clearviewsg.co.uk · Made to measure in Great Britain · 10-year guarantee
Every glass we stock is rated out of 5 for four things: heat retention, sound reduction, safety and privacy. Your answers here decide which of those matter.
Importance becomes a multiplier
Low counts once, Medium twice, High three times. We multiply each glass rating by your importance, add the totals up, and the highest score wins - provided the panel still comes in under the weight limit for that system.
What each problem is scored against
You tell us
We score
Noise / soundproofing
Sound reduction
Cold, draughts & heat loss
Heat retention
Condensation
Heat retention
Safety & security
Safety rating
Privacy
Privacy rating
Size matters too - larger panes need thicker glass before we start scoring, and a wide reveal can make premium acoustic glass unnecessary.
The air gap between your existing glass and the secondary unit does more for performance than the glass itself. It is the number that most changes our advice.
Air gap
What you get
Under 50 mm
Tight. Still worthwhile, but the glass specification has to do more of the work.
50-80 mm
The ideal range for heat retention and condensation control.
100 mm and over
Good sound reduction. Acoustic glass adds more on top.
150-200 mm
The ideal range for noise. At this depth the gap is doing the heavy lifting, so we will not push you towards premium acoustic glass you do not need.
Leave the field blank and we assume a typical 50-80 mm reveal, which is what most homes have.
These three answers change the system we put in front of you, not just the wording of the advice.
How often you open the window
This is the biggest single factor in which system we recommend. Daily use needs a sliding or hinged unit that opens with the primary window. Fire escape and easy-clean requirements push us to tilt-in sliders. We recommend an opening system as standard rather than a removable lift-out panel.
Room type
Bathrooms bring obscure glass into the running. Bedrooms weight noise more heavily, and kitchens weight condensation.
Property context
Listed buildings and conservation areas are where secondary glazing does best, because it is internal and fully reversible. We flag the relevant points rather than changing the product.
Ratings are out of 5 and are relative to each other, not absolute measurements. We use them to rank options against what you told us matters.
Glass
Thickness
Heat
Sound
Safety
Privacy
4mm Toughened Premium standard - strong all-rounder for most homes.
4 mm
2
1
2
-
6mm Toughened Extra mass for larger panels and better sound.
6 mm
3
2
3
-
6mm Low E Toughened Best thermal upgrade for larger panels - Low-E coating in 6 mm glass.
6 mm
5
2
3
-
Low E Toughened Best thermal upgrade - up to ~10% more insulation than standard.
4 mm
5
1
2
-
6.4mm Clear Laminate Shatterproof Class B safety with solid acoustic gain.
6.4 mm
2
3
4
-
6.4mm Clear Acoustic Stadip Silence - excellent for high noise when the air gap is limited.
6.4 mm
2
5
4
-
6.8mm Clear Laminate Class A safety glass - strong security deterrent.
6.8 mm
2
3
5
-
6.8mm Clear Acoustic Class A acoustic laminate for demanding noise environments.
6.8 mm
2
5
5
-
8.8mm Laminate Heavy-duty laminate for high-performance applications.
8.8 mm
3
4
5
-
10.8mm Acoustic Maximum acoustic glass for roads, airports and extreme noise.
10.8 mm
2
5
5
-
Obscure Toughened Textured privacy glass - bathrooms and obscured rooms. Price on application.
4 mm
2
1
2
5
Satin Toughened Frosted privacy with higher obscurity. Price on application.
4 mm
2
1
2
5
Thicker glass is heavier, so on large panels the top-scoring option is not always available - each system has a maximum panel weight we check against.
