What Is Tempered Glass?

Tempered glass when broken shatters into thousands of tiny pieces and unlike annealed glass tempered glass breaks into dull edged thumbnail size pieces that won't cut easily.

If you've ever had a normal windowpane break, then you know just how sharp the tiny shard can be, and how numerous. The razor sharp edges of shattered glass can be extremely dangerous, especially for small children and pets. For this reason, building codes world wide restrict the use of annealed glass, or regular glass in areas where there is an increased risk of breakage, such as in bathrooms, in door panels, fire exits and in schools. Tempered glass is designed to withstand more impact than standard glass. However, because it is stronger, if the edges are cracked, tempered or toughened glass will shatter into thumbnail size pieces. This is why the glass is cut to the correct size before it under goes the tempering process.

Tempered glass is generally thicker than annealed glass, making it harder to break. Tempered glass when broken shatters into thousands of tiny pieces and unlike annealed glass tempered glass breaks into dull edged thumbnail size pieces that won't cut easily. Until recently, tempered glass was used in bathrooms, on shower doors, and car windows. It has now been replaced with laminated glass.

In several states, it is required by law that tempered glass be used in certain
areas of the home to reduce the chance of injuries in these areas. If you are replacing windows, you may want to consider using tempered glass for windows near doors, to prevent accidental encounters between the window and the swinging door.

Though tempered glass is stronger, however, it is still breakable. Intentional
misuse of the glass will cause it to break. Glass is not easily cleaned up, and
you will more than likely be finding tiny glass shards for several days. A small
fracture in the glass, which has been unnoticed, can cause actual breakage days later. Ensure you replace or repair your fractured tempered glass in order to avoid accidents.

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