What thickness of glass is safe for glass railing?

In modern design, glass railings are popular for their sleek look and ability to enhance the amount of light in a given space. They are commonly used in residential balcony decks, commercial buildings, staircases, and outdoor decks. But glass railings foremost need to be safe. The glass’s thickness is a determining factor in how safe a glass railing is, as it will affect the glass’s load-bearing capacity and resistance to breaking. Metalguardrails, a professional provider of railing solutions, understands this and make glass railing systems compliant with glass railing safety guidelines. Knowing safe glass thickness for glass railings helps architects, contractors, and homeowners eliminate potential safety risks and ensure safety glass railings last. This article will examine the most important factors glass thickness for glass railings and safe glass thickness for different use scenarios. ​ 

Safety Regulations define Minimal Thickness for Glass Railings.  

The most basic safe thickness glass requirements for glass railings is established by international and local safety regulations, which define minimum thicknesses for different glass types based on different glass railing application scenarios. ​

Standard regulations show that the use of tempered glass in glass railings for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) states that the minimum thickness for horizontal applications (deck railings) is 10 mm and for vertical applications (staircase balustrades) is 8 mm. In China, the “Code for Design of Building Glass” (GB 50210) states that safety glass for glass railings that is used outdoors shouldn’t be thinner than 12 mm. This is because safety glass that is used outdoors withstands wind, rain, and glass temperature changes as well as other environmental factors. This standard, along with others, is based on extensive testing including glass load-bearing and impact testing, to prove that glass of the specified thickness withstands normal use and unexpected impact. Standard thickness glass is one of the basic safety requirements for glass railings.  

Safeguarding the railings with thicker glass exposes the railings to better and harsher weather conditions. Outdoor glass railings are exposed to extreme weather including high winds, rain, and temperature changes and can be exposed to impact debris like storm branches. This is why increased thickness is needed for outdoor glass railings. Metalguardrails recommends 12 mm to 16 mm thickness tempered glass for outdoor use.

For high-rise buildings with outdoor glass railings, 16mm thick tempered glass or laminated glass (comprised of two 8mm or 10mm sheets) is recommended. Laminated glass is better for high-impact glass because the interlayer film holds broken glass as it shatters, preventing falling glass. Laminated glass is safer for high-raised buildings. For the coast with strong salt spray, glass should be anti-corrosion treated glass (14mm-16mm) to saltproof glass railings. These fogged coastlines need glass of greater thicknesses to withstand environmental stress. The outdoor glass railings should be fogged for glass to prevent environmental stress from warping, bending, or breaking.

Indoor Glass Railing Thickness Depends on Usage Scenarios and Load  

Indoor glass railings for residences and the less harsh environment of office lobbies or atriums of shopping malls do need to be accounted for to a lesser harmony and should still be accounted for based on it frequency of intended use and it load. For low-traffic indoor scenarios, like residential staircases, that only have family use, Metalguardrails recommended 8mm to 10mm thick tempered glass for glass railings. This thickness can easily withstand the weight of people leaning against it. That is usually a lateral load of 500N/m and also the daily bumps.

For busy indoor environments like shopping mal atriums where there are large crowds, 10-12mm thick tempered and tempered and laminated glass to endure more frequent impact and heavier accidental loads. Also, for indoor glass railings used to create barriers for children’s areas, like kindergartens, 12mm laminated glass should be used. This glass can help protect children in the instance of an accidental break of the glass. This use of glass will help provide the appropriate balance of safety and cost for glass railings, and ensure safety for the children and cost effectiveness to the providers.  

Laminated Glass Has Different Thickness Requirnments Than Single Glass  

Laminated glass will not shatter into sharp pieces when broken and is used for glass railings which is why its thickness is different than single tempered glass. For glass railings, laminated glass is 2 sheets of tempered glass and the other 2 sheets are glass with a polymer interlayer like PVB. The laminated glass thickness is based on the glass layers. For instance, laminated glass which is 8mm + 8mm is considered 16mm, appropriate for outdoor glass railing. 6mm + 6mm is 12mm of laminated glass used for indoor glass railings which are low traffic.

Metalguardrails notes that the thickness of the interlayer is also important. A 0.76mm thick PVB interlayer is the minimum required for glass railings, while for higher-impact situations, such as sports facility railings, a 1.52mm interlayer is recommended for enhanced bonding. The thickness of laminated glass is also important for determining how much glass will be left after a breakage, and how much load the glass will be able to carry, and is therefore a vital consideration for safe glass railings.  

Glass Railings with Balustrades or Frames May Permit Slightly Thinner Glass  

The required thickness of glass changes with the support structure of glass railings. For instance, glass railings with more closely spaced supports can use slightly thinner glass because the structure takes part of the load. Consider glass railings with balustrades placed closely together (posts every 50cm), which can use 10mm thick tempered glass for outdoor use. However, glass railings with wider spacing (posts every 100cm) will require 12mm thick glass to avoid bending under load. Metalguardrails optimised designs for supported glass railing systems. For frameless glass railing, which has minimal support and relies entirely on glass strength, the minimum glass thickness is 12mm for glass to be used indoors and 16mm for outdoor use.

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