The Difference Between Tempered And Laminated Glass For Your Car

Most car owners understand the importance of replacing the car windshield promptly if extensive damage has been sustained. Very few, however, know the different kinds of glass that are used and can make an informed decision. Your Mahindra Xylo front windshield price may depend on the kind of glass that is used. It is important to know the difference between the two kinds of glass that are commonly used in cars – tempered glass and laminated glass. 

Decades ago when plain glass sheets were used in the early automobiles these were found to be vulnerable and shattered easily. They also left sharp shards that injured the occupants. The need for a tougher glass was keenly felt. Tempered glass was the first alternative to be considered.

Tempered glass is glass that has been toughened by the process of heating and quickly cooling again. A pre-cut sheet of glass is initially heated up to a temperature of about 649 degrees C. It is then quickly cooled through a process called quenching. When the glass undergoes quenching it becomes many times tougher than the original glass we started with. This is glass that does not easily shatter. Even in case of damage tempered glass breaks down into small rounded pieces that do not hurt the occupants of the car. Tempered glass is usually the first choice for car windows and is rarely used as a windshield. 

Your Xylo front glass price may be attributed to the fact that car front windshields are usually made of laminated glass which is more expensive than tempered glass. Laminated glass or sandwiched glass is not one, but two or more layers of glass bonded together with a sheet of PVB in between the sheets. PVB or polyvinyl butyral is a kind of transparent resin. When the sheets of glass with the PVB between them is subjected to heat and high pressure, they blend in to form a single transparent sheet. As mentioned earlier, laminated glass is what goes into making car windshields. When a pebble or a hard object hits a laminated glass, it doesn’t shatter. Instead it develops cracks but is usually held in place by the resin in between. Even if it does shatter, the glass shards do not fly inwards. Instead the glass collapses on the bonnet and the occupants remain unharmed. It is best to pick an OEM laminated glass for your car windshield replacement.