Toughened vs laminated glass: which one do you need?
The short answer
Toughened glass is heat-treated to be several times stronger and breaks into small blunt pieces. Laminated glass is two or more panes bonded with a plastic interlayer that holds the pieces in place if it breaks. Use toughened for showers, doors and tabletops; use laminated for balustrades, overhead glass, shopfronts and security.
How each one breaks
The way glass breaks is what makes it safe or unsafe. Toughened glass shatters completely into small pieces, which reduces injury but leaves an open gap. Laminated glass cracks like a spider web but stays in the frame, so nothing falls and the opening stays closed. That is why anything you could fall against or that sits above your head should be laminated.
| Use | Recommended glass |
|---|---|
| Shower screens and doors | Toughened |
| Balustrades and balconies | Laminated toughened |
| Skylights and canopies | Laminated |
| Shopfronts | Laminated or toughened |
| Ground-floor windows | Laminated for security |
Can glass be both?
Yes. Laminated toughened glass combines two toughened panes with an interlayer. It gives the strength of toughened glass and the post-breakage safety of laminated glass, and it is the standard for frameless glass balustrades.