libmatt.com Clear float glass typically has a slight greenish tint due to iron content, while extra clear glass is made with low-iron raw materials to provide higher transparency and better color neutrality. Your choice between these glasses depends on whether you prioritize cost-effectiveness and standard clarity or enhanced visibility and aesthetics.
Table of Comparison
| Feature | Clear Float Glass | Extra Clear Glass |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Standard soda-lime glass with iron content | Low iron content glass for higher clarity |
| Visible Light Transmission | About 80-83% | About 91-92% |
| Color Tint | Greenish tint due to iron impurities | Almost colorless, neutral appearance |
| Applications | Windows, general glazing, furniture | Display cases, aquariums, solar panels, high-end glazing |
| Cost | Lower cost | Higher cost due to refining process |
| Thickness Options | 3mm to 12mm standard | 3mm to 12mm standard |
| UV Transmission | Moderate UV filtering | Higher UV filtering depending on treatment |
Understanding Clear Float Glass
Clear float glass is the most common type of glass used in windows and facades, characterized by its slight greenish tint caused by iron content. Extra clear glass, also known as low-iron glass, offers higher transparency and enhanced light transmission due to reduced iron impurities. Understanding the differences between clear float and extra clear glass helps in selecting the right material for applications requiring superior visual clarity and color fidelity.
What Is Extra Clear Glass?
Extra clear glass, also known as low-iron glass, features significantly reduced iron content compared to standard clear float glass, resulting in higher light transmission and superior clarity. This type of glass eliminates the greenish tint typical of regular float glass, making it ideal for applications where true color representation and transparency are critical. When choosing glass for your project, extra clear glass ensures enhanced aesthetic quality and better visibility through windows, display cases, or glass furniture.
Key Differences Between Clear Float and Extra Clear Glass
Clear float glass typically contains iron impurities that give it a slight green tint, while extra clear glass is manufactured with low iron content, resulting in higher optical clarity and true color representation. The difference in iron content affects light transmission, with extra clear glass offering up to 91% light transmittance compared to around 84-88% for standard clear float glass. Applications requiring high transparency and accurate color perception, such as display cases and aquariums, benefit from extra clear glass, whereas clear float glass is suitable for general windows, mirrors, and architectural purposes.
Light Transmission Comparison
Clear float glass typically allows around 80-90% light transmission, providing a natural, slightly greenish tint due to iron content, while extra clear glass offers a higher light transmission rate of approximately 91-92%, resulting in superior clarity and true color representation. The reduced iron oxide in extra clear glass minimizes green tint, making it ideal for applications requiring maximum transparency and color accuracy, such as high-end display cases or architectural glazing. When selecting glass for your project, extra clear glass ensures optimal light transmission to enhance visibility and aesthetic appeal.
Color and Clarity
Clear float glass typically has a greenish tint due to iron content, which can affect the true color representation of objects viewed through it, while extra clear glass, also known as low-iron glass, features significantly reduced iron impurities resulting in superior transparency and minimal color distortion. This enhanced clarity of extra clear glass makes it ideal for applications requiring maximum light transmission and color fidelity, such as in display cases, aquariums, and high-end architectural glazing. In contrast, clear float glass may cause colors to appear slightly muted or altered, which is less critical in general construction and everyday window use.
Applications of Clear Float Glass
Clear float glass is widely used in applications such as windows, doors, partitions, and furniture due to its excellent transparency and cost-effectiveness. Its slight greenish tint makes it suitable for general architectural uses where color distortion is not critical. Your choice of clear float glass supports energy-efficient designs and provides a reliable balance of strength and optical clarity for various structural and decorative purposes.
Uses of Extra Clear Glass
Extra clear glass offers superior clarity and brightness due to its low iron content, making it ideal for display cases, aquariums, and architectural applications where true color representation is essential. This type of glass enhances visibility and aesthetics in retail storefronts, museum exhibits, and underwater tanks, ensuring your products and designs appear vibrant and unobstructed. Its clarity benefits solar panels and greenhouses by maximizing light transmission for better energy efficiency and plant growth.
Cost Differences
Clear float glass typically costs less than extra clear glass due to its higher iron content, which results in a slight green tint and lower manufacturing expenses. Extra clear glass, also known as low-iron glass, undergoes additional refining processes to reduce iron impurities, increasing production costs significantly. The price difference can range from 15% to 30%, making extra clear glass a premium option for applications requiring superior transparency and color neutrality.
Choosing the Right Glass for Your Project
Clear float glass offers a standard level of transparency with a subtle greenish tint due to iron content, making it suitable for most everyday applications. Extra clear glass, also known as low-iron glass, provides superior clarity and color accuracy, ideal for projects requiring enhanced visual aesthetics and reduced green hue. Choosing the right glass for your project depends on whether you prioritize cost-effectiveness or premium optical quality.
Which Glass Is Better: Clear Float or Extra Clear?
Extra clear glass outperforms standard clear float glass by offering higher light transmittance of up to 91%, compared to about 83-87% in clear float glass, due to its lower iron content. This enhanced transparency makes extra clear glass ideal for applications requiring true color representation and minimal green tint, such as high-end display cases, aquariums, and architectural facades. While clear float glass remains a cost-effective option for general purposes, extra clear glass provides superior optical clarity and aesthetic appeal in premium settings.
clear float glass vs extra clear glass Infographic
