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Tempered and heat-strengthened
Tempered glass is heat-treated so it breaks into small pieces when it fails. Heat-strengthened glass gains strength but should not be treated as safety glass by itself and is often laminated for the application.
A practical guide to Tempered, Laminated, IGU, Low-E, and specialist glass for building applications.
Read before choosing
No glass type answers every brief in the same way. Choose around the position, failure risk, heat and light control, and the support detail together.
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Tempered glass is heat-treated so it breaks into small pieces when it fails. Heat-strengthened glass gains strength but should not be treated as safety glass by itself and is often laminated for the application.
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Panes are bonded with PVB, SGP, or another selected interlayer to retain fragments and support acoustic or UV objectives depending on the build-up. SGP is stiffer in many contexts, but the complete assembly still requires design calculation.
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An IGU uses two or more panes with a spacer, edge seals, and an air or gas cavity as designed. Low-E is a thin coating often used within an IGU to manage heat and light; confirm U-value, SHGC, and reflected colour from the selected product.
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Ceramic frit or digital ceramic printing can control pattern and privacy. Self-cleaning behaviour depends on the surface and suitable light conditions. Fire-resistant glass has multiple constructions and must be selected against the actual system and test documents; never state a fire rating without evidence.
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