Anti-reflective glass
Anti-reflective glass
See more clearly with minimal reflections
Anti-reflective glass, reduces undesirable light reflection and glare on the glass while increasing transparency, creating clearer, uninterrupted and more natural views through the glass.
- What is anti-reflective glass and how is it made?
- What are the benefits of anti-reflective glass?
- Applications and uses of anti-reflective glass
- Sizes and thicknesses of anti-reflective glass
- Combining anti-reflective glass with other glass types
- Some of our projects made possible using anti-reflective glass
What is anti-reflective glass and why do we use it?
The most basic goal of glass is the ability to see through it, but often this poses a paradox. While the glass itself is crystal clear, its surroundings can provide obstacles to the view in the form of glare and reflection. A challenge for architects is to maximize visibility whilst minimizing reflection.
Anti-reflective glass is an advanced coated glass with reflection control properties that reduce the reflection of light on the surface of the glass. It increases the light transmission and brightness, offering better contrast definition for any applications where reflections can be an issue, including retail storefronts, car showrooms, zoos, sports facilities, viewing areas, or special applications such as museum displays and digital signage.
What are the benefits of anti-reflective glass?
Anti-reflective glass provides maximum visibility while minimizing light reflection and glare. The result is crystal-clear views.
High transparency
Our latest anti-reflective glass provides the highest transparency of any of our products to date. It has a light transmission above 98% and a color rendering index (CRI) of 99, which means that the colors you see through the glass are almost exactly those you see without glass (perfectly true colors would have a CRI of 100). This is particularly interesting for retail storefronts and museums where the objects displayed should be presented at their very best.
Unobstructed views
The anti-reflective coating applied onto the glass enables the light reflection of the glass to be reduced to 0.6% (in the double-sided version, where the coating is applied on both surfaces of the glass), compared to around 8% for standard uncoated float glass. Anti-reflective glass is ideal for applications where the view through the glass is the experience, such as a roof top viewing area, a football stadium, or a zoo where the glass can offer a truer, more immersive experience.
👉 Expert talk
For façade applications, achieving the desired transparency and low reflection while meeting local regulations in terms of energy performance can be a challenge. When combining anti-reflective glass in an insulating glass unit (IGU) with other glass products, the light reflection of the IGU will increase as you have more glass surfaces. You can still achieve a low-reflection level while meeting the thermal performance required by carefully selecting the right glass products and coatings. Don’t hesitate to contact our team of experts for guidance with your project.
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 combination including anti-reflective glass for your project. Visit our Resource Hub to learn more!
Applications and uses of anti-reflective glass
The applications for anti-reflective glass are wide-ranging. From architectural facades to shop storefronts, car showrooms, picture frames and museum showcases, in fact, any application where reflection control is desirable, non-reflective glass can be considered.
Storefronts
Retail outlets such as high-end fashion and jewelry stores, furniture and car showrooms, as well as restaurants and hotel lobbies, all share a common need: to give customers and passers-by a clear, unobstructed view of displayed products and inside spaces. This means the glass should offer the lowest possible reflection and glare combined with the highest transparency. In the daylight, storefront glass can act like a mirror, with customers struggling to see clearly the displayed products.
Museum showcases
In museums, glass displays are used to protect precious artefacts from damage or distress, while presenting them in the best possible light. But sometimes the glass itself can act as an obstruction to the view. Unwanted glare, reflections or reduced lighting levels prevent visitors from having a crystal-clear view and seeing the object in its original color. Using anti-reflective glass to reduce unwanted glare and reflection enables closer, more intimate interaction with the displayed object.
Picture frames
Choosing the right glass for picture frames is essential. Select the right glass and you can reduce glare and reflect light away from the glass, maintaining the integrity of the picture, photograph or painting.
Digital signage
Choosing the right glass for interior and exterior digital signage applications such as Public Information Displays, Digital Signage, traffic displays, retail signs, embedded devices and biomedical displays is crucial. The right glass can provide displays with optimal aesthetic features combined with performance attributes such as laminated, UV protection, and EMI (ElectroMagnetic Interference) shielding.
Sizes & thicknesses of anti-reflective glass
Our anti-reflective glass is available in thicknesses from 3 to 15 mm, and in sizes up to jumbo (3,21m x 6 m). It is available on Guardian UltraClear® low-iron glass, for maximum transparency and color neutrality. The anti-reflective coating can be applied on one side or on both surfaces of the glass for improved anti-reflective performance. Our anti-reflective glass can be heat-treated for safety applications. It is also available on laminated glass, with a new PVB interlayer that reduces the yellowish tint.
Combining anti-reflective glass in an IGU for additional benefits
Anti-reflective glass can be combined in an Insulating Glass Unit (IGU) with thermal insulation or solar control glass to further improve the energy efficiency of the glazing and help keep temperatures comfortable for the building’s occupants all year round.
Some of our eye-catching projects made possible with anti-reflective glass
Want to see projects that use anti-reflective glass? Visit our project section
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.