Tempered Glass vs. Annealed Glass

Tempering glass is the method of strengthening annealed glass. Annealed glass is created by slowly cooling the glass and is ideal when it serves as a cabinet doors and sometimes furniture coverings. While tempered glass and annealed glass are both viable options, annealed glass does lack the safety features of tempered glass.

If tempered glass breaks it will shatter into small pebbles that lack sharp edges, whereas annealed glass will break into completely separated shards which can be both large and small. Again, tempered glass should be used when there is a chance of breakage due to impact or moderate heat because of its extreme durability and to reduce the damage that could occur.

For many jobs, price is a significant factor – and this is where annealed glass has an obvious advantage over tempered glass. Annealed glass tends to be cheaper, because the processes are not as lengthy.

One of the downsides of annealed glass is that it tends to break into longer, jagged shards — as opposed to the smaller pieces of tempered glass. If you imagine a broken drinking glass in a restaurant, and then the broken glass from a car’s windshield after an accident – it’s the same kind of difference.

Nevertheless, it’s still a very useful glass product, and very valuable in the proper context.