Supplies all types of toughened safety glass for all your safety and security requirements

If you’re looking for replacement glass for a broken window in Chester, it could be worth considering opting for toughened glass when you have it repaired. While this may be the more expensive choice in the short term, it will probably save you money over the longer term, as there’s less chance of it breaking again in future!

How Toughened Glass Is Made

Toughened glass is also commonly referred to as tempered glass and this gives a clue as to how it’s made. The manufacturer begins with the standard type of glass, known as ‘annealed’, and subjects it to an intensive heat treatment at a temperature of around 650°C. This process is known as thermal tempering. As the glass begins to soften, its surface is cooled rapidly. The contrast between the temperatures of the outer and the inner layers creates centre tension, which gives the glass new physical properties. The main one of these properties is that the whole sheet of glass is capable of withstanding much higher stresses and pressures than annealed glass.

How This Affects Its Performance and Uses

With a typical strength of up to five times higher than annealed glass, toughened glass can tolerate both extremes of temperature and surface compression of over 10,000lbs psi (per square inch) without breaking. When it does shatter, its composition and changed structure means that, rather than fracturing into shards with razor-sharp edges, it instead crumbles into small, granular pieces. These are less liable to cause harm and are much easier to sweep up and dispose of.

Toughened or tempered glass is therefore often used where safety glass is recommended. In the home and in commercial or industrial settings, it’s used for large windows, glass doors or in bathrooms, for instance.

If you need toughened glass for any purpose, domestic or business, contact Abbey Glass Chester. We’ll be able to supply and fit to your requirements. We can also supply your staircase glass but do not offer fitting for this.