This category of special glass meets safety and protection needs for premises where it is required for obvious reasons (banks, public buildings, museums, offices, etc.). The criteria which must be met by safety glass and the categories are classified according to the level of protection provided, controlled and measured using specific methodology as described in detail in the applicable national or international standards. Today, in European countries, the required standard for antivandalism glazing is the norm EN 356.
What has to be strongly stressed is that the classification of glass into categories, based on European standards, is independent of their composition and depends exclusively on strength performance during the required tests.
As production methods and materials science are evolved, the glass manufacturing companies produce and launch new improved products with less thickness and weight, with compositions that improve performances, and so certified with higher security levels. The aims and objectives of the global glass industry are to produce new glass types with smaller thickness and therefore weight, and at the same time responding effectively to mechanical stress conditions.
Our company, which monitors developments in the field of glass and ensures the direct import and distribution of new and innovative products, offers the full range of safety glass, produced by the largest European manufacturers which meet the required appropriate criteria and accompanied their products by corresponding authorized testing laboratory certificates.
This category of special glass meets safety and protection needs for premises where it is required for obvious reasons (banks, public buildings, museums, offices, etc.).
The criteria which must be met by safety glass and the categories are classified according to the level of protection provided, controlled and measured using specific methodology as described in detail in the applicable national or international standards.
Today, in European countries, the required standard for antivandalism glazing is the norm EN 356 and for bulletproof the norm EN 1063.
As production methods and materials science are evolving, the glass manufacturing companies produce and launch new improved products with less thickness and weight, with compositions that improve performances, and so certified with higher security levels. The aim and objectives of the global glass industry is to produce new glass types with smaller thickness and therefore weight, and at the same time responding effectively to mechanical stress conditions.
Our company, which monitors developments in the field of glass and ensures the direct import and distribution of new and innovative products, offers the full range of safety glass, produced by the largest European manufacturers which meet the required appropriate criteria and accompanied their products by corresponding authorized testing laboratory certificates.
The following table presents antivandalism glazing categories as ranked based on their performance in tests according to EN 356.
| STRENGTH CATEGORIES | TEST TYPE | NUMBER OF HITS |
|---|---|---|
| P1A | Dropping weight 4kg from 1500mm | 3 throws in a triangle shape |
| P2A | Dropping weight 4kg from 3000mm | 3 throws in a triangle shape |
| P3A | Dropping weight 4kg from 6000mm | 3 throws in a triangle shape |
| P4A | Dropping weight 4kg from 9000mm | 3 throws in a triangle shape |
| P5A | Dropping weight 4kg from 9000mm | 3x3 throws in a triangle shape |
| P6B | Axe | 30 to 50 times |
| P7B | Axe | 51 to 70 times |
| P8B | Axe | More than 70 times |
As it can be seen, the classification of glass in categories, based on European standards, is independent from its composition and depends solely on endurance performance during the required tests.
- Banks' branches
- Jewelery shops
- Guard Houses
- Museums
- Public buildings
- Hotels
- Retail shops
- Houses
Related Products
Thermally tempered glasses (Securit) focuses on tremendous fracture toughness (400% more durable than ordinary), thus offering "active" safety. In other words, they try to completely prevent the unpleasant consequences of the failure (breaking) of a glass.
Heat-Strengthened Glasses have 2 times increased mechanical strength, compared to the corresponding thickness of common glasses. In case the breaking limit is exceeded, then they break into large pieces with the result that the pieces are held in place. They also show greater resistance to temperature changes (up to 200°C), which makes them invulnerable to heat shock (from non-artificial means).
Wired glasses were the first successful attempt by the glass industry to bring a safety product to the market.
The idea is very simple and was based on that of the construction of the well-known "reinforced concrete". Concrete as a material is very different from glass, but it has a great resemblance! While it is a very resistant material to compressive forces, it is extremely sensitive to tensile forces. The same thing happens with glass.
So since in the cement industry the solution to the problem was found by inserting iron bars (or mesh) into the cement when it is still in liquid form, the exact same solution was adopted in the glass industry.
Thus was born the idea of wired glass. Its construction in terms of composition and melting is exactly the same as that of ordinary glass. The differentiation is at the stage where the glass is still in liquid form and enters the setting phase. At that time, a stainless steel wire mesh is inserted into the liquid mixture, which after cooling the glass remains trapped in its mass.
Some types of glass can withstand the shockwaves of an explosion without shattering even though they are ultimately destroyed. Such glass can prevent serious bodily injury caused by flying shards of glass or other external debris.
These products are designed to have the capacity to absorb large amounts of impact momentum without bursting completely. The view does not differ from common glass equivalent thickness and so without the slightest aesthetic compromise,
it offers a transparent security barrier against most malicious actions.
The classification of types of bulletproof safety glass follows a nomenclature which corresponds to specific performance as checked/measured according to a specific methodology which are described in the European standard EN 1063.
“Smart” film alters from transparent to opaque in a laminated glass, simply, by the usage of electricity and a switch.
