Monoglass or triplex: which glass is better for fences?

When it comes to safe and aesthetic glass fences for stairs, balconies or terraces, the customer faces an important question: What type of glass to choose — tempered monoclass or triplex with PVB film? At first glance, the solution may seem simple, but if you dig deeper, there are nuances.

Why is this question important today?

Ten years ago, the triplex was perceived as an expensive option and was used mainly for large-scale projects: facades or large stained glass windows. But technology has changed, and laminated glass has become more affordable. In addition, it has an important property — when broken, it does not crumble into fragments, but remains intact thanks to a special film between the layers of glass.

Sounds convincing, right? But is triplex always the best fencing solution?

How were the tests conducted?

To test this in practice, we examined the behavior of two types of fences:

• Cantilever construction with glass mounted in the tire;
• Stand construction with point fastening on bolts.

Two materials were compared:

• Tempered monofilament glass;
• Triplex — two layers of glass with PVB polymer film between them.

Engineers created a test rig in the form of an L-profile, where they manually simulated the load. Fragments measuring about 1.2 × 1.2 meters for the consoles and 1.25 × 0.9 meters for the racks were tested.

We tested several load points: in the middle, closer to the edges and in the corners - this is where the glass undergoes the greatest deformation in real life.

What did the results show?

The test results gave an unequivocal answer:

• Monofilament glass holds its shape much better under load.
• Triplex turned out to be noticeably more susceptible to deformation: it bends under pressure more than tempered glass of similar thickness.

In other words, although the triplex has a safety advantage (does not fly to pieces), it worse withstands local loads, which is especially important for stairs and balcony fences.

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What does this mean for real objects?

When it comes to fences that are often relied upon, locally pressed or pushed, Monofilament glass is a safer choice. It better resists point loads and is less deformed.

But where safety in case of destruction is important (for example, in large facade systems or glazed roofs), the triplex remains non-alternative.

The choice of material is not only about beauty, but also about functionality and safety. In our projects, we always select glass that will meet real loads and usage scenarios. Because even the best aesthetics must be backed up by engineering.