At The Glass Shop Online we want every order to be perfect first time. Here is a clear, practical guide to the key technical points you should be aware of when ordering made-to-measure glass.
Glass Specification
The final specification for your glass project is ultimately your responsibility. We will always advise based on our manufacturing capabilities, but any changes we suggest are not a substitute for a full structural assessment.
Holes in Toughened Glass
The position of holes is critical in toughened glass to avoid stress and breakage:
- Minimum distance between holes = 4 × glass thickness
- Hole diameter must be at least equal to the glass thickness
- Minimum distance from corner of glass to edge of hole = 4 × glass thickness
- Minimum distance from edge of glass to edge of hole = 1.5 × glass thickness
- Position tolerance is normally ±1 mm to ±3 mm (depending on thickness)
If a hole needs to be closer than recommended, we may add a small saw cut to relieve stress.
Corners
When glass is processed the corners are sharp unless you request otherwise. You can choose standard (sharp) corners, dubbed corners (slightly sanded flat), or radius corners (smooth rounded and polished).
Please state your preference when ordering.
Drawings, Templates & Cut-Outs
- For any shaped glass we need fully dimensioned drawings (CAD or DXF format preferred).
- Physical templates must be exact finished size with holes/cut-outs in the correct position and clearly labelled.
- Internal cut-outs or corners will have a minimum radius applied (6 mm ground or 13 mm polished finish). Please specify which you prefer.
Other Important Notes
- Misalignment — Edge slip of up to 3 mm between glass components is acceptable for manufactured laminated products.
- Back Painted / Ceramic Glass — We recommend low iron glass so colours appear true. Colour matching to existing items is not guaranteed.
- Toughening Stamp — All toughened and fire-rated glass will have a kitemark (approx 30 mm × 30 mm) in one corner.
- Nickel Sulphide Inclusions — On very rare occasions toughened glass can break spontaneously. Heat-soak testing greatly reduces this risk.