You’re having a shower, shampoo in your hair, belting out “We Are Young”, when, suddenly, your glass shower cabinet explodes. As you John McClane it out of there, you wonder, “Was it my singing?”

Probably not. Singapore is not new to spontaneously shattering glass doors in bathrooms. These events includes some from 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and, most recently, last year at a beach resort.

Typically glass panels like those found in bathrooms are made with safety glass. So what’s going on? Why do are some of these mysteriously shattering themselves? To begin, let’s explore what it is.

What is safety glass?

Unlike your typical everyday drinking glass, safety glass is engineered to be less breakable, less likely to cause injury. They started life as car windshields and security glass, but soon became readily available enough for everyday folk to start using them at home. They come in two varieties: laminated and tempered.

Laminated Glass

Laminated glass is basically a glass sandwich (don’t eat it!) made of two or more glass panels joined by layers of plastic or polyvinyl butyl (PVB). While the glass itself is pretty much like regular glass, the layering makes it stronger, UV light resistant (blocks 97% of it) and a great insulator.

8mm tempered glass (image source: Brittin Industries)

Tempered Glass

Tempered glass is made by heating glass and cooling rapidly. Scientifically, it creates a state of compression and tension in glass. For the rest of us, it just means it’s made tougher than regular. Comparatively, they’re tougher than laminate glass. About four to seven times tougher. AND they can bend way more than you’d expect them too i.e. shatter resistant.

The safety film held the shattered glass together and preventing it from falling apart (image source: Basic Deco)

Note on Safety Films

A word about a thing called safety film; a layer of sticky tape usually pasted onto regular glass to make it safer. Though it shares it’s namesake with safety glass, they DO NOT offer the same protection. All it does is hold the shards together. It doesn’t impart strength to the glass and, when improperly installed, the glass may cut through the film.

The Case for getting Laminated and Tempered Safety Glass

Which one is better? Like most things in life, the answer’s a frustrating “it depends”. You’ll really have to consider what you’re using it for. The things to consider are:

Installation and Maintenance

Laminated glass weights a ton since it’s made of multiple layers of glass. Incidentally, they make great sound and heat insulator. However, those same layers make it difficult to cut into shape. Chances are you’ll need professional help and time to install them. Tempered glass is much simpler being pretty similar to regular glass in size and weight.

Where laminated glass shines is for us lazy ones; they require little to no upkeep. Most minor or moderate damage done is easily repaired. Tempered ones are less forgiving. They are tough, but if they receive even the tiniest of nicks, the whole thing shatters. You’d have to replace the whole thing.

A comparison of three different type of glasses based on safety and security.

Safety and Security

When laminates breaks, the pieces stick to the PVB like a jealous boyfriend. By and large, nothing falls to the ground. No mess to fuss about. 

On the flipside, tempered ones ALWAYS shatter. No chips. No nicks. Just shatter. Doesn’t sound safe but the reality is that they  break into small (mostly) rounded cubes instead of jagged shards. It LOOKS very scary when it breaks, and you might get light injuries if you’re nearby, but the shards are unlikely to cause mortal injuries i.e. you’ll live. Plus, it’s a lot safer to clean-up.

Cost

Tempered glass is ever so slightly cheaper and more available than laminates, which are typically made to order. However, they’re both more expensive than their regular counterparts. About 50% more expensive. 

Safety with a Caveat

Between the two, laminates appear more stable in the event of a break while tempered glass is a drama queen – it explodes at the slightest provocation. However, despite what you may have read in the news, tempered glass is just as safe as its laminate counterpart – it just looks dramatic and scary when it breaks. The reality? They both are considerably stronger than regular glass with tempered being far stronger. And when they shatter, you can be sure that you’ll walk away in one piece. The one  advice homeowners should take home is not to be stingy with glass: go with either tempered or laminate glass. Anything else and you’d be putting yourself, and your loved ones, at risk.

Posted on 1st December 2023

Written by Kenny Tan

SIXiDES Editorial Team