Annealed Vs. Tempered Glass, What Is The Difference?
Tempered glass is harder and stronger than annealed glass. When tempered glass breaks, it breaks into small pebble shaped pieces like a car’s side glass after an accident. This is why it is often called safety glass. Tempered glass is annealed glass that has been heat treated to harden and strengthen it.
Tempered glass is more expensive than annealed glass because of the added heat treatment processing.
In general, heat treated or tempered glass is four times stronger than annealed glass. Tempered glass cannot be drilled or cut without shattering. All fabrication needs to be done while the glass is in the softer, annealed condition. Annealed glass can be cut, drilled, notched and edge finished. Tempering is only done once the shaping and fabrication is complete.