What Kind of Glass Does a Car Use?

The side windows and rear windshield of a car are made of tempered glass. This type of glass is extremely strong and is created by rapidly heating glass to more than 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and then rapidly cooling it to room temperature. There are two main types of glass used when building cars: laminated glass and tempered glass. Laminated glass is used for the windshield, while tempered glass is used for the front and rear door windows and the rear window.

Tempered glass is just as important to a vehicle's safety as laminated glass, but it differs greatly in both form and function. When a small object hits a piece of safety glass, usually only the outer layer of the windshield that is hit breaks. In addition, automotive glass is designed to be resistant to dust, dirt and impacts to prevent annoying particles from sticking to the glass and distorting the driver's line of sight. If broken, tempered glass is designed to disintegrate into small pieces of glass the size of rock salt.

This type of glass meets original safety and quality specifications such as factory glass. The reason for the popularity of glass in automotive parts is the strength, durability, flexibility and versatility they have to offer. Laminated glass consists of a thin layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sandwiched between two layers of solid glass. These layers bond at high temperatures to provide us with incredibly strong and durable automotive glass that won't break in the event of an accident.

Laminated glass can be used for any application where there is a potential for impact by a person. Allstar Glass Corporation, proudly serving the greater Houston area since 1990, provides automotive glass services, including windshield repair, replacement or tinting, at prices you can afford. For windshield replacement, you have the option of selecting a replacement made by a company that makes OEM windshields, or glass made by non-OEM manufacturers, known as aftermarket glass. The second type of aftermarket automotive glass comes from the OEM, but was created on a different production line. Different types of automotive glass are used throughout vehicles because each type has a different purpose.

Tempered and laminated glasses are both essential for providing safety and quality in cars. Allstar Glass Corporation offers services that can help you get the best out of your car's windows.