Tempered Glass

Tempered glass, also known as fully tempered glass, is a high-performance safety glazing material specifically designed for use in hazardous locations. It is heat-treated to increase strength and engineered to meet stringent safety standards, including ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16 CFR 1201 Category II for impact resistance.

When broken, tempered glass fractures into small, blunt fragments rather than sharp, jagged shards—significantly reducing the risk of serious injury compared to standard annealed glass. This makes it an ideal choice for applications where safety is critical, such as doors, sidelites, shower enclosures, and other high-traffic areas.

Tempered glass is up to four times stronger than annealed glass and twice as strong as heat-strengthened glass of the same size, thickness, and type. Its durability, clarity, and safety performance make it a reliable solution for both residential and commercial glazing projects.

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Features

BENEFITS

Meets the safety glazing requirements for fully tempered glass or CPSC 16 CFR 1201 and ANSI Z 97.1

For use in safety glazing applications subjected to wind loads and thermal stresses

Break pattern results in small fragments

Four times stronger than annealed glass

Tested and approved by the Safety Glazing Certification Council (SGCC)

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Fully tempered glass is required in ASTM C 1048 to have either a minimum surface compression of 10,000 psi (69 MPa) or an edge compression of not less than 9,700 psi (67 MPa) or meet ANSI Z 97.1 or CPSC 16 CFR 1201. The higher compression levels yield a product that is generally four times stronger than annealed glass and twice as strong as heat-strengthened glass.

APPLICATIONS

Tempered glass is required by the building code for glazing areas that have been defined as hazardous locations. These include but are not limited to all-glass entrances, doors, sidelites, curtain walls, handrails, partitions, storefronts, windows, shower enclosures and other glazing in close proximity to a door or walking surface.