Bullet Proof Glass

Bulletproof glass, otherwise known as ballistic glass or bullet resistant glass, forms part of the Bullet Proof Glass Dallas range of glass security products.

What is bulletproof glass made of?

All products are manufactured in the UK by Bullet Proof Glass Dallas. We use high-quality laminated glass and Kuraray’s market-leading and patented SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayers, PVB interlayers and Spallshield®.

As UK-leading bullet resistant glass manufacturers, our bulletproof glass is manufactured using a strict cleanroom process. This is where several layers of glass of varying thickness are bonded together under heat with an interlayer.
How do we work?

At enquiry stage, Bullet Proof Glass Dallas recommends and specifies the overall thickness of the bullet resistant glass. This is determined by the level of security risk to the building, or vehicle, and its occupants.

Bullet Proof Glass Dallas’ bulletproof glass is designed to dissipate and absorb the energy of the projectile on impact and to contain it within the face of the glass pane that has been struck.

As a result, our bullet resistant glass provides protection to those on the other side of the pane, helping to mitigate the scope of serious injuries and fatalities from gun attack.
Bullet Resistant Glass and Quality Standards

Quality standards are paramount to Bullet Proof Glass Dallas. We maintain high levels of in-production inspection to ensure all glass products meet and often exceed European and UK regulatory standards.

Bullet Proof Glass Dallas bulletproof/bullet resistant glass meets standards as specified under EN1063.

As with all cases of high-security glass, Bullet Proof Glass Dallas works under strict confidentiality agreements as to the make-up and testing information pertaining to the site specific project.

However, in line with our consultative approach to customer requests, we are always happy to discuss new site-specific projects.

The following are examples of building types and environments where Bullet Proof Glass Dallas bulletproof glass has been installed:

    Airports
    Vehicle windows
    Banks
    Cash desks
    Embassies
    Government buildings
    Marine
    Military buildings
    Rail
    VIP residences

Bullet Proof Glass Dallas’ range of case studies showcase our experience and give some examples of bulletproof glass in action.

Bullet Proof Glass How Strong Is It?

Safety glass must be well made from quality materials. To measure the quality and toughness of this type of glass, there are industry standards that have to be met, and to do so, each glass product must be tested.
Both toughened and laminated safety glass has to meet a number of these standards, depending on their intended use. There are standards for the use of safety glass in architecture, transport, furniture, and more, each of which have a specific set of testing criteria to measure the product’s strength and functionality.

BS EN 12600

One important standard is BS EN 12600, which is used to test the strength of safety glass for use in buildings. The standard defines safety glass as glass which must have passed an impact test and either must not break or must break safely.

To meet this, safety glass must undergo an examination where a 50kg weight cushioned with two rubber tyres is swung at the sheet from three heights. Depending on which height the pendulum is at when the glass breaks and the type of breakage that occurs, the glass is awarded a three-character rating such as 3B2 or 3C1.


The first number represents the height class at which the pendulum was dropped from when the glass does not break or breaks safely into small fragments:

    A number 3 is awarded for a 190mm height, considered the equivalent of an adult pushing hard against the glass or a child running into it.
    A number 2 is awarded for a 450mm height, considered somewhere between an adult walking into and running into a glass door.
    A number 1 is awarded for a 1200mm height, considered a critical application, such as someone falling onto the surface.

The second letter represents the type of breakage mode:

    Type A represents a breakage with large, sharp fragments.
    Type B represents a breakage where the fragments are held together.
    Type C represents a breakage with small, harmless pieces

The third letter is awarded for the height class at which the glass does not break or allow penetration.

BS EN 12150

Although toughened glass for architecture has to meet the requirements for BS EN 12600 for use in buildings, it also has to meet its own standard of BS EN 12150, which covers the tolerance, flatness, edge-work, fragmentation, and physical and mechanical properties of thermally toughened safety glass. It should be noted that this standard does not apply to laminated safety glass.

Security glass

WHAT IS SECURITY GLASS?

Security glass shares many of the same qualities as safety glass. It is extra strong and will resist force more effectively than standard products, and it also shares the non-shatter safety features of laminated glass. Where security glass differs is in the specialised level of protection that it provides. It is tailor-made to combat certain threats, such as physical attacks, bullets, and blasts, with a design and materials that are chosen specifically to stand up to them.

