The Art of Glass - Durability+Strength = Long Lasting

Place yourself in Times Square in New York City, now look up. Name a few of the top materials used on the skyscrapers you are seeing. Did you name glass? Glass is used in architecture for various applications, but have you ever thought why and how since glass in nature is so easy to break? Let’s walk through the details.

In order to achieve the strength and durability required for certain glass applications, glass must be altered during the manufacturing process. There are two types of treated glass: which heat-strengthened glass or tempered glass.

Heat Strengthened Glass:
Heat Strengthened Glass heats to 1200°F. and is then force cooled slowly. Heat strengthened glass is made by compressing the surface and edges of the glass, hardening the outer 20% of the glass. Heat strengthed glass is roughly twice as strong as annealed glass that is manufactured at the same dimensions.

Heat strengthened glass retains the normal properties of annealed glass but does not meet ANSI Safety Glazing Requirements.

Tempered Glass:
Tempered glass heats to 1200°F and is force cooled quickly to enable tempering to occur. The difference between the tempered process and heat-strengthened processes, is the tempered process accelerates the cooling which creates a higher surface compression making the outer surface twice as hard as the inner material. As a result, tempered glass is less likely to experience thermal break. Tempered glass is 4 to 5 times stronger than standard annealed glass and meets ASTM Code C1048 standards.

Ghent Glass Markerboards:
Glass markerboards by Ghent use ¼” tempered glass as a standard, ensuring that your board will not bow, bend, or ghost. Boards using 1/8” tempered glass, although durable in nature will not give you the quality and strength needed while using as a glassboard, allowing the board to bow and bend when in use. Backed by Ghent’s 50 year warranty, you can trust that your glassboard will last.

All Ghent glassboards meet or exceed the glass standards set by ANSI/BIFMA. View our BIFMA Glass Standards.