Characteristics and Applications of Different Types of Glass

Decorative Glass Properties and Applications

1. High-grade silver mirror glass. High-grade silver mirror glass is manufactured using advanced, cutting-edge mirror-making technology. It is produced by selecting premium float glass as the base material and undergoing a series of processes—including sensitization, silver plating, copper plating, and application of a protective coating. Its key features include pure image quality, high reflectivity, excellent color fidelity, and vivid, natural-looking images. Even in humid environments, it remains durable and long-lasting. It represents a next-generation alternative to aluminum mirrors, and its range of applications far exceeds that of aluminum mirror products.

2. Color-printed glass is a product resulting from the application of photography, printing, and reproduction technologies onto glass.

3. Colored-glazed tempered glass. Colored-glazed tempered glass is produced by printing glass glaze onto the glass surface through a special process, followed by drying and tempering. The colored glaze is permanently fused onto the glass surface, offering advantages such as resistance to acids and alkalis, corrosion resistance, permanent colorfastness, and high strength and safety. It also features reflective properties and is non-transparent.

4. Stained glass is a high-end glass variety with wide-ranging applications. It is made by either directly applying special pigments onto the glass surface or by spray-engraving various patterns onto the glass and then adding color. Stained glass can faithfully reproduce original artworks, boasts strong adhesion of its paint film, excellent weather resistance, and is easy to clean. Depending on the desired level of color saturation indoors, stained glass can seamlessly integrate painting, color, and lighting. For instance, reproductions of landscapes, scenic views, or coastal jungle scenes can be used in entrance halls and central lobbies, bringing the vitality and energy of nature right into your home.

5. Sandblasted glass. Sandblasted glass includes patterned sandblasted glass and sand-carved glass. It is a glass product that has been processed using an automated horizontal or vertical sandblasting machine to create either flat or recessed patterns on the glass surface.

Properties and Applications of Flat Glass

Flat glass is a traditional glass product primarily used for windows and doors, serving the functions of allowing light transmission, blocking wind, and providing thermal insulation. It must be colorless, with excellent transparency and a smooth, flat surface free of defects. Flat glass thicknesses are available in 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, and 6 mm, and single-sheet dimensions include several standard sizes: 300 mm × 900 mm, 400 mm × 1600 mm, and 600 mm × 2200 mm. Its visible light reflectance is around 7%, while its light transmittance ranges from 82% to 90%.

Characteristics and Applications of Embossed Glass

Embossed glass, also known as patterned glass or knurled glass, is primarily used in doors and windows, interior partitions, bathrooms, and other similar applications. The surface of embossed glass features decorative patterns that allow light to pass through while simultaneously obscuring the view—thus exhibiting both translucency and opacity—and delivering excellent decorative effects. The degree of translucency in embossed glass varies depending on factors such as distance and pattern design. Translucency levels can be categorized as follows: nearly transparent and visible, slightly translucent and visible, almost completely opaque and invisible, and completely opaque and invisible. Embossed glass types include: embossed glass, embossed vacuum-aluminized glass, three-dimensional embossed glass, and colored-film embossed glass. Its thickness typically ranges from 3 to 5 millimeters. There are numerous specifications available, including diamond-pattern embossed glass and square-pattern embossed glass. During installation, the patterned side should face inward to help prevent dirt accumulation.

Properties and Applications of Insulated Glass

Insulated glass consists of two or more layers of ordinary flat glass. The edges are sealed with a high-strength, highly airtight composite adhesive that bonds the glass panes together along with sealing strips and spacer bars. The space between the glass panes is filled with dry gas, and a desiccant is placed inside the frame to ensure that the air between the glass panes remains dry. Thanks to the presence of a certain air cavity, insulated glass exhibits excellent thermal insulation, heat insulation, and soundproofing properties. It is primarily used as the outer-layer glazing in heating, air-conditioning, and sound-absorbing systems. Its optical performance, thermal conductivity, and sound insulation coefficient must all comply with national standards.

Properties and Applications of Tempered Glass

Tempered glass, also known as toughened glass, is a type of glass that has been specially treated either by rapid cooling after being heated to a certain temperature or by chemical means. It features high strength, with flexural and impact resistance 3 to 5 times greater than those of ordinary float glass. It also boasts excellent safety performance, with uniform internal stress and, upon breakage, produces a network-like crack pattern. Tempered glass is primarily used for windows, doors, partition walls, and cabinet doors. Additionally, tempered glass exhibits good resistance to acids and alkalis. Its typical thickness ranges from 2 to 5 millimeters, and its standard dimensions are 400 mm × 900 mm and 500 mm × 1200 mm.

Characteristics and Applications of Wired Glass

Wired glass, also known as shatter-resistant glass, is manufactured by heating ordinary flat glass to a red-hot, softened state and then pressing preheated steel wires or wire mesh into the middle of the glass. It boasts excellent fire resistance, effectively blocking flames and remaining intact even when exposed to high temperatures; when it does break, it does not produce sharp shards that could cause injury. Additionally, it offers anti-theft protection—should the glass be cut, the embedded wire mesh will continue to provide a barrier. This type of glass is primarily used for skylights and balcony windows.

High-performance hollow glass: Characteristics and applications

High-performance hollow glass not only seals dry air between two panes of glass but also features a special metallic coating with excellent thermal properties applied to the air layer side on the outer glass pane. This coating effectively blocks the sun’s ultraviolet rays from entering the interior, providing superior energy-saving performance, heat insulation, and thermal retention, thereby enhancing the indoor living environment. The glass is available in eight different colors, lending it exceptional decorative and artistic value.

Glass mosaic characteristics and applications

Glass mosaics, also known as glass tesserae or glass veneer tiles, are small-sized, colored decorative glass tiles. Typical sizes include 20mm × 20mm, 30mm × 30mm, and 40mm × 40mm, with a thickness ranging from 4 to 6 millimeters. They are composed of small glass pieces in various colors. Their appearance can range from colorless and transparent to tinted and transparent, semi-transparent, or featuring gold- or silver-colored speckles, patterns, or stripes. The front surface is glossy, smooth, and细腻 (fine and delicate); the back surface has a slightly rougher grooved texture to facilitate adhesion with mortar. These tiles boast several advantages: soft and subtle color tones, simplicity, elegance, aesthetic appeal, chemical stability, and excellent resistance to both cold and heat. Additionally, they are non-fading, dust-resistant, lightweight, and have strong bonding properties. They are commonly used for interior accent walls and exterior balcony decorations. Their compressive strength, tensile strength, firing temperature, water resistance, and acid resistance must all meet national standards.

Laminated Glass Characteristics and Applications

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass. It is a flat or curved composite glass product made by sandwiching a transparent plastic film between two or more sheets of flat glass and then bonding them together through thermal pressing. Its primary characteristic is its excellent safety performance: when broken, the glass fragments do not scatter randomly; instead, they only develop radial cracks, thus minimizing the risk of injury. Laminated glass boasts superior impact resistance compared to ordinary flat glass and offers enhanced security features. Additionally, it possesses special properties such as resistance to light, heat, moisture, cold, and sound insulation. It is commonly used for doors and windows that are exposed to outdoor environments. The typical thickness of laminated glass ranges from 6 to 10 millimeters, with standard sizes of 800 mm × 1000 mm and 850 mm × 1800 mm.