Glass guide: glass for storm door manufacturers
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The glass in storm doors is typically toughened or laminated. These provide the requisite level of safety and protection. Find out more in our guide.
Storm doors are typically made from wood, aluminium or plastics such as PVC and fibreglass. But many have a glass element – and this element needs to be storm-resistant too.
For this reason, storm door manufacturers use either toughened or laminated glass. These are types of safety glass – a category of glass used in installations where an extra level of safety and protection is required.
Toughened glass and
laminated glass both meet this requirement, but they do so in different ways. The key difference is in the way they break – and the way they break is a direct consequence of each one's manufacturing process.
As well as providing safety, these types of glass also offer energy efficiency (a quality increasingly rated by both homeowners and business owners) and noise reduction.
How is glass used in storm doors?
From one point of view, glass is used in storm doors the way it's used in normal doors: to provide visibility. However, there are two main ways glass is used in storm doors specifically.
First, there are full-view storm doors. These have a full-length glass panel inside the frame. This maximises the amount of natural light entering through the door with no sacrifice to impact resistance.
Secondly, there are ventilating storm doors. These typically have two glass panels and one or two screen panels. The glass panels are moved up and down to reveal the screen and ventilate the property.
Why use toughened glass for storm doors?
Toughened glass is up to five times stronger than annealed glass. Its high impact resistance makes it a popular choice for storm doors.
On top of this, toughened glass offers a good level of noise reduction and energy efficiency. These qualities are appreciated by homeowners and business owners alike.
Finally, toughened glass breaks safely. When it's manufactured, it's heated and then cooled rapidly. This changes the molecular composition of the glass so that it shatters into lots of small, relatively harmless pieces.
This means that if a storm is especially fierce, the door is unlikely to break – and if it does, it's unlikely to injure someone within the building.
Why use laminated glass for storm doors?
Laminated glass is used for storm doors for the same reasons as toughened glass. The key difference is that laminated glass breaks in a different way.
Instead of shattering into smithereens, it cracks along the surface but maintains structural stability. This is ideal for applications such as storm doors where safety is crucial.
How we can help
At ToughGlaze, we offer high-quality, impact-resistant toughened and laminated glass that can be cut to meet your requirements. It breaks safely and is manufactured in line with British and European safety standards.
We've been in the business since 1993 – and we're trusted around the world for our efficiency and service, no matter the size of the project. To request a quick, tailored quote, please call +44 (0)208 838 4400 or
get in touch online.
