What Makes Commercial Glass Different?

Just like it says in our name, here at All Glass, we specialize in all types of glass for a wide variety of applications. For example, we provide glass and installation services for residential uses, such as replacing your home windows or repairing your glass doors, and we also provide the right materials and have the right experience to tackle commercial projects. If you are planning on upgrading the glass in your storefront or other business facility, you’ll need commercial glass. In this article, we’ll go over what makes commercial glass different from other types to help you understand why using the correct material matters. The two main differences between these types of glass are their thickness and their treatment during manufacturing.

• Thickness- The first main difference between commercial glass and residential glass is its total thickness. In general, commercial glass is 1/4” thick or more, while residential glass is just 3/32” in width. On top of that, insulated commercial windows consist of 1/4” panes with a 1/2” spacer between them, creating a total width of 1”, which is significantly thicker than the 7/16” of most insulated residential windows.
• Treatment- In addition to being thicker than residential glass, commercial glass typically undergoes one or more treatments to make it stronger and less likely to break. For instance, a lot of commercial glass is tempered, or rapidly heated and cooled during manufacturing, which makes it stronger, more resistant to high temperatures, and causes it to break into tiny pieces as opposed to large shards. All of this makes commercial glass safer, as it’s less likely to break and less likely to injure anyone even if it does.