What is Glass?

Glass is a hard substance that is usually breakable and transparent and is very useful in our daily life. It is mainly made of sand and an alkali. It is used for windows, door, bottles, eye wear and many more.

There are many different types of glass, in terms of patterns and tints, and it is important to know and choose the right type of glass to use in a specific purpose.

Clear Glass

It is a type of glass that does not absorb any wavelength of light. Clear glass does not have a frequency and also called a see through type of glass. Clear glass is used in household glassware such as drinking glasses, bottles and many more and it can also be used in bake ware, jars and other kinds of kitchen tools. Much stuff is also made from this kind of glass. We can see clear glass everywhere and even the eyeglass that you are using is made out of it.

Frosted Glass

This type of glass is made thru sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. It has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering of light during transmission, thus blurring images while still transmitting light. It is perfect as privacy aid because it admits light without allowing seeing through it. Widely used at home and offices.

Sheet glass

This glass is drawn from a molten bath into a thin sheet of film and this type of glass is commonly used to make windows. This sheet glass can be cut through a glass cutter and no need for special equipment. It is often available in standard sizes made for glass houses and is cheaper compared to glass cut to size.

Float glass

Float glass derived its name from the process of production being used to create it. The molten glass is 'floated' onto a bed of molten metal and it gives the sheet uniform thickness and very flat surfaces thus making it suitable for windows. It is inexpensive and widely available.

This type of glass can be cut using a glass cutter and no special equipment is required.

Patterned Glass

Patterned glass is a type of glass that has a pattern on one side and has many different available thicknesses. It can be used for dishware, lamps, sinks and door panels. They are great decor or accent to your home in many different ways. It has many available colors, sizes and shapes.

Tempered, Toughened, or Safety Glass

This is the kind of glass that has been treated by chemically so as to increase its strength. It has greater strength and thermal resistance. It is often used as windows in automobiles. After all cutting and processing is completed, the glass should be used as any later attempt to cut the glass will cause it to blow apart. The surface of toughened glass is prone to scratching.

Laminated Glass

It is composed of two or more sheets of glass bonded together by a flexible transparent material. The layer of glasses keeps the layers of glass bonded even when busted, and its high strength prevents the glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces thus producing a spider web-like outline. This type of glass can be used with any of the other basic types (float, toughened, wired etc.) and they keep hold of their original breaking properties. Laminated glass is used as windshield of an automobile.

Wired Glass

It is a flat glass reinforced with wire network and made especially for glass doors and roofing to protect from falling objects that will hit against the glass and to hold the broken pieces of glass together. With its capability to hold the glass together, it can also prevent from any break in and spreading of fire. Wired glass is made by feeding wire mesh from a roller into a molten glass ribbon before it will go through its cooling process. It has similar resistance with of any normal glass. This type of glass breaks with sharp edges so it is not considered as a safety glass. It is available as clear or obscured glass.

Mirrors

It is a reflective surface. It is usually made from float glass 4-6mm thick, and silvered on one side. It is also known as a looking glass due to its surface capable of reflecting sufficient non-diffused light to form an image of an object placed in front of it.

Picture Frame Glass

Glass (and plastics) is specifically made for picture framing purpose and they are being referred to as 'diffused reflection' type of glass or plastic. They have high transparency property but low reflective properties to decrease reflections when the picture or photograph is being viewed. Picture frame glass can be easily cut by any person using appropriate tools and safety precautions are taken.