annealed glass

Annealed glass is standard float glass that has been slowly cooled after manufacture to leave it internally stress-free. It is the cheapest base glass product and the substrate from which toughened and laminated glass are made. When annealed glass breaks, it produces long, sharp shards.

Under AS 1288:2021, annealed glass is permitted only outside human-impact zones and within the thickness and pane-area limits in Section 5 of the standard. Typical residential uses are standard windows with sills above 500 mm, picture-frame glazing, and internal partitions away from doors. Where AS 1288 requires Grade A safety glazing (shower screens, balustrades, low-level windows, doors and side panels, glass adjacent to doors), annealed is replaced with toughened glass or laminated glass under AS/NZS 2208:1996.

Installing annealed glass in a Grade A safety location is one of the most common glazing breaches caught at PCI: shower screens in annealed instead of toughened, low-level bedroom windows that should be safety-glazed, and balustrade infills in non-safety glass. The glazier carries the AS 1288 selection decision; the builder should confirm the order paperwork against the AS 1288 schedule before installation.

Also known as: float glass, standard glass.

Category: Glass types.

Related

• AS 1288:2021 glass in buildings, the standard that decides where annealed glass is and is not allowed
• Float (annealed) glass, the deeper materials-pillar article with thicknesses, manufacturers, and pricing

See also

• Toughened glass, the Grade A substitute in shower screens, doors, and low windows
• Laminated glass, the Grade A substitute in balustrades and overhead glazing
• Safety glazing, the broader category annealed glass sits outside of
• Glazier (trade), the trade responsible for AS 1288 selection

---

Last updated: 2026-05-13. Verified: 2026-05-13. Quarterly review for currency.