For both domestic and commercial buildings, installing fire resistant glass is becoming increasingly popular. This type of glass is versatile, aesthetically pleasing, and great at allowing light to flow naturally from one room to another. As well as these benefits, it also provides great sound privacy.
Over the years, fire or heat resistant glass has vastly improved. Nowadays, this glass offers a fantastic level of protection against fires.
Fire resistant glass, also known as heat resistant glass or fire rated glass, is specifically made and tested to help prevent the spread of fire, hot gasses or smoke. When this type of glass is installed in your domestic or commercial building, it helps people safely evacuate in the event of a fire, as well as also allowing the emergency and fire service to access the location.
Typically, heat resistant glass can withstand temperatures above 870°C, making it different to ordinary glass as that can only withstand temperatures up to around 260°C. Often this type of fire resistant glass is available in a variety of forms, such as glass ceramics, toughened glass, laminated glass and more.
As fire resistant glass is versatile it can be used internally, externally, on fire resistant doors, partitioning screens, single glass, or as part of an insulated glass unit.
There are three categories of fire resistant glass, including rating the integrity, radiation control and insulation.
The first is the most basic type of fire resistant glass. This rating demonstrates that the glass has the ability to prevent the passage of flames or hot gases through the glass when it is exposed at one side. It will also prevent the occurrence of flames on the unexposed side of the glass.
This glass category rating offers effective protection against flames and smoke and it is economical. However, it does not prevent the transmission of heat in the event of a fire.
This category rating maintains the integrity performance of E (the resistance to flames and smoke) when exposed to fire on one side of the glass, but it also provides some heat resistance. It keeps the amount of radiant heat transfer below 15kW/m2 on the unexposed side.
EW rated glass products are UV stable and able to be used for both interior and exterior applications.
This fire resistant glass rating offers the highest level of protection from flames, smoke and heat. It performs to the standard of E rated glass when exposed to fire on one side, but also restricts the temperature rise on the unexposed side to below the required standard.
Choosing the right specification of fire safety glass depends on the UK building regulations and it is important that these are met.
To find out more about our fire/ heat resistant glass, please get in touch with the Cameo Glass team. You can do so by calling us on 01793 513864 or via our online contact form, and we’ll be in touch with you shortly.