Glass Terminology

Bi-fold Door: a door that folds in the middle, usually having one end in a fixed position while the other runs along a guide track.  A bi-fold is similar to a telephone booth door.

Clear Glass: glass that is transparent and has a characteristic green edge.  This green edge is caused by the refraction of light through the iron in the glass.

Low Iron Glass:  glass that has undergone a process to remove iron, resulting in an ultraclear look with water white edges.

Fixed Panels: the glass panels of an enclosure that are stationary.  Typically, Ridgefield Glass uses ½” glass for these panels.

Framed Shower:  a bath enclosure system that mounts all glass panels in a metal frame.  This concept is the same as a picture frame.  The glass is typically less than ¼” in thickness.

Semi-frameless Shower: a bath enclosure system that mounts all glass panels in a metal frame except the door.  The amount of metal is minimally less than a framed shower.  The glass is typically ¼” in thickness.

Frameless Shower: a bath enclosure system that minimizes the amount of metal used to hold the system panels and door in place, typically using 3/8” glass and installed with wall clips, wall channel and/or a header.

Ultra Frameless Shower: a bath enclosure system developed by Ridgefield Glass in 1991 that eliminates wall clips, wall channel and headers to give the most elegant design of a frameless shower system.  Glass is typically ½” in thickness.

Laminated Glass: glass that has been made by uniting layers of glass with a plastic film in order to increase the strength of the glass so the glass meets safety glazing requirements.

Tempered Glass: glass that has been strengthened by a process of gradually heating and cooling. Once a piece of glass has been tempered it cannot be cut. If it breaks, it breaks into many small pieces. By code, all glass shower doors and enclosures must use tempered or laminated glass.

Neo-angle Shower: a shower that consists of a center door with two fixed panels at a 22.5 to 45 degree angle on either side of the door.

Return panels: fixed panels that are set at a 90° angle to the shower door.

Steam Shower: an enclosure that is usually equipped with special plumbing to create steam. The door itself either runs from the floor to the ceiling or has a top (i.e., transom) with special seals to contain the steam.