Why Tempered Glass Shower Doors Cannot Be Cut

Tempered glass is a type of safety glass that is commonly used in shower doors because it is more resistant to breaking than regular glass. Tempered glass undergoes a special process where it is heated to high temperatures and then rapidly cooled. This creates a strong outer layer of compression and a weaker inner layer of tension, which gives the glass its strength and safety properties. However, because of this unique manufacturing process, tempered glass cannot be cut once it has been tempered.

The reason for this is that tempered glass is already under a significant amount of internal stress due to the manufacturing process. If you were to try and cut a tempered glass shower door, it would cause the glass to shatter into small, uniform pieces due to the internal stress. This is because the cutting process would disrupt the balance of tension and compression in the glass, causing it to break into tiny pieces.

For this reason, it is important to make sure that any measurements for a tempered glass shower door are accurate before the glass is tempered. Any necessary adjustments to the size or shape of the glass should be made before the tempering process. Once the glass has been tempered, it cannot be cut or resized without breaking it.