It will come as no surprise that the glass in a greenhouse plays a huge role in how safe and effective your greenhouse is. With glass being the primary component of your greenhouse, you must choose your glazing style carefully when purchasing.

Normal Glazing vs Toughened Glazing - What’s the Difference?

Not all glass is created equal and there are several types of glazing that you can choose from when it comes to your greenhouse, listed below are three of the most common:

1. HORTICULTURAL GLASS

The standard greenhouse glazing offered by most brands is 3mm horticultural glass. This type of glass has long been the traditional type of glazing used in greenhouses thanks to its low cost. That low cost does come with several red flags however, as horticultural glass is relatively weak and shatters easily, which causes genuine safety concerns.

The major disadvantage of 3mm horticultural glass is that when it breaks it forms into large, sharp shards. This can be very dangerous and so is not advisable for those with children or pets. 

2. POLYCARBONATE GLAZING

Twin wall polycarbonate has a distinct advantage over horticultural glass, as it offers increased insulation for your greenhouse, which is especially useful in the winter months. It does, however, suffer from three major disadvantages that may deter you from purchasing it:

1：Polycarbonate is so lightweight that it makes the greenhouse vulnerable to wind damage, which is less than ideal in most areas of the UK. Panels can bow and pop out of the framework when put under pressure from the elements which is an irritation at best, and a danger at worst.

2：Polycarbonate also reduces light levels inside the greenhouse, thanks to the corrugated texture of the material. Light levels will continue to reduce over time, as the plastic ages and discolours.

3：Polycarbonate is difficult to clean. Applying pressure to the panels while scrubbing can cause them to pop out while the twin layer plastic can house bugs and mildew in between the panes that is nigh on impossible to remove. This leads to further reduced light levels and a less healthy growing environment.

3. TOUGHENED SAFETY GLASS

If you are looking for safe and sturdy greenhouse glazing, then you should consider toughened safety glass like our Yuhua4mm glazing. Toughened glazing is recommended for longevity as well as safety, and is the best option for greenhouses in exposed locations such as island and coastal regions.

While toughened glass is usually around 3mm thick, ourYuhuaglass is even thicker. 4mm toughened safety glass is 33% thicker than most greenhouse glass and comes as standard.

The thicker glazing is manufactured with safety in mind so when a pane does break, it breaks into thousands of tiny pieces, meaning there are no large sharp edges that could injure someone. Even the edges of the glass are rounded so that you don’t cut yourself during the installation of your greenhouse.

The thicker glass panes ensure that the overall integrity of your greenhouse is maintained, especially when combined with a robust frame. The large panes have no overlaps, which means easier cleaning and fewer drafts, unlike small horticultural glass panes with overlaps that tend to attract dirt and algae over time.

The diffuse glass and AR-coated diffuse glass produced by Yuhua have cooperated with many large commercial greenhouses in agriculture, horticulture, nurseries and experiments. We have cooperated with large greenhouse project companies such as Havecon, Van Der Hoeven, Kubo, etc. for many years. Yuhua greenhouse glass has a light transmittance of up to 99%, and haze 5/10/20/30/50/70/75 greenhouse diffuse glass is available!

Need more detailed information or a solution of greenhouse glass? Need guidance on how to choose the right glass for your greenhouse?

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