when is tempered glass required by code

It becomes hazardous according to the code when the bottom of the glass is less than 36-inches above the walking surface of the stair or landing. Also known as toughened glass, tempered glass is stronger and safer than regular glass. Broad Range of Energy Efficient Windows, Doors, and Moving Glass Walls Every quality window or door installation starts with a high-quality product from trusted manufacturers. 2. Sunday, November 18, 2018 When window glazing (glass) at stairs is located in what the building code defines as a “hazardous location,” safety glass is required. Safety glass when walk-through hazard exists: All four of (1) >9 sq. For other applications, annealed or heat-strengthened glass is recommended to reduce distortion and … Safety glazing is required in all types of doors except swinging jalousie doors. above walking surface & (4) within 36 in. According to the IRC, every glass panel in fixed, sliding, operable, swinging, or bi-fold doors should contain tempered or laminated glass. ft., (2) lower edge <18 in. The IBC references ASTM E 1300, Standard Practice for Determining Load Resistance of … It is intended for general glazing, and is usually the choice for commercial applications where additional strength is desired to withstand wind load and thermal stress, but the strength of tempered glass is not necessary or required by building safety codes. Many residential building codes require the use of tempered or other safety glass near stairs to reduce the risk of injury in a stair-related trip or fall. the test requirements Exceptions: Mirrors and other glass panels mounted or hung on a surface that provides a continuous backing support Glass unit masonry IRC: Louvered windows and jalousies IBC: Plastic glazing shall meet the weathering requirements of ANSI Z97.1. With tempered glass, what would normally be a moderately annoying chip or crack becomes a need to replace the entire pane. ... 2016, 1:03am #2. The force required to break a bar of unit cross section under tension is the tensile strength. While tempered glass is perfectly safe when properly used, it can pose hidden risks when used in fire-rated applications. You may wonder, “how did this come about?” Here’s a little history. Tempered glass is annoying, I would be PO'd if anybody told me I was required to use it anywhere but in a shower or sliding glass door. Any glass that is within 24 inches of a doorway must be made of tempered glass if the bottom edge of the glass is 60 inches or less above the walking surface. Glass doors. Safety glazing is fully-tempered glass that meets the requirements of the safety glazing standard CPSC 16 CFR 1201 or ANSI Z97.1, or both. The label on tempered glass is required to be acid etched, sandblasted, ceramic-fired, or embossed so that it cannot be removed without destroying the glass. The requirements for screening under skylights and sloped glazing, as set forth in Section 2405.3 of the 2015 IBC are consistent with previous editions of the International Codes. These loads are not to be applied concurrently. The tempering process changes the properties of the glass, so that if it should be broken, it crumbles into dull cubes to minimize any injury. Windows that have the potential for human impact are legally required to contain tempered glass. With all of this said, If this were my home and code requirements required me to use tempered glass, I would go with a 3/8” piece of tempered glass. 2006 IRC Code - Selected Tempered Glass Requirements . As for vertical glass, glass in sloped glazing is to be designed in accordance with ASTM E1300-2012AE01. It depends not only upon the rate of application of the load. Any window glass with 60" of a stair step or landing must be tempered, in case anyone ever fell into it. The first two options for compliance (minimum dual pane with tempered glass, and glass block) are prescriptive. acid or laser etched, sandblasted, ceramic fired, or embossed), except that tempered spandrel 2 glass, which may be provided with removable paper labels. A: Yes, all glass that is within 60 inches vertically from the tub or shower drain must, according to Indiana Codes, be tempered glass. Tempered glass is created by heating standard annealed glass and then rapidly cooling the heated glass to create a stress layer. Custom Windows is committed to investigating and researching every product of our catalog to ensure it meets your expectations. Specific Inspection Topics. Tempered spandrel glass is permitted to be identified by the manufacturer with a removable paper designation. Strength involves the idea of resistance to rupture. IBC 2018 not only details the code for handrails, it also covers code for handrails with glass infill. Glass in any door; 2. Exception: Single fully tempered glass complying with Category II of CPSC 16 CFR Part 1201 or Class A of ANSI Z97.1 shall be permitted to be used in handrails and guardrails where there is no walking surface beneath them or the walking surface is permanently protected from the risk of falling glass. The bottom edge of window may also be more than 60" from the floor or stand surface. Glass in any kind of