Glass is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under ceramics: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Glass with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Glass
Glass (SiO2–Na2O–CaO (typical soda-lime)) is a family of grades whose density ~2.5 g/cm³, heat band softens ~500–700 °C, and fire letter A1.
What “the material” actually is
Glass is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry SiO2–Na2O–CaO (typical soda-lime), density ~2.5 g/cm³, heat band softens ~500–700 °C.
This atlas treats Glass as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: ~1 W/m·K. Insulation score 28/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: A1. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: Mesopotamia / Egypt; float 1959, Near East → St Helens. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: technical-ceramics.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 70/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Glass
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Glass honest.
Decision walkthrough on Glass: fire 88, insulation 28, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 88/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 28/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: Network: SiO2.
Sustainability is not a fire skip — A high sustainability mark does not replace fire protection in a real assembly.
Not a building-code rating — Named tests, thickness and build-up still decide compliance — this page is literacy only.
On Glass, fire 88 and insulation 28 answer different jobs; Network: SiO2 grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Glass: heat-resistance 58 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 58/100 — a thermal story, different from the fire/insulation pair.
Sit one thermal fact beside it — Properties chapter lists Conductivity among published thermal rows.
Heat resistance is not a fire skip — A high thermal mark does not replace named fire tests in a real assembly.
Still not a building-code rating — Thickness, build-up and named tests decide compliance — this page teaches axes only.
On Glass, heat 58 and Conductivity are a second thermal/safety reading after fire vs insulation.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Heat line to keep
A decision from printed marks. Not a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Glass non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: A1. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Glass insulate?
Thermal mark 28/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~1 W/m·K.
What is the density band?
~2.5 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: Mesopotamia / Egypt; float 1959 (Near East → St Helens).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 70/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
softens ~500–700 °C
What should it be paired with?
technical-ceramics: Crystalline cousins that do not flow like glass.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
Pilkington float
United Kingdom · 1959
Pilkington float is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Portland Vase
Italy · Roman
Portland Vase is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Crystal Palace
United Kingdom · 1851
Crystal Palace is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Owens machine
United States · 1903
Owens machine is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Low-e IGU
Global · 1980s–
Low-e IGU is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Gorilla Glass
United States · 2007–
Gorilla Glass is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Stained cathedral
Europe · medieval
Stained cathedral is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
Glass wool cousin
US / DE · 1930s–
Glass wool cousin is a reference point in the public image of Glass.
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