- Emily T.
- Shower drains
- 7075 views
How thick does shower glass need to be?
This question is definitely asked by most people interested in purchasing a shower screen. It is not surprising for us, because we are here to answer you and at the same time advise what will be best for you. Another issue that some of you are wondering about is the importance of the thickness of the glass. You will learn everything about it below.
The machanical properties prove that the glass is:
• highly compressive strength,
• very resistant to bending
• perfectly elastic material
• and at the same time very fragile material.
Tempered glass is used to make shower screens. The toughening process is a heat treatment consisting of heating the glass to a high temperature (about 660 degrees Celsius), holding it until the internal structure of the glass changes and quickly cooling. This means that the toughened glass strength is five times more resistant to soft body impact than ordinary glass. Glass is perfectly elastic because its structure is not subject to permanent deformation. Probably each of us has already seen broken glass and we were wondering why this happened. Well, this material is extremely fragile, because due to the bending force, it breaks without any previous symptoms.
Does the thickness of the glass matter?
In answer to this question you can be guided by the main principle. The thicker the glass, the more it is resistant to bending.Thicker glass is more resistant to accidental impacts. However, for various reasons, in stores we can find several variants of glass thickness. Why is it like that? The type and construction of the shower screen determine the ideal thickness of the glass pane that should be used for its construction. It depends on the mounting system, the size of the glass, whether the glass will be a moving part of the whole structure and the way the door is opened.
Tempered glass is characterised by very high resistance to bending and impact. It is easy to clean and does not scratch. Tempered glass is considered the safest type of glass. The hardening process means that in case of breakage, the glass breaks into thousands of small pieces with round edges, thus reducing the risk of injury. That is why it is so often used in public buildings where there is intensive pedestrian traffic.
Tempered glass is always processed before the toughening process begins. Glass toughened by the compressive stress generated on its surface is harder and denser. Cutting, grinding and drilling holes must be done before toughening. For wet room glass shower screens with a fixed structure, the most optimal thickness is 8 mm. This provides the most durable solution for the shower area.
To sum up, there are different types of shower screen constructions in which glass is used. A different thickness is recommended for each type due to its intended use. We recommend the most optimal thickness, i.e. 8 mm, for walk-in showers with one glass side panel.