How to Choose Safety glass-laminated glass VS Tempered glass

Both laminated glass and tempered glass belong to safety glass and are widely used in our daily life, whether it’s glass balustrade, glass shower doors, glass pool fence, glass railings, tabletops glass, etc.

How is the difference between laminated glass and tempered glass, how should we select from them, here we introduce the difference between these safety glass options?

What’s tempered glass?

Tempered glass is made of float glass which is firstly heated to softening point then rapidly cooled down by air, to enable even compression stress on the glass surface.

During the instant cooling procession, external glass is solidified because of the rapid cooling process, and as the internal glass cools down slower, and would make glass surface formed compression stress.

Meanwhile, internal glass produces tensile stress with further makes glass’s mechanical strength of glass up to double increment and to be with good thermal stability.

Tempered Glass Applications: Tempered glass is a safety glass, extensively applied in areas that have the critical request of high mechanical strength and safety, such as glass door, curtain wall, interior glass partition, elevators, showcase,windows&doors, furniture, and household appliances.

What’s laminated glass?

Laminated glass is made of two or more pieces of glass sandwiched with a multi-layers interlayer(PVB, SGP, or EVA interlayer) under high temperature and pressure. The appearance and installation of laminated glass are the same as tempered glass, but much more durable.

Laminated glass Application: can be extensively used in building skylight, elevated floor, high-grade curtain wall, and window, furniture, showcase, aquarium, etc.

Safety glass-laminated glass VS Tempered glass Difference

Difference 1: Status after breakage
The existing surface compression makes tempered glass stress relatively stable, and glass strength is 3-5 times higher than float glass.

The easiest way to break tempered glass is to hit the weakest glass corners, after glass breaking, it will shatter into many small pieces with obtuse angles which won’t cause severe hurt to the human body.

For tempered glass breakage

For laminated glass breakage, whether it’s annealed laminated glass or tempered glass, the interlayer can quickly absorb and weaken a mass of energy when laminated glass is attacked by an outside force.

It’s hard to be penetrated and remain integrally in the frame even when it’s broken because of the high cohesion and persistent interlayer.
Laminated glass can avoid personal or property damage caused by the falling of the glass, and the whole piece of glass remains intact and can continue to resist impact, wind, and rain.

Difference 2: UV resistance

Ultraviolet rays in solar radiation are the main cause of fading and damage to carpets, furniture, art paintings, curtains, and many chemical fiber fabrics.

But many things in furniture are placed indoors, why ultraviolet rays can still come in. Because the long-wave ultraviolet rays in the ultraviolet rays cannot be blocked by the glass, it will also form an ultraviolet radiation zone in the room. Years of UV radiation can cause furniture to fade and age.

Laminated glass can effectively prevent UV(as high as more than 99% of UV) penetrate the glass and won’t cause furniture fading.

Difference 3: Acoustic performance

Under the same thickness, laminated glass can reduce both STC and OITC.

The interlayer, whether it’s PVB, SGP, or EVA can effectively prevent sound waves.

A sound wave can be obviously weakened when it goes through laminated glass.

Difference 4: Energy Saving performance

Tempered glass U value is always summer 5.28w/m2.k, and in Winter it’s even higher 5.81w/m2.k, in summer the glass temperature is very high after absorbing solar heat and may cause glass thermal breakage.

Compared with tempered glass, laminated glass U value, SHGC is relatively low and saves certain energy costs.

When low-E coatings are applied on laminated glass, especially hard-coated Low-E coating, the U value is just 50-60% of normal tempered glass.

Difference 5:Available extra processing&application

Color: As we know, tempered glass is made with float glass with limited color options, Green, blue, grey, bronze, clear, low iron, cannot achieve other colors the architect and designers want.

While laminated glass interlayer has numerous color options which made any color is possible.

How to Choose Tempered glass and laminated glass?

With the above comparison, we know that laminated glass can offer a better protection level, high price, and more various functions, but when shall we select tempered glass and when laminated glass?

As a professional glass manufacturer, below is the suggestion from our glass experts:

1. For Interior applications and low-rise buildings, tempered glass is enough.
Interior applications, for example, shower rooms, kitchen cabinets, glass partition, glass railings, glass balustrade glass, pool fence glass, greenhouse glass, the tempered glass can offer enough strength to protect your safety.

Of course, some customers want the glass unique and smarter, laminated glass can have many functions &color options to achieve customers’ requirements, whether it’s acoustic glass, thermal insulation glass, privacy protection glass, or decorative glass.

2. For commercial buildings, laminated glass is necessary.
In commercial buildings, as more people and more crowded, laminated glass can offer better protection.

Another reason is tempered glass self explosion is always a safety problem for customers, even though factory can test the glass through heat soaking test to reduce glass spontaneous breakage possibility, laminated glass is a more smart option, after all, both piece glass break possibility is much lower.

3. Some areas that must use laminated glass
As tempered glass cannot keep integrity after breaking, the fragments will fall after broken, so some areas laminated glass is a must during the design process, these areas include glass canopy, glass skylight, outdoor glass bridge, interior glass floors, glass staircases, curtain wall glass, bank bulletproof glass.

Eliterglass is your turnkey China tempered and laminated glass supplier.

Learn more products: Tempered glass  Laminated glass