The manufacturing of this type of product is not dissimilar to that of laminated glass, making use of layers to build strength and to maintain integrity. Security glass uses multiple panes of various thickness to deliver a product that will stand up to more extreme threats. As you move up through the levels of defence required, security glass can be built using thicker, stronger glass and with more layers to stand up to the anticipated impact.

This type of glass sees most use when something vulnerable needs defending or when a high-value item or high-ranking person needs to be safeguarded. Therefore, it likely that you will see security glass in locations like embassies, banks, jewellers, and petrol stations, or in vehicles like military trucks, executive cars, and cash-in-transit vans.

Bullet Proof Glass Which Safety Of Security Glass Does My Business Need?

 Glass Facade

Whether it’s being used as the windscreen of a train, a wall in a skyscraper, or a high-security display cabinet, modern glass needs to have incredible strength. As manufacturing technology has progressed, so has the quality and robustness of the glass produced, giving improved flexibility in how it can be used.

For projects that require an extra level of durability, types of glass have been developed that can keep us both safe and secure. This guide aims to give you a clearer picture of the difference between safety and security glazing, as well as a comprehensive overview of the main types of each. With this information, you will be able to identify the glass solution that best meets the requirements of your project.

WHAT IS SAFETY GLASS?

Safety glass is strengthened so that it will resist breaking, but, should the force applied prove to be too much, to break in a way that is safe. There are two ways that safety glass can be strengthened: through laminating or tempering.

As this glass excels at reducing the risk of injury, it is often used in locations where safety is paramount. Its extra strength allows it to be used in places where regular glass could not be, like stair or balcony balustrading, and in situations where dynamic forces and environmental conditions are at work, like airplanes and trains.
Let’s take a closer look at the two main types of safety glass.

WHAT IS TOUGHENED GLASS?

Also known as tempered glass, toughened glass is produced with thermal treatments to increase its tensile strength — fully toughened glass can be as much as four to five times stronger than standard glass. When the glass undergoes tempering, it is heated in a furnace to incredibly high temperatures, and then immediately cooled with powerful air draughts. This causes the outer layers to be put into compression, and the inner layers to be put into tension. It is this stress that gives the glass increased solidity by pushing together any surface flaws and protecting inner layers from imperfections that can lead to cracks.

It also means that when it is exposed to enough force to break, it will crumble into small, rounded granular-like pieces that pose less threat to bystanders than traditional glass, which tends to break into sharp shards that have the potential to be deadly. This quality means that injury is less likely when a person comes into contact with a piece, and the broken glass is also a lot safer to pick up and dispose of.

Toughened glass also gains improved resistance to sudden temperature changes, allowing it to endure more rapid heating and cooling than regular glass. It is therefore not uncommon to see toughened glass being used in such places as oven doors or in lab equipment, where an extra level of heat resistance is needed.

For an extra level of safety, toughened glass can undergo heat soak testing (HST), which is a post-production process that can reduce the risk of spontaneous breakage. Incidents of breakage can often be attributed to the presence of nickel sulphide in the glass, a chemical that is left over from the manufacturing process. These particles can cause imperfections in the glass leading it to break, though the result is not always immediate, with particles sometimes lying dormant for many months before becoming an issue.

The HST process sees the toughened glass being placed in an oven once more after it has cooled, which will cause any sheets containing nickel sulphide to break when subjected to the heat. The vast majority of toughened glass has no problem with spontaneous breakage, but HST helps to eliminate those that do, making it an essential process for glass that is to be used in critical locations, such as architectural glass.

Security Window Film

<>Bullet Proof Glass Dallas
4029 N Hall St. #B,
Dallas, TX 75219, United States
(760) 815-2266

Residential Window Tinting

<>Bullet Proof Glass Dallas
4029 N Hall St. #B,
Dallas, TX 75219, United States
(760) 815-2266

Security Window film

<>Bullet Proof Glass Dallas
4029 N Hall St. #B,
Dallas, TX 75219, United States
(760) 815-2266

Commercial Window Tinting

<>Bullet Proof Glass Dallas
4029 N Hall St. #B,
Dallas, TX 75219, United States
(760) 815-2266