One of the most critical components of structural glass systems is structurally robust glass that not only can be used to secure loads but is also less likely to break in a way that threatens people’s safety than standard glass.

The earliest examples of commercially sold safety glass were created by the Triplex Safety Glass Company, primarily intended to stop the serious injuries caused by drivers flying through car windscreens after a crash.

Since then, several forms of safety glass have become the standard in the glass industry, and are used for different purposes and requirements.

Laminated Glass

The original safety glass and what many people associate with the term, laminated glass is two sheets of glass that sandwich a thin layer of plastic that bonds them together.

This holds the glass when it breaks and is the reason for the spiderweb patterns that you often see when it breaks.

However, the downside of this is that if you need to break the glass to facilitate a rescue, it becomes much more difficult, often requiring either cutting through or breaking the pane entirely.

Laminated Chemically Strengthened Glass

Primarily used for aircraft windows and mobile phone touch screens, these heat and chemical treated screens are extremely strong, and similarly keep their shape when they break.

Tempered Glass

A strong, heat-resistant glass, tempered glass works through specific treatment that keeps the outside in a state of compressive force and the interior in a state of tension.

This glass is safe because it is designed to break into small, blunt pieces rather than large sharp shards. This makes it less useful for security glass or car windscreens, although it can be useful for emergency exits, as it can be broken with a sharp object.

Wired Glass

This is glass that includes a wire mesh in the middle which tries to help the glass pane to maintain its shape and hold the glass pieces in shape.

However, in recent years it has been superseded by polycarbonate meshes and stronger laminated glasses, which do not retain large shards after breakage.