Difference Between Tempered Glass and Laminated Glass for Cars

There are two types of car glass known in the automotive world. They are called tempered glass and laminated glass. Both of these can minimize injuries during an accident, you know, friends. Whether it is laminated glass or tempered glass, both have a better level of protection compared to regular glass. Both types of glass fall into the category of safety glass. So, what is the difference between the two? Let's pay attention, friends!

Laminated Glass

Generally, laminated glass is placed as the windshield or front glass. This laminated glass is difficult to penetrate due to its ability to absorb impact and maintain its layers. The breakage of laminated glass does not obstruct visibility. Laminated glass is a combination of two pieces of glass sandwiching a PVB (Poly Vinyl Butyral) film with a thickness of 0.76 millimeters. Each of the two layers of glass typically has a thickness of 2 millimeters.

The PVB layer in laminated glass serves as a binder for the two layers of glass as well as a reinforcement for the glass itself. It is this PVB layer that makes laminated glass stronger than regular glass! However, you need to be careful when this laminated glass cracks. No matter how small the crack is, the fragments will quickly spread. Well, this is one of the disadvantages of laminated glass. If this happens to your car's laminated glass, it is best to replace the glass immediately. Don't let it get worse, friends.

Tempered Glass

If laminated glass is used on the front windshield of the car, tempered glass is generally used on both side windows and at the back of the car. Tempered glass has a strength 5 times greater than laminated glass. Don't believe it? Just try hitting your car's side glass with a baseball bat. I guarantee it won't break. Tempered glass has a thickness of 5 millimeters. This type of glass will only break when it receives an impact of 1,500 kg per cm2. As long as the tempered glass does not have a wound deeper than 1/6 of its thickness, the glass will not break.

However, if that happens, you must immediately replace the glass. If the wound on the tempered glass is left unattended, the resonance or vibrations caused by the car can break the glass at an unexpected time. If tempered glass breaks, the shards will be small and not sharp. One of the weaknesses of tempered glass is that when a hard object strikes at high speed, that object can enter the car cabin.

In fact, tempered glass is just a regular sheet of glass. Before being rapidly cooled, this tempered glass is first heated to a temperature of 6000 degrees Celsius. This sudden temperature change does not cause the glass layers to break. Instead, it changes the molecular structure of the glass and forms stronger bonds than before.

You can definitely add a film layer to strengthen the side glass. This can anticipate the possibility of tempered glass shattering into pieces. Remember, just use regular film, friends. There’s no need to use bullet-resistant film. So, if you ever find yourself in an emergency, that glass can still be broken.

Now, if you have to break the glass due to an emergency, try to break the glass on the right side of the steering wheel. Because it is more readily available in the market and easy to obtain. The price is also relatively cheap. But, hopefully, such emergencies do not happen, friends.

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