#AskGlaston Episode 36: Does the overall glass strength weaken when saw cuts are applied?

Today we are dealing with the following two questions:

  1. Does the overall glass strength weaken when saw cuts are applied?
  2. Is tempered glass more scratch resistant than annealed glass? If it is, then how much?

For today’s questions, see our full video response below!

Does the overall glass strength weaken when saw cuts are applied?

The short answer is ’Yes.’ Whatever we do: notches, holes, poor edge work, cutting, door hinges – all of these decreases the bending strength of tempered glass.

Is tempered glass more scratch resistant than annealed glass? If it is, then how much?

Tempered glass and annealed glass do not have, in practice, any difference in terms of scratch resistance. In theory, if we think about tempering process, it does introduce some compressive forces that close these microscopic scratches on the surface of the glass. Therefore, in theory, on a microscopic level, tempered glass is more scratch resistant. There are certain standards in EC and ISO that define these, but all of these are just laboratory tests. In practice, there’s no difference between tempered or annealed glass when it comes to their scratch resistance.

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About the author

Miika Äppelqvist

Encourages transparent solutions in buildings and ways of working. Seven years of experience from being a glass-man in product management, sales and projects with a focus on glass heat treatment. Believes helping is the best marketing any company can do. Father of two toddlers and a wannabe sportsman with an internal love of ice hockey.