Building Code Requirements for Tempered Glass [When Should You Use]

When is tempered glass required by code?

You might be an elegance seeker and that is why you have decided to decorate your home or office space with glass. Everybody knows that tempered glass is the best choice for any construction purpose.

It is the safest glass to use in your home or commercial area. However, you cannot just buy and install glass in your place. Tempered glass is hardened glass reaching strengths of up to 4 times normal glass. When it shatters it disintegrates into harmless pieces, unlike normal glass and becomes a safety hazard due to the sharply pointed pieces that are a result of shattering. There are some rules and regulations to maintain for safety issues, however.

If you are planning for any construction, knowing the Building Code Requirements for Tempered Glass is a must. You will get some deep knowledge about the building code requirements for tempered glass in the following sections.

What Is Meant By The Building Code For Glass?

The building code requirements for glass are set to specify a proper guideline for glass installation. Wherever you are planning to install the glass, at your home or office, you should know the proper use of different types of glass.

So, when is tempered glass required by code? Building code requirements provide you the guidelines on where to install a certain type of glass. The uses of glass vary from place to place. If you don’t use the right glass for a place, there would be a possibility of an accident; or the glass will not satisfy the need.

So, the concept behind the proposed requirements is to guide people for the right use of a glass type. Also, you will get some other requirements. For example, there are some requirements for ensuring the glass authentication, a proper size for any specific place, thickness, and so on. If you maintain the entire building code requirements for glass properly, there will be a high chance of preventing injuries and accidental deaths.

Tempered glass is amongst the popular types of glass. You should know the different building code requirements for tempered glass [when should you use it]. This will allow you with a durable glass setup reducing the probability of accidents.

Tempered Or Safety Glass Doors Code vs Window Code

According to the building requirements for glass doors, all the sliding, operable, fixed panel, bi-folding, or swinging doors should have installed tempered glass. If the glass of a door is within 24 inches, it is necessary to use tempered glass.

Additionally, you will have to install tempered glass if the glass bottom edge is 60 inches or a little bit less above the walking area. However, the rules are not applicable to the decorative glass. Also, if the opening of the glass panel is less than 3 inches, you don’t need to follow the tempered glass requirements.

There are some requirements for window glass as well. If the window is bigger than 9 square feet, you will have to use tempered glass for it. More specifically, if the bottom edge of the glass is not more than 18 inches above the ground, and the glass top edge is more than 36 inches from your floor. Whatever the window type is, fixed or moveable, the requirements are the same.

Building Codes for Tempered Glass Close To Stairs

Your stairs may have a structural baluster panel or a nonstructural infill panel. According to the building codes, you should use tempered glass for both. Tempered glass is a must for all of the glass adjacent to stairs, landings, and ramps. The condition for tempered glass is if you place the glass within 36 inches of the surface of the walking, and the visible glass surface is within 60 inches overhead of any walkway.

However, you should use tempered glass on the stair adjacent surfaces when it sits less than 60 inches off the lowest tread, and the glass is not more than 60 inches overhead the nose of the end tread. If you’re still confused tell me when we called a glass fully tempered or not. Read this guide to learn what is tempered glass.

Tempered Glass Requirements When Using On Wet Areas

There is a higher risk of falls and slips in wet areas. So, glass for the bathroom and the hot tub or sauna should be safety glass. There are several conditions for safety glass. If the glass’s ending edge is within 60 inches above a stand-up or walking surface, like the shower floor there should be tempered glass.

For the outdoor areas of a hot tub, there must be tempered glass if the glass bottom is less than 60 inches overhead the walkway and not more than 60 inches of the water edge. The wet areas need extra care to avoid accidents. So, following the proper Building Code Requirements for Tempered Glass requirements is a must here.

Precisely Measure Required Size and Dimension of Tempered Glass

The glass-cutting procedure is not the same for tempered glass. It is a tricky one and risky as well. You cannot cut tempered glass directly. Due to the tough characteristic, you cannot cut it in straight away. Also, if you try to cut tempered glass with a glass cutter when you put pressure, there is a high chance of creating scattered pieces instead of sharp two parts. You need to convert the glass to annealed glass from tempered quality to cut it. Annealed glass is the normal glass that you can cut using the straight glass cutting procedure.

So, it is advisable to precisely measure the required size of tempered glass that you want to install. After the annealing process, you cannot get back to the tempering process. To avoid further hassle, better to get the proper-sized tempered glass and then try for an installation.

We Have The Best Range of Tempered Glass

The variations of tempered glass are amazing. When you have decided to install tempered glass, you should find an authentic seller. It would be good if you get an online seller with trusted goodwill. Glass Genius is the authorized online seller for tempered glass. You may visit the website to get a wide variety of collections and types of glass in addition to mirrors and other products.

So, your journey towards installing a new glass set is quite easy now. Pick the right choice to live with an elegant interior.