Safety and Security Glass: What are the differences?

Architectural tempered (toughened) safety glass

Architectural tempered or toughened glass is one of the most standard forms of safety glass available. Its qualities make the material a strong and secure building feature capable of forming anything from fundamental building structure to internal applications like spiral staircases.

Tempered glass has been toughened through a specific heating and rapid cooling down process. This gives it a few key qualities:

• Tempered glass is around four-five times stronger than normal or annealed glass.
• It is designed so that if it were to break it does so in small harmless fragments rather than sharp jagged pieces.

There is almost no limit as to how tempered glass can be used and it regularly appears in a great variety of projects such as:

• Sweeping shop front displays
• Distinctive entrances
• Structural components of modern building design
• Curved glass cabinets
• Spiral staircases

Security Screen glass

Security screen glass such as BanditSheild or BanditSheild Ultra products by Glasshape, are designed to create a secure environment, resistant to thieves or damage. This type of glass is a high-grade polyacrylic combined with layers of annealed or toughened glass and ranges in thickness from 7.9mm to 18mm. This composition can resist attack with common hand tools such as hammers, pliers, axes, bricks and screw drivers for between 60 and 120 seconds.

Security screen glass has a number of standout features which make it a highly desirable glass product:

• Unlike normal laminated glass, security screens will not fall away once broken but will continue to provide a protective screen that is difficult to pass through.
• As a material it is thin, lightweight and creates negligible distortion making it ideal for displays and windows.
• It is also easy-to-clean making it hygienic and appropriate for food display.
• The surface is very easy to maintain and highly resistant to scratching and marking.