How Wide Can a Glass Panel be?
To price your balustrade requirement first choose the shape most similar to yours
Glass Balustrades normally have to be made up of more than one glass panel, and so we frequently get asked how many panels are required and what the available options for the width of the glass panels are in our balustrading.
Although it's technically feasible to manufacture, transport, and install glass at almost any width, there are some very real and practical considerations to take into account before deciding.
How wide can a glass panel be?
In theory glass panels can be manufactured as wide as 3.2m and even larger with some thicknesses. You must also consider not just the manufacturing process in the factory, where there is special machinery, cranes and more, but you must think about the practicalities of transport, offloading and labour on site, plus installation.
Therefore we normally recommend the maximum width for glass balustrades panels be 1.2 meters wide. Our manufacturing software will generally design glass panels widths to be between 0.6m to around 1.0m in width.
What should I consider before deciding on panel sizes?
Glass panels that are up to 1.1-1.2m width are easier to transport as they fit on standard pallets. These sizes can usually be offloaded manually from the lorry.
Larger glass panels, on the other hand, don't fit on a standard pallet. They need special packing or glass stillages and all of this results in higher delivery costs and potentially longer delivery lead times.
2.Easier, more cost-effective installation
From offloading, through temporary storage and getting the goods to the installation location, the size and weight of the glass panels has an enormous effect on labour costs. A single pane of 10mm thick glass weighs around 25kg per square metre. This kind of weight can be lifted and maneuvered into place without too much trouble or assistance required. The thicker the glass and the wider the panel, the more weight it results in and at some sizes you may require mechanical means which come at no small cost. As larger panels weigh more, you'll require additional individuals to handle, position, and install the glass balustrading, consequently increasing the on-site labour and installation costs.
3.Lowered risk and lowered potential replacement costs.
Due to their larger size and increased weight, handling larger glass panels becomes more cumbersome. This elevates the risk of inadvertently dropping or knocking a glass panel during installation. Such an incident can lead to setbacks in your project timeline and impact your budget, as you'll need to wait for a replacement panel to be manufactured and delivered.
Regardless of your level of caution, accidents can occur. If they do happen, using the recommended sizes/widths of glass panels proves beneficial. Not only will you have a smaller width to secure while awaiting the replacement panel, but the cost of replacement will also be more reasonable. Additionally, sourcing and delivering replacement panels will be quicker due to their conventional size.
4.Using Balconette’s range of standard glass sizes held in stock
At Balconette we have created a giant warehouse of glass panels with predetermined sizes. Our design software works to design the balustrade sizes to utilise these panels. With over 13,000 panels in the warehouse this allows great flexibility, but what’s in it for you, you may ask?
First and foremost is availability, with some glass companies now quoting 4-6 weeks supply time for glass, this allows speedy supply. More importantly however is availability of replacements. Damage can occur both in transport and installation, this can happen, and then what? Wait another 4 weeks. That can be a real drawback. Lastly but not least, utilising our standard panel design suits the pocket much better as we price this option much more cost-effectively than non-stock glass.
Frameless Glass Balustrades
One of the advantage of frameless glass balustrades is that the runs are unlimited by post divisions. This in theory allows you to use any panel size limited almost only by the length of the run, or the largest size of glass that can be feasibly made. Installing a single large glass panel or a series of wider panels might seem appealing. The prospect of an uninterrupted expanse of crystal-clear glass, free from posts, promises unobstructed views and an awe-inspiring aesthetic to your project. But is utilizing very wide glass panels the best option?
By selecting our SG12 Frameless balustrade system or a Hybrid® system with minimal posts, you can achieve a setup that appears seamless, much like employing a series of broader panels. Unlike systems that use regular posts and clamps, where the post is emphasized, Balconette's balustrading solutions provide the flexibility of setting up a boundary composed almost solely of glass panels. There will be small gaps between the panels to account for expansion and contraction, but these are scarcely noticeable when looking at the balustrade as a whole, and in some cases, customer have fed back that the vertical polished edge of the glass is a feature in itself.
When can you not avoid large panels?
There is one product that always requires a single glass panel, and there is no option to avoid that. That is the Frameless Juliet, where the glass panel spans across the door opening and its length is the barrier.
In this case there is no option to avoid use of large panels when the doors are wide. The frameless Juliet can be supplied to an overall width of 3.3m which uses a glass panel of 3.2m wide that weighs a whopping 180kgs!
See how the panels are designed:
Using our 3D design tools, you can check for yourself how the panels are designed and divided, try it out and enter your sizes to see:
