Tempered / Toughened Glass
Heat-strengthened float glass, custom cut and shaped from 3–19mm to your drawings. 3–5x the strength of annealed glass, engineered to break safely on impact and meet international safety glazing codes for curtain walls, doors, railings, and more.
Specifications
- Standard Thickness
- 3mm – 19mm
- Max Size
- 3300 × 6000mm (jumbo available on request)
- Typical Applications
- Curtain walls, glass doors, balustrades, shower enclosures, furniture panels
- Certifications
- ASTM C1048, EN 12150, ISO 9001
Product Overview
Tempered (toughened) glass is heat-strengthened float glass, custom cut and shaped from 3mm to 19mm to match your project drawings rather than limited to standard stock sizes. Available in clear, ultra-clear, and tinted glass, and compatible with Low-E coating, printing, and lamination on the same order.
Key Features
3–5x the mechanical strength of annealed glass, breaks into small, blunt granules on impact instead of sharp shards, and resists thermal shock from rapid temperature swings — meeting international safety glazing requirements for structural and code-driven applications.
Where This Glass Is Used
Specified wherever safety glazing is required: curtain walls and windows, glass doors and partitions, balustrades and railings, shower enclosures, furniture and appliance panels, and refrigeration display cabinets.
Manufacturing Process
Glass is heated in a forced-convection tempering furnace to roughly 600–700°C (exact temperature depends on thickness and glass composition), then rapidly cooled with high-pressure air jets. This locks the outer surfaces in compression and the core in tension, producing glass that is both mechanically stronger and safer on impact.
- Controlled heating & quenching — Precise furnace temperature control ensures even stress distribution across the pane, reducing optical distortion (roller wave) and warping.
- Safety breakage behavior — Under impact, the glass separates into small, granular fragments rather than sharp shards, in line with international safety glazing standards.
- Optional heat-soak testing (HST) — Lowers the risk of spontaneous breakage caused by nickel sulfide (NiS) inclusions — recommended for structural and overhead glazing.
- Thermal shock resistance — Withstands temperature differentials of up to roughly 200°C, suited to high solar-load facades and fire-adjacent applications.
Applications & Use Cases
- Curtain Wall & Window Glazing — Primary safety glazing for commercial and residential facades, meeting wind-load and impact requirements.
- Glass Doors & Partitions — Storefront doors, interior partitions, and office glazing where impact safety is code-required.
- Balustrades & Railings — Structural glass railings for balconies, staircases, and pool fencing, typically specified with a laminated interlayer for added redundancy.
- Shower Enclosures — Standard requirement for bathroom and shower glazing under most residential building codes.
- Furniture & Appliance Panels — Cooktops, oven doors, cabinet shelving, and tabletops requiring heat and impact resistance.
- Refrigeration & Display Cabinets — Commercial cooler and freezer doors requiring thermal and impact durability.
Note: For load-bearing glass floors and stair treads, tempered glass is generally used as one ply within a laminated safety glass build-up rather than as a single monolithic pane — see the Laminated Glass page for that configuration.
Standard Sizes & Specifications
The figures below reflect common industry tempering capability and are provided as a starting reference. Please confirm exact maximum/minimum sizes, tolerances, and available thicknesses against current furnace capacity before publishing or quoting.
Thickness | Max Size (Standard) | Min Size | Thickness Tolerance | Typical Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3mm | 2440 × 3660mm | 100 × 100mm | ±0.2mm | Cabinet doors, small panels |
4mm | 2440 × 3660mm | 100 × 100mm | ±0.2mm | Shower doors, furniture |
5mm | 2440 × 3660mm | 100 × 100mm | ±0.2mm | Furniture, display cases |
6mm | 2440 × 3660mm | 100 × 100mm | ±0.3mm | Windows, partitions |
8mm | 2440 × 3660mm | 100 × 100mm | ±0.3mm | Curtain wall, railings |
10mm | 3300 × 6000mm (jumbo) | 150 × 150mm | ±0.3mm | Structural glazing, doors |
12mm | 3300 × 6000mm (jumbo) | 150 × 150mm | ±0.4mm | Balustrades, floors |
15mm | 3300 × 6000mm (jumbo) | 150 × 150mm | ±0.5mm | Heavy structural glazing |
19mm | 3300 × 6000mm (jumbo) | 150 × 150mm | ±0.5mm | High-load structural applications |
Custom cut sizes, drilled holes, notches, and polished edges available on request — see Customization below.
Technical Service
We support your project from drawing review to delivery, not just order fulfillment.
- Drawing & Spec Review — Shop drawings and project specs are reviewed before production to confirm sizes, tolerances, and edge/hole details match your requirements.
- Testing & Documentation — Mill test certificates, thickness/strength test reports, and compliance documentation (ASTM/EN/CE) provided for project submittals.
- Technical Consultation — Our team advises on coating, thickness, and configuration selection to meet your project's structural and energy code requirements.
Customization
- Custom Cut Sizes & Shapes — Curved, notched, cut-corner, and irregular shapes fabricated to your CAD drawings, not limited to standard rectangles.
- Edgework & Drilling — Polished, beveled, or seamed edges, plus precision hole drilling and cutouts for hardware and fittings.
- Coating & Printing Options — Combine with Low-E coating, tinting, or ceramic silkscreen/digital printing on the same order.
- Heat-Soak Testing — Available on request for structural, overhead, or safety-critical glazing applications.
Packaging & Shipping
- Export-Grade Crating — Reinforced wooden A-frame or flat crates with edge protection, built for ocean freight handling.
- Container Loading — Load plans optimize container utilization while maintaining safe glass spacing to prevent transit damage.
- Shipping Documentation — Packing lists, certificates of origin, and mill certificates prepared in advance for smooth customs clearance.
- Standard Lead Time — [Insert actual lead time, e.g. "4–6 weeks from deposit to FOB port"] — confirm current production schedule before publishing.