Specialty Glass
We supply and fabricate specialty glass for jobs that standard float cannot do: ceramic glass for stove and furnace windows, fused silica and fused quartz for UV and high-purity optics, patterned glass for lighting, and colored, tinted and UV-blocking glass. Each type is cut, edged and, where the material allows, strengthened to your drawing.
Capabilities
Heat-resistant
Ceramic glass, Robax®, Neoceram® · Up to 700 °C continuous
UV and high purity
Corning 7980 fused silica · GE 124 fused quartz
Optical crown glass
SCHOTT B 270 SuperWhite · Up-drawn, fire-polished
Patterned glass
Solite™, C-73 Prismatic · Skytex Linear, Pattern 62™
Colored and tinted
9 solid colors · Grey, bronze, green tints
Protective
Museum-grade UV blocking glass · High visible transmission
Gallery
Get a specialty glass quote
Tell us the operating temperature, wavelength or lighting effect you need, and we will recommend the glass and process route.
Which Specialty Glass Solves Your Problem?
Specialty glass is chosen by the problem it solves, so we start from the requirement rather than the material name.
Extreme heat
Ceramic glass (Robax®, Neoceram®) is a transparent ceramic with virtually zero thermal expansion, rated for 700 °C in continuous service. It is the glass for wood stoves, fireplaces and furnace sight windows.
Deep UV or high purity
Corning 7980 fused silica transmits far into the UV; GE 124 fused quartz offers very low OH content and high chemical resistance. Both have very low thermal expansion.
Light spread for fixtures
Patterned glass such as C-73 Prismatic and Skytex Linear spreads light over about 55°, while Solite™ and Pattern 62™ diffuse it.
Color, tint or UV protection
Solid colored glass for signals and lighting, tinted glass to cut glare and solar heat, and museum-grade glass that blocks UV while keeping visible transmission high.
Optical crown sheet
SCHOTT B 270 SuperWhite is an up-drawn crown glass with a fire-polished surface, high visible transmittance and resistance to solar radiation, often used in biotech parts.
Heat Resistance Compared
For heated windows, the service temperature and the temperature difference the glass can take across the pane decide the material. Values are for 6 mm (1/4 in) glass.
| Glass | Normal service temperature | Max temperature difference across the pane | Thermal expansion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic glass (Robax®) | 700 °C | — | 0.27 × 10⁻⁶ /°C |
| Borofloat® 33, tempered | 260 °C | 108 °C | 3.3 × 10⁻⁶ /°C |
| Borofloat® 33, annealed | 230 °C | 54 °C | 3.3 × 10⁻⁶ /°C |
| Soda lime, tempered | 220 °C | 49 °C | 9.4 × 10⁻⁶ /°C |
| Soda lime, annealed | 110 °C | 16 °C | 9.4 × 10⁻⁶ /°C |
Above about 260 °C, or wherever an open flame meets the glass, ceramic glass is the only option in this table.
Other Specialty Glass Types
Patterned glass for lighting
Solite™ is a low-iron rolled glass with a stippled surface and high transmission. C-73 Prismatic is low-iron rolled glass with a prismatic face that spreads light over 55°, used in lighting fixtures. Skytex Linear has a 1/8 in (3 mm) fluted pattern that gives a 55° spread, horizontal or vertical depending on orientation. Pattern 62™ diffuses light and can be backlit. Glass can also be sandblasted or frosted on any surface at different grit levels, and Croco and Rain patterns are available for decorative work. Solite, linear, ribbed and prismatic patterns can be fully tempered.
Solid colored glass
Colored through its full thickness in Primary Red, Green, Blue and Yellow, Light and Medium Blue, Amber, Mercury Vapor Green and Lavender. Because the color is in the glass, not on it, it cannot wear off. Colored glass can be heat strengthened, but not fully tempered.
Tinted glass
Green, grey and bronze tints, plus Solarcool® Grey and Bronze, reduce glare and solar heat gain. Tinted glass can be fully heat tempered.
Museum-grade UV blocking glass
Blocks the full UV spectrum while keeping visible transmission high, to slow fading and photochemical damage to textiles, watercolors, documents and artwork in display cases and frames.
Fused Silica or Fused Quartz?
Both are nearly pure SiO₂ with very low thermal expansion, but they are made differently and suit different jobs. Corning 7980 fused silica is synthetic, which gives it very high transmission deep into the UV. GE 124 fused quartz is melted from natural crystalline quartz; it transmits less in the UV but has much lower OH content.
The OH content matters in two places. Hydroxyl groups absorb in the near-infrared around 2.7 µm, so low-OH quartz is preferred for IR windows, and low OH also helps at very high temperatures. For a UV-C window or a deep-UV optic, choose fused silica; for high-temperature sight glasses, lamp envelopes and IR windows, choose fused quartz.