The glass is an essential element in constructions, having multiple roles: it allows the penetration of natural light, ensures thermal and acoustic comfort, offers protection against bad weather and contributes to the safety of users. Choosing the right type of glass is crucial both in terms of performance and compliance with building safety regulations. Modern standards require the use of safety glazing in certain applications to prevent serious injuries. Two of the most commonly used types of safety glass are laminated glass and safety glass. In this article, we will analyze in detail the differences between them, the way of production, the breaking behavior, the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the practical applications and relevant regulations.

What is laminated glass?

Laminated glass is a safety glass consisting of two or more sheets of glass joined together with one or more films of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or other special plastic materials (EVA). The importance of this type of glass derives from its outstanding properties of protection against impact and breakage, thanks to the intermediate film that keeps the glass fragments glued together in the event of an accident. Laminated glass is used extensively in constructions where safety is a priority, but also for increased sound insulation or filtering of ultraviolet rays. According to European standards, such as EN ISO 12543 (Construction Glass — Laminated Glass and Laminated Safety Glass), this type of product must pass certain impact and film adhesion tests to be certified as safety glass.

Main features:

• Increased safety: When broken, the shards remain stuck to the foil, reducing the risk of injury.
• Sound insulation: Multiple layers and PVB foil dampen noise. Special acoustic reduction foils can be used for special requests
• UV protection: The film can filter ultraviolet rays.
• Burglary resistance: Hard to break through, even after breaking.

Manufacturing process:

1. Glass sheets and PVB (EVA) film are overlapped
2. It is hot pressed and vacuum laminated, obtaining a compact assembly.

What is secure glass?

Safety glass is ordinary glass that has undergone a rigorous heat treatment to give it a much superior mechanical and thermal resistance. This process involves heating the glass to over 600°C followed by rapid cooling with air jets, which leads to surface hardening and the creation of balanced internal stresses. As a result, tempered glass becomes 4-5 times more resistant to mechanical shocks than standard float glass and, when broken, fragments into small, non-sharp pieces, reducing the risk of serious injury. It is widely used in applications where increased resistance to mechanical or thermal shocks is required. The relevant regulations, such as EN 12150 (Glass for construction — Thermally safe glass), set strict requirements for quality, fragmentation tests and impact behavior.

Main features:

• High mechanical strength: It withstands mechanical shocks up to 7 times greater than unprotected glass
• High thermal resistance: used to eliminate thermal shock 
• Burglary safety: It fragments into small, non-sharp pieces, reducing the risk of serious injury.
• Cannot be cut or processed after securing.

Manufacturing process:

1. The glass is cut to the desired size.
2. It is heated to high temperature, then cooled suddenly with cold air jets.

Break behavior

The breaking behavior is one of the fundamental criteria for the classification of safety glass, being regulated by standards such as EN 12600 (Pendulum impact testing and classification of breaking behavior). In the event of an impact, the way each type of glass behaves can prevent serious accidents.

• Laminated glass: On impact, it may crack, but the fragments remain stuck to the foil. The glass remains in place, providing a temporary barrier and protecting against falling or break-in.
• Secure window: It breaks into hundreds of small fragments, which fall quickly, but do not cause serious injury, being made of rounded pieces.

Safety and protection

User safety and property protection are major priorities in building design. Regulations such as EN 356 (Safety glass — Resistance to manual attack) and SR EN 14449 establish clear requirements regarding the use of safety windows according to the specific risks of each area (fall, vandalism, burglary, etc.).

• Laminate: Recommended for skylights, balustrades, showcases, facades, areas at risk of falling or vandalism, being able to retain fragments and provide a protective barrier after breakage.
• Secured: it is used for facades, interior doors, shower cabins, partitions, furniture, where shock resistance and breakage safety are needed, but not the maintenance of integrity after impact.

Advantages and disadvantages

The evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages for each type of glass is done taking into account safety standards, costs, insulation performance and ease of installation and maintenance. In addition, the laboratory tests provided by the standards (eg: pendulum impact test, film adhesion test, fragmentation test) are essential for obtaining product certifications.

Laminated glass

Advantages: 

• Breakproof (tested according to EN 12600)
• Superior sound insulation (tested according to EN 12758)
• UV protection
• Can be combined with other types of glass (colored, safety glass)
• Burglar resistance (tested according to EN 356)

Disadvantages:

• Greater weight, which may place additional demands on the supporting structure

Secure window

Advantages: 

• High mechanical and thermal resistance (tested according to EN 12150)
• Breakproof (fragmentation test)

Disadvantages: 

• Does not provide burglary protection after break-in
• Cannot be machined after securing (cannot be cut or drilled afterwards)
• May require additional lamination for certain regulatory applications

Examples of practical use

The choice between laminated and safety glass must be made according to the application, the degree of safety required, local and European regulations and the results of laboratory tests. For areas with a risk of falling, vandalism or burglary, laminated glass is mandatory from a regulatory point of view. For doors, shower cabins or furniture, safety glass is the optimal solution due to its resistance and security against breakage. Always consult a specialist and check compliance with relevant standards to achieve a safe and compliant project.

Valras Glas produces both laminated glass and safety glass in its own factory, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and fully automated production lines. Quality raw material, specialized staff and strict compliance with European standards ensure reliable, certified products that meet the most demanding requirements. Each batch of glass is rigorously tested and verified so that customers benefit from the highest level of safety and design solutions for any construction or landscaping project.