Glass is a material with remarkable properties of fragility, durability and transparency and is an essential component of civilised life as we know it in the modern world. It protects us from short-term changes in the weather as well as from longer-term changes in the climate and provides us with a view of the world beyond the pane. If undisturbed, glass will continue to perform it’s protective role for centuries but, if disturbed by impact, excessive wind-load or other undue forces, it will break into fragments which can be potentially lethal. This unique combination of durability and fragility are enhanced by modern processing methods which provide a wide range of benefits of additional strength and security and allow glass to be used in a vast range of applications in all aspects of modern living.
| Origin | Description | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mined or Quarried Materials | Silica | Si | 72 |
| Limestone | CaCO³ | 9 | |
| Dolomite | CaMg(CO³)² | 4 | |
| Others | incl iron oxide * | 1 | |
| Manufactured Materials | Soda Ash | Na²CO³ | 14 |
| By-Product Material | Clean Scrap | “Cullet” | Up to 20% by volume |
* Note: All commercial window glass contains a residue of iron oxide (Fe2O3 ) which is difficult and expensive to remove and gives the glass it’s characteristic green edge-colour which is considered acceptable for most glazing applications, including mirrors. However, to meet the demand for a “whiter” architectural window glass, it is possible to remove most of the residual iron by further processing and additional cost to create Low-Iron (“Extra-Clear”) glass which is almost perfectly white with no green colour at the edges. The clarity and high light-transmission characteristics of “Low-Iron” glass make it a highly popular glazing-choice for a wide variety of applications in Retail and Commercial buildings.