Glass is a widely used material in the production and installation of balustrades: it has been tested and proven reliable for self-supporting balustrade structures, as well as for infill panels in stair railings, balcony and terrace barriers, and French windows (portfenetres) – in both exterior and interior constructions.
For the design and implementation of glass barriers, safety glass should be used, such as tempered ESG and laminated VSG. Common configurations/glass packages include ESG VSG 44.2, 55.4, 66.4, 88.4, 1010.4, and 1212.4 (among many others). These glass packages are calculated and selected by the structural engineer based on expected static and dynamic loads at the installation site, using various glass thicknesses and appropriate numbers of PVB or EVA interlayer films. For instance, the 1010.4 package consists of two 10 mm glass layers laminated during an autoclaving process with four interlayers, each 0.38 mm thick.
The glass can be float, low-iron (e.g., Optiwhite), tinted in mass, with or without coatings. The interlayers can be transparent, matte (with possible matte gradation), colored (with varying colors, intensity gradients, and degrees of transparency). Glass may also feature prints (UV in laminate, ceramic external prints) and can be flat or curved.
Self-supporting glass balustrades are typically mounted linearly in a mounting rail, but glass infills can also be installed using point fixings (glass with drilled holes), profiles, or clamping brackets.
According to the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 12, 2002, with subsequent amendments, "on technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location," the height and infill of vertical balustrade planes must provide effective protection against falling. Additionally, "glass elements of balustrades should be made of glass with increased impact resistance, breaking into small, blunt fragments" (paragraph 298, point 1). Based on this provision and the requirements in the construction industry, it can be concluded that glass used in balustrades should be both laminated and tempered.