Laminated and toughened glass is considered the same thing among the general public. However, they are two entirely different products.

There’s no doubt that both are a superior form of your standard, everyday glass and provide protection against break-ins (shatter-resistance), flying objects (impact resistance) and storms and winds (weather-protection) better than the standard glass ever could.

However, laminated glass and toughened glass differ vastly in many ways, one of them being their reaction to impact and shattering.

In this blog post, let's look at laminated glass vs toughened glass, going from the manufacturing process to their reaction and resistance to breaking.

Having this information will help you select a suitable glass door replacement, window, and roof lights!

What is Laminated Glass?

You might know laminated glass from their extensive use in the windscreens of the cars. The reason for that lies in their property of staying in place when smashed or broken.

Unlike standard glass, laminated glass does not shatter or transform to jagged shards when cracked or broken, and this is why it is a safe choice for your doors and windows.

What makes laminated glass shatter-proof?

The plastic interlay of polyvinyl butyral used in between the laminated glass sheets binds the two panes together. It acts somewhat like glue, and this glue keeps the glass stuck to the thin film and prevents it from shattering into thousands of pieces when it breaks.

This is an excellent safety feature that prevents injuries that usually result from jagged, sharp, and broken glass pieces.

Offers protection against intruders:

Laminated glass also offers protection against thieves, burglars, and intruders. Since the panes do not turn into fragments or leave the thin film they are glued to, they leave no place for anyone to crawl through.

Laminated glass is also superior to annealed glass when it comes to blocking out UV rays and unpleasant noise from the outside.

Types of laminated glass:

We distinguish different types of laminated glass based on their ability to resist a specified level of attack. These include:

  • Blast-resistance glass
  • Fire-resistance glass
  • Bullet-resistance glass
  • Solar control laminated glass

What is Toughened Glass?

Toughened glass, as its name suggests, is a tough safety glass. It has five times the strength of annealed and laminated glass for the same size and thickness. Due to its method of production, toughened glass is also called tempered glass.

What gives the toughened glass its strength?

Toughened glass goes through a special manufacturing process, known as the tempering process, responsible for its strength. In the tempering process, the glass is first intensely heated, followed by very fast cooling.

Due to this toughness, the tempered glass can bear much more load and has a much higher breakage-resistance. It means that in order for the toughened/tempered glass to break, it will need to be hit by a much larger force than other safety glasses.

Safer when shattered than annealed glass:

You might have seen numerous tiny pieces scattered on the road after an accident where the glass of a bus or a telephone box faced the impact. It happens because, unlike laminated glass that doesn't break down into jagged shards, toughened glass will shatter into hundreds of thousands of small pieces.

Now, this method of breaking makes toughened glass much safer. It doesn't shatter into sizeable, sharp glass pieces that can seriously injure anyone in the vicinity but converts into a harmless shower of pinpricks that can't hurt anybody.

Better heat resistance:

Tempered glass can resist heat four to five times better than the standard glass and can withstand much higher temperature changes of up to 250°C.

Toughened Glass vs Laminated Glass- Which is Better?

Except for when the choice between the laminated glass and toughened glass is obvious, like in the case of a car's windscreen, the selection of any one of the two is really up to personal preference.

Security:

As compared to laminated glass, toughened glass is much stronger. Breaking and shattering toughened glass is not easy due to the requirement of a large force. However, the tempered glass breaks into numerous tiny pieces upon strong impact, so the area it is protecting is left exposed when it breaks. Unlike tempered glass, laminated glass holds its position even after it breaks.

There is, however, a downside to laminated glass. Since the laminated glass is not as strong and doesn't have as much break resistance as the toughened glass, even the accidental impacts, such as a stray ball or random flying objects, have more chance of breaking the laminated glass. So, your laminated glass might need frequent replacements if you live in that kind of neighborhood.

 Overhead glass structures:

For overhead glass structures, people usually prefer laminated glass as it is less likely to break. It won't fall down into hundreds of small glass pieces. Also, when it happens, the replacement of the glass or the whole window becomes urgent.

Price:

As for the price, toughened glass is cheaper than the laminated glass on a like-for-like basis, and that's why it is more likely to be offered as a standard option amongst the two.

Sound reduction and UV Resistance:

When compared, laminated glass has a better sound reduction and UV resistance than toughened glass.

So, which one will you choose now?

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