Tempered vs Laminated Glass for Your Storefront: Which One and Why

After a break-in, two questions come up on almost every storefront call: how fast can we get it closed up, and should the new glass be something tougher. The answer to the second one depends on what you are protecting against and where the glass is.

Tempered glass

Tempered glass is regular glass that has been heated and rapidly cooled, which makes it far stronger than ordinary glass of the same thickness. When it does break, it breaks all at once into small, mostly blunt pieces instead of long sharp shards. That is why building codes require safety glass in doors, in glass right next to doors and in other spots where people could fall or walk into it.

• Good: strong, safer when it breaks, cost effective, the standard for storefront doors.
• Watch for: when it goes, the whole pane goes and the opening is wide open. It also cannot be cut after it is made, so every replacement is made to exact size.

Storefront doors take tempered safety glass, made to the exact size of the opening.

Laminated glass

Laminated glass is two sheets of glass bonded to a tough plastic interlayer, the same idea as a car windshield. When it is hit, the glass cracks, but the interlayer holds the pieces in place and the pane stays in the frame.

• Good: a determined person has to keep working at it to get through, which is exactly what a smash and grab does not have time for. The opening stays closed after a hit. The interlayer also blocks most UV, which helps keep merchandise in the window from fading, and it cuts street noise.
• Watch for: it costs more and is thicker and heavier, so some frames need different stops or glazing to fit it.

Which one does your storefront need?

Many shops end up with a mix:

• Doors and glass next to doors: must be safety glass. Tempered is standard. Laminated safety glass, or glass that is both tempered and laminated, is the upgrade if the door is the target.
• Large display windows at street level: the most common smash and grab target. Laminated is worth considering here.
• Upper panels out of reach: standard tempered or the existing glass is usually fine.

Security film on existing glass is a middle option. It is less effective than true laminated glass, but it can hold broken tempered glass together for a while.

Energy matters too

A lot of older Sacramento storefronts still have single pane glass, which makes the front of the store hot all afternoon. Insulated dual pane storefront glass, with tempered or laminated layers where needed, keeps the space cooler and quieter. If you are replacing glass after a break-in anyway, it is worth pricing both.

After a break-in

The order is always the same: secure it, document it, then replace it. We cover the first hour in detail in storefront glass broken overnight? what to do in the first hour. We work across Sacramento, including Midtown and Downtown where a lot of our storefront calls come from.