Tempered & Laminated Safety Glass

Building codes require safety glass wherever people could break glass by walking or falling into it. We supply and install tempered and laminated safety glass in storefronts, doors, sidelites, railings and overhead glazing.

Tempered glass

Tempered glass is heat-treated to about four times the strength of ordinary annealed glass. When it breaks, it shatters into small, relatively blunt pieces instead of large sharp shards. It is the standard safety glazing for storefront doors, sidelites and frameless doors. Tempered glass cannot be cut or drilled after tempering, so it is fabricated to exact size.

Laminated glass

Laminated glass is two or more layers of glass bonded with a plastic interlayer. When it breaks, the pieces stick to the interlayer and the panel stays in the frame. That makes it the choice for overhead glazing, railings, security, impact resistance and sound control. It can be made with tempered or heat-strengthened plies for extra strength.

Where codes require safety glazing

Glass in swinging, sliding and bifold doors
Glass next to doors within a set distance of the door edge
Large glass panels close to the floor and near walking surfaces
Glass in guards and railings
Glass near stairs, ramps and landings
Overhead and sloped glazing

Upgrading older storefronts

Older storefronts often have annealed glass in places that now require safety glass. When we replace glass in those locations, it is replaced with safety glass. Owners sometimes upgrade the remaining hazardous lites proactively to reduce risk.