Auto glass plays a significant role in your vehicle’s safety, as it protects drivers from road debris and weather while making a difference during a collision. It falls into two main categories: tempered and laminate. Cars and trucks must feature both glass types to ensure high safety ratings that help keep drivers secure on the road. Learn about them before your next car window replacement.

Tempered & Laminated Auto Glass: What’s The Difference?

Tempered

You’ll find tempered auto glass on your car’s door windows. It is made using chemicals and a tempering process, or heating the glass to very high temperatures and then quickly cooling it. This creates structural equilibrium that prevents the glass from shattering into sharp pieces upon impact. Instead, it breaks into cube-like bits. Tempered glass is four to 10 times stronger than regular glass without compromising thickness.

Despite its strength, this auto glass is not designed to be shatterproof. The ability to break a car window is important in a variety of emergency situations, including those where children or pets are locked in your car. 

Laminated

Laminated car and truck glass features PVB (polyvinyl butyral) between two glass panels. This three-layered auto glass is used only on the windshields of a car, not on the doors, to prevent shattering in the event of a collision or flying debris. The polyvinyl material holds the glass so it does not shatter onto you and your passengers; it flexes and cracks in response to the impact of a baseball, for example, to keep you and anyone else in your car safe from injury. Severely cracked windshields subsequently feature spiderweb-like lines, but they still hold together.

Laminated glass windshields also provide your car or truck’s roof with structural support, and the PVB layer is often tinted to protect against damaging UVA and UVB rays.
 

If you need auto glass, schedule car window replacements with the friendly and skilled technicians at The Auto Glass Company to maintain a safer vehicle. Proudly serving the Bedford County, MO, area, team members from this locally owned and operated company offer over 15 years of experience and use only the industry’s best auto glass and materials. Enjoy lifetime product warranties as well as military and senior discounts. Call (636) 697-7222 to make an appointment today, or visit the website to learn more about their services and discounts.