What is Double Glazing?

Australians, like many people want to be well informed on new and exciting products that become available on our market. This is especially true with new technological advancements with phones and computers, and is no different in the building industry.

Double glazing is gaining interest for many different reasons like; increased thermal performance, energy saving solutions, sound reduction and added security. However, many people still ask, “What is double glazing?”

To better understand double glazing, it’s important to know the basics. Double glazing is the combination of two panes of glass that are separated by a cavity. That cavity can be just air, or it can be pressurised with a gas, to greatly increase the performance of the double glazing unit. Majority of the time argon gas is used.

Laminated glass is generally mistaken for double glazing. Laminated glass is two panes of glass that are stuck together with a layer of plastic. This pane of glass will have improved properties because of the thicker glass, but this laminated glass is still only single glazing.

In order to have a double glazed system, two panes of glass need to be separated by a cavity in the same frame. This is not to be confused with ‘secondary glazing’, which is ultimately a second window frame that is installed to replicate the benefits of double glazing. Majority of the time, perspex or plastic is used instead of glass, and unfortunately this solution does not perform as efficiently as a genuine double glazing system.