause the tempered glass to break. Even if it didn’t shatter right away, this would weaken the integrity of the glass pane, so it will break eventually.
However, it’s possible to cut and shape toughened glass at the start of the process, before the glass is actually toughened. Any drill holes, cut-outs, and notches must be done before toughening. As bespoke glass experts here at Express Glass Warehouse we are sure to provide custom toughened glass to our clients’ individual project specifications.
It’s important to measure in advance and specify the size, shape, and cut-outs or drill requirements when placing your order. If you don’t, you won’t be able to adjust your order down the line, as the glass cannot be modified once the heat tempering process has begun, and we cannot reverse it.
Toughened glass, also known as tempered glass, is five times stronger than normal glass. It’s created by heating glass to very high temperatures then cooling it quickly, which balances tensile stress within the pane. In the unlikely event that it shatters, it will break into small, blunt pieces.
Laminated glass is made by using two and in some cases three pieces of toughened glass, bonded together with an extremely tough EVA interlayer.
Both types of safety glass are much stronger than regular float glass, and are better suited to different projects.
Toughened glass, also known as tempered glass, is five times stronger than normal glass. It’s created by heating glass to very high temperatures then cooling it quickly, which balances tensile stress within the pane. In the unlikely event that it shatters, it will break into small, blunt pieces.
Laminated glass is made by using two and in some cases three pieces of toughened glass, bonded together with an extremely tough EVA interlayer.
Both types of safety glass are much stronger than regular float glass, and are better suited to different projects.