Glass is all around us and we have used it for hundreds of years as a way to carry liquids, to create beautiful art pieces and to keep us warm in our homes and away from the environmental elements. You can be forgiven in thinking that all glass in made the same and then molded into the required shape. Glass is in fact created in a number of different strengths and types. Standard glass for example would not be safe and secure enough to use in items that are going to be susceptible to knocks and breaks.

Here are two of the different glass types that are available when you are looking for something with strength.

• Laminated Glass

Laminated glass is often used as a safety measure in items that could be knocked or broken accidentally. It is used in windows, windscreens and in Bespoke Glass Balustrade constructions. This is due to the fact that the glass remains in its original shape even when it smashes. This means that if an accident happens to a pane of glass in the Bespoke Glass Balustrade range found online at Aspire Glass you won;t find shards of glass flying across the ground. This happens as the inner layer of the glass is made from polyvinyl butyric which holds the glass together and prevents it from shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. This means that whole panes can be safely removed and replaced if necessary. You will probably have seen shop windows smashed into what looks like a spider web of lines. This is the laminated glass working at its best by holding the pieces of glass together even after an impact to the pane has occurred.

• Toughened Glass

Toughened glass is given its added strength from the addition of chemicals to the glass and a thermal process that takes place during the construction of the glass pane. During this process the outermost layer of the glass compress whilst the inner layer gains added tension. This means the glass is actually more resistant to breaking. It therefore can take more of an impact than standard glass should an incident occur. If the pane does come under stress and impact it will break into tiny grains that will not cause damage to property or injury to people. This type of glass tends to be used in shower screens and fridge trays.