Mid-iron glass
Mid-iron glass
Making a clear difference
Mid-iron glass is float glass which, as its name suggests, has a lower iron content than standard float glass, which provides a clear and neutral color to the glass. While versatile for a wide range of applications, it is primarily used as a base glass for architectural, interior, and specialized uses where a clear and crisp appearance is desired.
What are the benefits of mid-iron glass?
Clarity
Mid-iron glass has a higher level of transparency and clarity than standard float glass due to its reduced iron content. This means that objects seen through mid-iron glass appear more vibrant and true to their natural colors.
Light transmission
Mid-iron glass has a higher light transmission than standard glass. This makes it ideal for use in applications where natural light is important, such as in glazed facades.
Aesthetics
The reduced iron content in mid-iron glass also reduces the greenish tint that is often visible in regular glass, especially when looking at the edges of the glass, giving it a more elegant and sophisticated appearance. This makes it an ideal choice for applications where a clean look is important, such as in architectural projects and decorative glass applications.
Performance
Just like standard glass, mid-iron glass can be further processed into laminated or coated glass to add security or solar control properties.
What is low-iron glass and how is it made?
Low-iron glass is made in a similar way to standard float glass, but the raw materials used to produce it contain less iron than the raw materials used for standard float glass. In this short video, we explain the process of producing float glass.
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Our low-iron glass product:
Mid-iron glass can help bring the wow factor to your architectural or interior design project.
Mid-iron, low-iron, extra-clear, ultra-clear glass - what’s the difference?
Mid-iron and low-iron glass are types of float glass that have a reduced iron content, but to different levels, and are therefore clearer and more color-neutral than standard float glass, but also to a different extent, low-iron glass being the clearer and more transparent.
You can compare their values, particularly:
- the visible light transmittance %, or the portion of the visible light that passes through the glass
- the Color Rendering Index (CRI), which indicates how faithful the colors of an object seen through the glass are to its true color - 100 being the most consistent.
On the picture from left to right: low-iron glass, Guardian SuperClear™ mid-iron glass, and Guardian Clear float glass.
Size and thickness of low-iron glass sheets
Guardian SuperClear™, our mid-iron float glass, is available in jumbo size (3,21 x 6 m), and in thicknesses of 3 to 15 mm.
Can mid-iron glass be coated for specific applications?
Just like standard float glass, mid-iron glass can be laminated or coated to provide solar control, thermal insulation and/or security properties. When used as a base glass for coated glass, it can offer a clearer look compared to the same coating applied on standard float glass. It is particularly beneficial when the base glass needs to be thick for structural or security reasons.
It can be combined with a variety of decorative coatings to create true image reflectance mirror glass, or painted glass with a shiny opaque appearance.
👉 Expert talk
"There are two important differences compared to standard float glass that are important to take into consideration when using mid-iron glass:
When tempering mid-iron glass: due to its higher transparency, it absorbs less energy than standard glass, therefore the tempering furnace cycle time needs to be adapted (increased).
A high-performance coating can have a slightly different appearance when applied on mid-iron glass compared to standard glass. The thicker the glass, the more important the difference will be. It is therefore always recommended to compare samples or to visualize a real size mock-up."
Want to know more about glass?
Guardian Glass offers you a wealth of technical notes, tools and online learning to enhance your knowledge about glass and help you specify the most appropriate glass for your project. Visit our Resource Hub to learn more!
Applications of mid-iron glass
Mid-iron glass is the base glass for many applications. It can be further processed to provide enhanced performance, aspects or shapes, whether for interior design or exterior architectural applications.
Curtain walls
Mid-iron glass can be coated with high performance coatings to curtain wall façades with a neutral, clear look, as well as a higher level of light transmission compared to standard float glass with similar coatings.
Storefronts
Due to its higher light transmission and color neutrality, mid-iron glass allows a view with natural colors to goods on display behind storefront glass.
Partition glass
Using mid-iron glass for partitions can increase the feeling of openness and the amount of natural light that enters a room thanks to its high light transmission. Due to the neutrality of mid-iron glass, the partitions are transparent, providing a very clean, sophisticated look.
Balustrades and flooring
Balustrades and flooring require laminated glass for structural and security reasons. However, the thicker the glass assembly, the more you can see the slightly greenish tint of standard float glass. Using mid-iron glass for these types of applications allows this greenish effect to be reduced when compared to standard glass.
Why choose Guardian Glass?
Guardian Glass are experts in the creation and application of glass – constantly developing new glass technologies and techniques to deliver performance glass solutions all around the world. We’re focused on expanding the boundaries of what can be achieved with glass. From landmark architectural projects to home interiors and retail spaces. This means we work hand in hand with our partners and customers across the supply chain to ensure exactly the right outcome. In other words, when it comes to glass, we help you see what’s possible.
Our mid-iron glass product solution
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Guardian SuperClear
Guardian ExtraClear® glass contains less iron than standard float glass. This greatly enhances the color neutrality and also natural light transmission – to offer clearer, cleaner, more natural views wherever it’s positioned.
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Whether you're drawing skyscrapers, remodling homes or designing a new project, our team of glass experts is ready to help you find the right glass for your project.