Tempered or laminated: which glass for which project
Technical breakdown: where laminated is required by code, where tempered is enough, and why 'laminated everywhere' wastes money.
Manufacturers love saying "laminated is the safest." True, but incomplete. Laminated on a shower means double the price with no safety gain. Tempered 8 mm on a public-building stair railing violates SP 118-13330.
01What happens on breakage
Tempered: shatters into 5–10 mm granules with no sharp edges. Safe against palm, knee, head impacts. Unsafe if falling from height — granules rain down.
Laminated: two glass layers with 0.76–1.52 mm PVB film between. On breakage, fragments stay on the film, structure holds shape like a cracked windshield. Barrier preserved.
02What code requires where
| Object | Standard | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Shower enclosure | GOST R 54170 | Tempered 8 mm |
| Office partition | — | Tempered 10 mm |
| Stair railing (residential) | SP 118 | Laminated 6+6 PVB |
| Public space railing | SP 31-110 | Laminated 8+8 PVB |
| Balcony above 12 m | SP 20.13330 | Laminated 8+8 |
| Glass floor | SP 20.13330 | Laminated 6+6+8 |
| Entrance canopy | SP 20.13330 | Laminated 8+8 |
| Façade glazing | EN 13830 | Tempered IGU |
03Real cost
Tempered 10 mm — about 4 500 ₽/m². Laminated 6+6 PVB — about 6 800 ₽/m². Difference on a 4×1 m stair span = 9 200 ₽. On a 3 m² kitchen splashback, laminated savings make no sense — there's no tensile load.
Residential staircase can use tempered 12 mm up to 1 m span — no code violation. But on break, the step shatters and someone falls. Laminated holds until replacement. The 12% extra is insurance.
04Bottom line
Safety isn't "always laminated." It's "tempered where impact, laminated where falling." Shower — tempered. Balcony — laminated. Partition — tempered. Floor — laminated. Canopy — laminated with snow-load engineering.
05REAL GLASS services
If you've read this far, you likely have a project in mind. We make glass constructions in-house in St. Petersburg: 1–3 day measure, 1-year warranty, fixed contract price. All numbers in this article come from our actual 2026 quotes.
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