What is the Difference Between Greenhouse Glasses?
When choosing your greenhouse, you’ll often see two glass options: horticultural glass (the standard choice) and toughened safety glass (an upgrade). But what’s the difference, and which one is right for you
Horticultural Glass – The Traditional Option
Horticultural glass is the classic type used in most greenhouses. It’s untreated and perfectly clear, but also quite fragile, meaning it can break if hit by something like a football, a stray stone from the lawnmower, or flying garden debris. When it breaks, it tends to shatter into large, sharp pieces, which can be a hazard, especially if you have children or pets around. That said, horticultural glass remains a great budget-friendly choice for smaller greenhouses or areas where there’s little risk of breakage. Horticultural glass is supplied in 610mm x 610mm panes (2×2), which does mean that your greenhouse glass will overlap. The panes are held in place using overlap clips. This can sometimes mean that over winter, algae can accumulate in the joints, which can be a nuisance to clean.
Toughened Safety Glass – The Stronger, Safer Upgrade
Toughened safety glass (sometimes called tempered glass) starts as standard glass but is heat-treated and rapidly cooled to make it around four to five times stronger than horticultural glass.
It’s much more resistant to impact, so it’s ideal for gardens in busy or exposed areas, family gardens where balls and toys might hit the glass or locations with harsh or coastal weather. When it does break, it doesn’t form dangerous shards. Instead, it ‘pops’ into thousands of tiny blunt pieces, making it much safer to handle. Though the cleanup can be tedious, especially if it breaks inside the greenhouse, it is much safer and significantly reduces the risk of injury.
Though it’s a little more expensive, it’s a solid long-term investment for both safety and durability. Toughened safety glass is supplied in full sheet panes – this means that you won’t have any overlapping glass.
For all greenhouse sales, if you have children or pets, we always recommend the full sheet toughened safety glass.
Some greenhouse models, such as the Elite Titan and Juliana ranges, are supplied with toughened safety glass as standard. You can find full details on each product’s page.
A Quick Visual Guide
In the images, you’ll see the difference clearly – horticultural glass breaks into big, sharp shards (how you’d expect glass to break) and toughened safety glass crumbles into small, blunt fragments which is far safer, even if it’s a bit of a nuisance to sweep up!
Important Note for Lean-To Greenhouses
If your lean-to greenhouse will sit above a doorway, it must use toughened safety glass for safety reasons. We won’t knowingly supply horticultural glass in these cases.
Broken Toughened Safety Glass
Broken Horticultural Glass