shower, bathtub area, hot tub, steam room, sauna or whirlpool area where the bottom edge of the glass is less than 60 inches above a standing surface and drain outlet… The code references listed below can be used as a guideline to determine when For other kinds of safety glass (laminated or heat-strengthened) the label may be omitted if the building official … The glass is not within the tub wall/the floor or stand surface of the tub. Glass used in a handrail, guardrail or a guard section shall be laminated glass constructed of fully tempered or heat-strengthened glass and shall comply with Category II or CPSC 16 CFR Part 1201 or Class A of ANSI Z 97.1. Fully tempered glass installed without protective screens where glazed between intervening floors at a slope of 30 degrees (0.52 rad) or less from the verti- cal plane shall have the highest point of the glass 10 feet (3048 mm) or less above the walking surface. horizontal of walking surface. The California Energy Code has resulted in dual pane windows being the norm in new construction. Tempered glass required at bathroom window or not? According to the IRC, all glass panels in fixed, sliding, swinging, operable, or bifold doors should have tempered glass or laminated glass installed. I can’t tell from here. Heat-strengthened glass is not a safety glass product as defined by building codes. strength. The areas considered to be hazardous safety glazing areas requiring tempered glass are: 1. First, tempered glass is extremely sensitive to high levels of thermal stress, or uneven heating or cooling. windows and doors installed when the house was built) may need to be replaced with tempered glass when building an addition, porch or deck onto an existing house. Interior Inspections. concentrated or 50 lb/ft uniform. Tempered glass- A single piece of specially heat-treated or chemically treated That is why Tempered glass is also called Safety glass. The International Residential Code and the International Building Code each have a list of hazardous locations where you needs safety glazing, in most cases this means tempered glass. The most common load requirement is 200 lbs. When tempered glass is broken, this stress layer is what causes tempered glass to shatter into small pieces instead of large shards like annealed glass. Safety Glazing 5 Impact Test CPSC 16 CFR 1201 Although tempered glass is strongest, PPG recommends its use only where required by code as a safety glazing or for thermal stress or wind load. above walking surface (3) upper edge >36 in. Then it appears to throw it all under the bus with the final statement. Tempered Glass Overview Prior to 2015, the requirements for glass in glass railing were for tempered or heat-strengthened glass. There are two types of glass commonly used as infill panels in glass railing systems, tempered laminated glass and monolithic tempered glass. Tempered glass 1 must be permanently marked (e.g. Since 2015, the International Code Council (ICC) has required that all glass used in glass railings be laminated, heat-strengthened or tempered glass. Bathroom window safety glass is required if the bottom edge of the window is within 60” from the tub or shower standing surface. Although heat-strengthened glass is NOT a safety glazing by building code, this breakage pattern prevents the glass from falling and injuring someone. This bathroom window safety glass requirement has been with us since 1991 edition of the Uniform Building Code. When it comes to tempered glass, the key word is “safety.” I first became aware of the requirement for tempered glass in the home in 1975 when Indiana adopted the … This alone should disqualify tempered glass from being used in any application that requires a fire-resistance rating. The other issue to keep in mind is that the glass industry recommends a safety factor of four for tempered glass. The glass shatters into small blocks that are much less likely to cause injurey. Some cities have their own specific code requirements that may call for the use of tempered safety glass in addition to what state and international codes call for. Illustration by Paddy Morrissey courtesy of Code Check ©2013*. Most codes will require one or the other or the more conservative of the two. According to "Code Check Complete: An Illustrated Guide to the Building, Mechanical, and Electrical Codes" by Redwood Kardon, et al., conditions requiring a window to have tempered glass include a window lower than 18 inches from the ground, larger than 9 square feet in area, with a top higher than 3 feet above the ground and an interior or exterior path within three feet of the window. I say no. The International Residential Code (IRC) sets building codes that specify locations where homeowners should install tempered glass in their home to prevent injury or death. Glazing in nearby existing windows and doors (i.e. Two exceptions are allowed: The code goes into great detail on how a tempered panel is to be labeled. ... not by code. Since 1991 edition of the load have the potential for human Impact legally. Annoying chip or crack becomes a need to replace the entire pane is also safety... 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