This glass bends like plastic but is eight times harder—it’s harder than tooth enamel but softer than quartz. As thin as a piece of paper, this lightweight glass can be used as a laminate for surfaces such as wood, metal, or tough plastic. It’s very smooth and flexible, though it only bends one way and cannot bend three-dimensionally.

Optically clear, this glass transmits over 90% of visible light. Because it doesn’t have pores, it can be used as a barrier to protect sensitive materials against moisture, oxygen, and stains. Changes in temperature won’t affect the size of this glass. It’s easy to sanitize, as it can withstand commercial cleaners, such as bleach and ammonia. The scratch resistance of this glass is better than that of metal, plastic, and soda-lime glass.

Made of aluminosilicate that’s been chemically strengthened, this glass handles more wear and tear than other glass before scratching, cracking, or chipping. It’s often seen on mobile devices and enclosure display windows. This glass withstands drops without shattering from as high as two meters—twice that of standard aluminosilicate, often found as thermometer tubes. It’s also at least three times more resistant to scratching than standard aluminosilicate glass and significantly more so than most common glass. Compared to borosilicate and quartz, it’s harder and stiffer. It’s also more chemical resistant than borosilicate.

Because of how this glass is strengthened, it cannot be cut or trimmed without cracking or shattering. But, unlike glass that is strengthened through coatings, this glass remains optically clear and won’t distort objects. It also reduces glare.

Commonly used as sight glass. Also called Pyrex and Schott glass, borosilicate glass resists clouding and pitting and is highly chemical and heat resistant. With a low rate of thermal expansion, it stays dimensionally stable during changes in temperature.

These short glass tubes can be used as glass bowls in oil dispensers. Borosilicate glass resists clouding and pitting and is highly chemical resistant. With a low rate of thermal expansion, it stays dimensionally stable during changes in temperature.

Also called Pyrex and Schott glass, this glass resists clouding and pitting and is highly chemical and heat resistant. With a low rate of thermal expansion, it stays dimensionally stable during changes in temperature.

Often seen on mobile devices, human-machine interfaces, and other frequently touched surfaces, this aluminosilicate glass has been chemically strengthened and treated to resist bacteria, mold, mildew, algae, and fungi. Gorilla® Glass 3 is harder and stiffer than borosilicate. It’s at least three times more resistant to scratching than standard aluminosilicate glass, often found as thermometer tubes, and significantly more so than most common glass. And it requires 150 times more weight to crack this glass than soda-lime glass, which is what most jars are made of. But because of how this glass is strengthened, it cannot be cut or trimmed without cracking or shattering.

While this glass doesn’t prevent the spread of viruses, its antimicrobial treatment does prevent the growth of 99.9% of bacteria. This treatment doesn’t change its clarity, unlike most coatings used to prevent bacteria on glass, so it remains optically clear and won’t distort objects.