Safety Glass

Not all glass behaves the same way when it breaks, and that difference is exactly what safety glazing standards are built around. Glass that has been treated or constructed to reduce the risk of injury on impact is tested against recognized standards: ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16 CFR 1201 in the United States, and CAN/CGSB 12.1 in Canada. These standards define how glass is tested for impact resistance and how it must behave when it does break.

A hard impact against tempered glass produces small, relatively blunt fragments instead of large, sharp shards, which is why it's specified in doors, shower enclosures, railings and other high-use areas. That fragmentation behavior comes from how the glass is heat-treated, and it's also why tempered glass can't be cut, drilled or polished afterward. It has to be manufactured to its final size and shape before tempering.

Two or more layers of glass bonded together with a plastic interlayer give laminated glass a different kind of safety benefit: when it breaks, the pieces tend to stay adhered to the interlayer rather than falling away. That's why building codes commonly require it in overhead glazing, glass railings and guards, glass walkways, and elevator enclosures, locations where a falling or collapsing pane would be especially dangerous.

Certain locations carry a high enough risk that codes require tempered or laminated glass specifically: glass doors and the panels next to them, glass positioned low to the floor (commonly where the lower edge sits under 18 inches and the upper edge over 36 inches from the floor), guards and railings, and walkways or floors built from glass. Safety glazing in these locations is typically required to carry a permanent label or etched mark identifying which standard it meets.

For questions about which safety glazing requirements apply to your specific project, please contact us and our team can help.