To have good use of the bathroom, many people will choose shower glass to separate the dry area and the wet area. When you use a shower room, an amount of moisture in the wet area will enter the dry area, which one can keep the dry area clean and tidy? The design of dry and wet separation is also very practical. Low iron glass and clear glass shower are the widely used shower room separation options. Since the ground in the dry area has not been moisturized by water vapor for a long time, the dirt in the floor seams is less stubborn. It can be cleaned with a gentle wipe, making it easy to maintain hygiene.
Dry and wet separation requires glass partitions. Low iron glass vs clear glass shower, which one is better? MIGO Glass is the leading shower glass manufacturer and supplier, we wholesale shower glass at great prices. The choice of shower glass not merely affects the aesthetics of the overall bathroom, but is also closely related to the personal safety of your family. How to choose the right shower glass？In this article, let’s explore the similarities and differences between low iron glass vs clear glass shower.
1. Important Buying Considerations of Shower Glass
First of all, we observe the shower glass with the naked eye to see whether the glass is transparent and whether there are defects such as bubbles, or stones inside the glass. Observing the surface of the shower glass is also the most direct way to judge the quality of the glass. Impure glass materials or defects in the craftsmanship will cause defects such as spots and bubbles in the glass, which will reduce the hardness and strength of the glass. These defects are also potential safety hazards that may cause the glass to self-explode at any time during use.
Secondly, observe whether there is tempered glass mark certification (CCC, CE, SGCC, etc.) on the glass. Tempered glass used for glass shower enclosures cannot be sold or promoted commercially without this logo. Although the reference standards for tempered glass in different countries have different names, the fragmentation requirements for tempered glass after breaking are consistent. The safe number of fragments in every 50*50mm area of tempered glass must reach more than 40 fragments.
However, tempered glass is not 100% safe. One safety hazard of tempered glass is self-explosion, which is unavoidable. To minimize the self-explosion rate of tempered glass, it is recommended to choose low-iron shower glass.
2. Self Explosion Rate of Tempered Shower Glass
MIGO Low iron glass and clear glass shower are all high-quality tempered glass. They have a higher self-explosion rate for shower glass doors or enclosures.
2.1 What is The Self Explosion of Tempered Shower Glass?
The self-explosion of tempered shower glass is a shattering phenomenon that occurs without external force. The glass fragments spread radially around the starting point of the self-explosion. There will be two relatively large fragments at the starting point of the self-explosion and show the characteristics of “butterfly spots”.
2.2 Why Does Tempered Shower Glass Explode?
The self-explosion of tempered glass is often caused by the existence of some tiny stones inside the original piece of tempered glass, which causes the tempered glass to break. At the starting point of the tempered glass self-explosion, there will be stones containing nickel sulfide. These nickel sulfide stones are used in the production process of tempered glass. It will “freeze” the high-temperature crystalline state (α-NiS) and keep it at normal temperature. In tempered glass, because this high-temperature crystalline state is not stable at room temperature, it will gradually transform to the room temperature crystalline state (β-NiS) over time. The transformation will be accompanied by a certain volume expansion (expansion 2 to 4%) ; If the stone happens to be located in the tensile stress zone of tempered glass, this crystal phase transformation process will often cause the tempered glass to suddenly break, which is what we usually call the tempered glass self-explosion phenomenon.
2.3 What is The Self-explosion Rate of Standard Tempered Clear Shower Glass?
There are currently no corresponding clear regulations in national standards, and the industry generally follows the requirement that the self-explosion rate of clear shower glass does not exceed three in a thousand.
2.4 What is the Self-explosion Rate of Tempered Low Iron Shower Glass?
Low iron shower glass, is also called ultra clear shower glass, extra clear glass, crystal clear glass, super white glass, ultra-white glass, etc.
Famous Low-iron glass brands include:
- UltraClear™ by Guardian Glass.
- Starphire® By PPG.
- Optiwhite™ By Pilkington.
- Clearvision & Krystal Klear by AGC.
Because low iron shower glass uses high-purity mineral sand raw materials, the impurity content is reduced to a minimum, and the corresponding NiS content is much lower than that of ordinary float glass, so its self-explosion rate can reach less than 2 in a ten thousand.
3. What Are The Similarities ofLow Iron Glass and Clear Shower Glass
3.1 Common Points of Low Iron Glass and Clear Shower Glass
The first common point of low iron shower glass and clear shower glass is that their nature is soda lime silicate glass. The main components contain silicon dioxide (SiO2), sodium oxide (Na2O) and calcium oxide (CaO). Both clear shower glass and low iron shower glass are used in the form of tempered glass.
Besides their common nature, they also have some other points in common too.
- Both clear shower glass and low iron shower glass are transparent, allowing light to pass through and creating an open and spacious feel in the shower area.
- Both types of glass are designed to be strong and durable enough to be used for several hundred years if in good maintenance, and able to withstand daily use and potential impacts in a shower environment.
- Easy Maintenance. Clear and low iron shower glass are relatively easy to clean and maintain. Regular cleaning with mild soap and water can help keep them looking clear and spotless.
- Water Resistance. Both types of glass are designed to be water-resistant, preventing water from seeping through and causing damage to the surrounding areas.
- Both clear and low iron shower glass can be customized in terms of size, shape, and design to fit the specific requirements and aesthetics of the shower space. Both types of glass can be customized with various finishes, such as frosted or etched designs, to enhance privacy.
3.2 What Is The Difference of Low Iron Shower Glass vs Clear Shower Glass
3.2.1 Different Color
The main difference between clear shower glass vs low iron shower glass lies in their level of clarity and color. Low iron shower glass has a higher level of clarity and is nearly colorless, while clear shower glass may have a slight greenish tint due to the presence of iron oxide impurities.
3.2.2 Price Difference
The price difference of these two shower glass types lies in raw material cost, because the raw material cost of low iron glass is higher than that of clear glass, so the final finished shower glass price of low iron glass is higher than the price of clear shower glass. The manufacturing process such as cutting, edge polishing, heat tempering and packing costs are all the same, so their processing cost is the same.
At Migo Glass, we use a lot of low iron glass sheets every year, so we can get a good price from raw glass sheets factory, in this way the price difference between clear shower glass and low iron shower glass is very small, almost can be ignored by end customers.
3.2.3 Safety
Just as mentioned above, all tempered glass has a possibility of self-explosion, low iron shower glass self-exposure rate is only 2/10,000, while clear shower glass’s self-explosion rate reaches 3/1,000.
4. Conclusion
However, as people’s safety awareness increases and they have higher and higher requirements for bathroom design, more and more consumers are choosing low iron shower glass to make their glass shower enclosures, which can also be seen from our order trends: more and more MIGO Shower Glass business partners (shower glass stores, shower glass dealers, glass distributors, glass contractors, e-commerce shops, shower glass installers, etc) began to order low iron shower glass in large quantities. Because Migo Glass can well control the production cost of low iron glass, and we maximize profits for our business partners. This is also the reason why they can seize the market ahead of their competitors and promote low-iron shower glass in large quantities in their local market. If you want to improve your company’s competitive advantage over your competitors and improve product quality without increasing too much cost, you are welcome to cooperate with MIGO Shower Glass to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
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Thank You for reading.
