What Type of Windshield Glass is Used in Car Windows?

by | Sep 15, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

It probably comes as no surprise that the windshield glass is a lot different than the glass you find elsewhere, like your coffee table or a picture frame. It’s even different from other widows, including what you have in your home. There’s a pretty good reason for this- regular glass shatters!

Table of Contents

  • What Type of Glass is Used for Car Window Glass?
  • Tempered Glass
  • Laminated Glass
  • The Difference Between Windshield Glass and Other Glass
  • Get New Windshield Glass From North Coast Auto Glass

What Type of Glass is Used for Car Window Glass?

You can tell just by looking through it and putting your hand up to it that a car’s windows and windshield are not made of regular glass. The glass used on your car is extremely strong. Auto glass is either tempered or laminated. Tempered glass is usually used for the front and rear door windows and the rear windshield. The windshield is made to be extremely durable, and therefore is made from laminated glass.

Tempered Glass

Tempered Car Window Glass

Your car’s windows are made of tempered glass. While tempered auto glass is single-ply, it is different from regular glass because it is treated by heating and then rapid cooling. If the glass were to break, it does not shatter into dangerous shards. Instead, it breaks into thousands of harmless pebble-like pieces that do not have sharp edges.

Laminated Glass

The glass on the windshield is primarily used to protect from wind and debris when you’re driving, as well as protect you from being hurt in an accident. Your windshield is what takes the brunt of the impact in a head-on collision. The glass is designed to take a heavy impact without shattering. 

Laminated glass is actually made up of a piece of plastic “sandwiched” between two layers of glass. The three layers are sealed together and any air pockets removed using rollers or vacuum systems. Then, the layers are heated to fully bond them together. 

The final windshield glass product will crack into a “spider web” pattern when an impact isn’t enough to break the glass, rather than shattering.

The Difference Between Windshield Glass and Other Glass

Windshield Glass in a Car Accident

As briefly mentioned above, regular glass shatters in a way that is extremely dangerous in the event of a car accident. When the glass used in the windows of your home breaks, it shatters into extremely sharp and dangerous shards. The safety glass used in car window glass will not. When it breaks, it is actually quite harmless.

Get New Windshield Glass From North Coast Auto Glass

Now you know more about your car’s windshield glass and why it is different from other types of glass. To learn more about your car’s windshield and to get your windshield either repaired or replaced, contact North Coast Auto Glass. We’re here to get California drivers back on the road, quickly and safely!