Doors and partitions
Frameless door leaves, partition panes and side screens in 10mm and 12mm.
Glass Products
Tempered / Toughened Glass
Safety glass processed and toughened to your sizes — from 6mm shelves to 19mm structural panels, with every hole, notch and edge finish machined before the furnace.
- 6mm to 19mm
- Cut, drilled and polished to order
- Supply only or installed
Who this work is for
- Contractors
- Interior designers
- Joinery workshops
- Homeowners
Tempered / Toughened Glass — project photograph required
Real Al Makan photography goes here. No stock imagery is used on this site.
In practice
What toughening actually does to a sheet of glass
Toughened glass is ordinary float glass that has been heated to roughly 620°C and then cooled very rapidly with jets of air. The surfaces cool and set first while the core is still hot. As the core then cools and contracts, it pulls the already-rigid surfaces into compression. The result is a pane whose outer skin is permanently squeezed and whose centre is permanently in tension — and that locked-in stress is where all of its properties come from.
It makes the glass roughly four to five times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness, and it changes how it fails. When a crack finally penetrates the compressed skin, all that stored energy releases at once and the whole pane disintegrates into small blunt granules rather than long shards. That is why toughened glass is classed as safety glass, and why it is required in doors, shower enclosures, low-level glazing and anywhere a person could walk into it.
The consequence that catches people out is that toughened glass cannot be modified afterwards. Cutting it, drilling it or grinding an edge releases the stress and the pane explodes. Every hole for a hinge, every notch for a lock, every polished edge and every cut-out has to be machined into the annealed sheet before it goes into the furnace. This is not a limitation of any particular supplier — it is physics, and it is why an accurate measurement matters so much more on toughened work than on almost anything else.
One further property is worth knowing about because it occasionally surprises people. Microscopic nickel sulphide inclusions can be trapped in the glass during manufacture, and years later such an inclusion can expand slightly and trigger the pane to shatter with no impact at all. It is rare, and in a shelf or a shower screen it is an inconvenience. In a balcony barrier it is a serious matter, which is why barriers should be laminated rather than monolithic toughened.
Cutting toughened glass releases the stress and the pane explodes. Every hole is machined before the furnace.
Where it is used
Tempered / Toughened Glass — typical applications
The situations this work most often solves. If yours is not listed, it is still worth asking.
Shower enclosures
8mm and 10mm panels with polished edges and machined hinge cut-outs.
Balustrade infill
Toughened infill within a framed balustrade, where the frame carries the load.
Splashbacks
Toughened panels behind hobs, where annealed glass would crack from thermal stress.
Shelving and furniture
Shelves, table tops and cabinet glass with polished or bevelled edges.
Windows and facades
Toughened panes within window and curtain wall systems where impact or thermal stress requires it.
Design possibilities
Options you can choose from
Finishes, configurations and specification choices available on this work. Samples can be provided before anything is committed.
Thickness
6, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 19mm, chosen from pane size, span and application.
Base glass
Clear float, low-iron for maximum clarity, or body-tinted grey, bronze, green and blue.
Edge finish
Arrised, flat ground, flat polished, pencil polished, or bevelled from 10mm to 25mm.
Processing
Holes, notches, cut-outs, radius corners and shaped cutting — all before toughening.
Surface treatment
Acid etching, sandblasting or ceramic printing applied before toughening so it becomes permanent.
Supply option
Supplied loose to your workshop or site, or fabricated and installed by our own team.
Why it matters
What you get
-
Genuine safety glass
Breaks into blunt granules rather than shards — the reason it is mandatory in doors and low-level glazing.
-
4–5× stronger
Handles impact and thermal stress that would crack annealed glass of the same thickness.
-
Processed before the furnace
Every hole and edge is machined first, from your drawing or our survey.
-
Supply or install
Delivered loose for your own fitter, or fabricated and fitted by us — whichever suits the job.
Technical
Specification notes
- Thickness range
- 6mm to 19mm in clear, low-iron and body-tinted glass.
- Processing
- CNC cutting, drilling, notching, shaping and edge polishing, all pre-toughening.
- Heat soaking
- Available where the risk of nickel sulphide inclusion needs to be reduced on critical installations.
- Surface work
- Acid etch, sandblast and ceramic frit applied before toughening so it cannot wear off.
- Tolerances
- Toughened glass cannot be adjusted after manufacture, so dimensions are confirmed in writing before cutting.
- Not suitable for
- Overhead glazing and barriers on their own — those need laminated construction.
Final specification is confirmed at survey, against the actual opening, exposure and use.
How we do it
Our process for tempered / toughened glass
The steps specific to this work — not a generic checklist.
- 01
Confirm sizes and processing
Dimensions, hole positions, notches and edge finish agreed and signed off, because none of it can change later.
- 02
Cut and machine
Sheets cut to size, then drilled, notched and edge-worked while still annealed.
- 03
Apply surface finishes
Sandblasting, etching or ceramic printing carried out before the furnace where specified.
- 04
Toughen
Heated and quenched, producing the compressive surface layer that defines the product.
- 05
Deliver or install
Packed and delivered to your workshop, or fitted by our team as part of a larger package.
Get a price for tempered / toughened glass
Send drawings, dimensions or a photograph of the space. For anything beyond a straightforward replacement we will arrange a survey, because measuring it ourselves is the only way to quote a price that will not move.
Questions
Tempered / Toughened Glass — frequently asked
No — and neither can anyone else. Cutting, drilling or grinding toughened glass releases the internal stress and shatters the pane. If a size is wrong, a new pane is made. This is why we confirm dimensions in writing before cutting anything.
It depends on pane size, how it is supported and what it has to resist. As a guide: 6mm for small shelves, 8mm for shower screens, 10–12mm for doors and partitions, 15–19mm for structural applications. We size it against your specific situation rather than defaulting.
Yes — the two terms describe the same product and the same process. "Tempered" is more common in American usage and "toughened" in British and Gulf usage. You will see both on specifications.
Not on its own. A barrier has to keep working after a failure, and toughened glass can shatter spontaneously years later from a nickel sulphide inclusion. Barriers should be laminated toughened, so the panel stays in place if one ply breaks.
Yes. Plenty of our work is supplying processed toughened glass to joinery workshops, contractors and other fitters. Tell us at enquiry stage, because it changes how the panels are packed and edge-protected.
Related work
Often needed alongside this
Laminated Glass
Laminated safety glass for barriers, overhead glazing, security and acoustic applications.
Explore service
Sandblast Glass
Sandblasted and acid-etched glass for privacy, manifestation, branding and decorative panels.
Explore service
Curved & Bent Glass
Heat-bent curved glass for shopfronts, counters, balustrades, showers and display work.
Explore service
Frameless Shower Enclosures
Frameless, semi-frameless, walk-in and sliding enclosures cut to the exact fall of your bathroom.
Explore service
Get in touch
Tell us about the job
Drawings, dimensions or just a photo of the space — whatever you have is enough to start.
- Call us +971 56 436 9675
- WhatsApp +971 56 436 9675
- Email almakan.uae@gmail.com
- Workshop & office Ajman Industrial Area 1, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Opening hours Open daily · 08:00 AM – 11:59 PM