Tempered glass can be scratched. Fabricating debris attached to the surface during heat treatment is one recognised cause, particularly if the particles are dragged across the glass during cleaning.
Tempered glass has been heat-treated, this makes it much stronger. When properly tempered, a panel of glass should be resistant to scratches when it is scraped with something sharp such as a blade. Sometimes you will come across tempered glass that shows scratches.
Majority of scratches in tempered glass are caused by microscopic abrasive debris, known as fabricating debris. This is a manufacturing defect that has a consequence of low-quality tempered glass as well as an increased chance of the surface being scratched during cleaning.
One of the most important steps in the production of tempered glass is the washing of the glass. This occurs after it has been firstly been cut to the desired size or shape and then buffed to remove the sharp edges. Sadly, some glass manufacturers do not do a thorough job of washing the glass before it goes into the tempering furnace.
If the washers used in the production process are not regularly cleaned and maintained, microscopic dust or debris can be transferred to the glass. The glass panels can still have these particles stuck to the surface and when the glass enters the tempering process it will fuse to the surface of the glass. Then, after installation, when the glass is cleaned, this debris can be detached and dragged across the surface, leaving visible scratches on the glass.
You can remove adhesive, paint, and other sticky substances from glass windows with a good quality scraper with a razor blade. However, to ensure that your tempered glass windows continue to stay scratch-free, you need to be sure that you, or your window cleaner, do not use a blade when cleaning the glass. When a blade is scraped across the window, fabrication debris that is fused to the glass could be dislodged and leave scratches on the surface.
Whether a scratched pane can be repaired depends on the depth and location of the damage and the type of glass. Some surface scratches can be professionally polished, although polishing should be assessed by a specialist because removing material from the glass can introduce optical distortion. Deeper damage may require assessment by a glazier to determine whether the pane should be replaced.
If the glass is otherwise suitable to retain, our anti-graffiti film can provide a clear sacrificial layer over the surface and may also make existing scratches less visible.
If a pane has already been marked and replacing the glass is not your preferred option, our frosted and decorative film can help obscure surface marks while changing the appearance of the glass. If the priority is helping the glass stay together if it breaks, our safety and security film is designed for that purpose.
