Toughened glass is a type of safety glass that has undergone thermal tempering. This treatment makes it up to five times stronger than standard glass and helps reduce injuries in the event of a breakage. It is also able to resist damage from impact and thermal shock. This is why it’s often used in doors, shower screens and other glass homeware. It’s even more resilient than standard glass in buildings, such as windows for high-rise apartments or office blocks and glass partition doors.

Toughening is a process that involves heating and rapidly cooling the surface of glass. This creates a combination of compression and tension that makes the glass up to five times more strong than annealed glass and three times stronger than heat strengthened glass. The thermal stress also helps to prevent imperfections from forming in the glass, which could otherwise lead to cracks. The toughened glass is then cooled with jets of cold air. The rapid cooling helps to maintain the balance of pressure and tension in the glass.

Unlike regular glass that breaks into sharp, dagger-like pieces that can cause serious injury, toughened glass disintegrates into small, blunt particles that are not capable of causing any major harm. This helps to make it safe to use in environments where people are likely to be in close proximity to the glass, such as in offices or apartment buildings and schools. Toughened glass is not only resistant to physical attack, but it can also withstand severe weather conditions such as snow or hail. This makes it suitable for windows, doors and other glass homeware that will be subjected to a great deal of weathering.

Toughened or tempered glass is also immune to the everyday wear and tear that can occur with normal glass and therefore can be left unprotected for years on end without requiring any maintenance or repair work. This is especially useful in modern structures that require a lot of glass. For example, the glass in many modern commercial buildings is toughened as it makes the building more secure and can reduce the risk of damage from calamities or disasters.

While there are a number of different ways to toughen glass, the most common is called tempering. This is where a piece of standard float glass is heated to very high temperatures and then suddenly cooled using jets of cold air. The sudden change in temperature and speed causes the outer layers of the glass to be put into compression while the inner layer remains in a state of tension. The result is that the glass is up to five times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness and is also far more resistant to shock and thermal shock.

This makes it perfect for glass windows and doors in places where they will be exposed to harsh weather conditions and can help to keep the building safe and sturdy. In addition, toughened glass is often immune to the kind of scratches and dents that can be caused by furniture or other items and so will retain its pristine appearance for years on end. Depending on the type of toughened glass, it may have a quality mark such as the British Standard Kitemark in one corner of the window unit to confirm that it has undergone this process.