Door Glass

The glass in your door affects privacy, light and security. All our door glass is toughened or laminated safety glass, as Building Regulations require for doors.

Choosing door glass is mostly about balancing light against privacy, then picking a style that suits the door. This guide explains the rules, the main types of glass and how to choose the right one for each door in your home.

Door glass and the safety rules

Approved Document K covers glazing in critical locations, the places people are most likely to walk into or fall against glass. In and around doors, that means any glass below 1500mm from the floor in the door itself, and in side panels within 300mm of either edge of the door.

Glass in these areas must break safely or resist breaking. There are two ways to do that:

• Toughened glass is heat-treated to around four to five times the strength of ordinary glass. If it does break, it shatters into small, blunt pieces. It is made to BS EN 12150.
• Laminated glass has a plastic interlayer between two sheets. If it cracks, the pieces stay stuck to the interlayer, so the pane stays in the frame. This also makes it harder to break through.

Our safety glass guide explains the difference in more detail.

Obscure glass

Obscure glass lets light in while blurring the view, so it is the usual choice for front doors and bathrooms. Satin glass gives a smooth frosted finish with the most privacy.

Patterned obscure glasses come in different privacy levels. Higher levels hide more detail. For a front door onto a street, choose a high privacy level so callers can’t see into your hallway. See our obscure glass guide for the options.

Clear glass

Clear glass suits back doors and doors onto a garden, where you want the view.

It is the natural choice for French, patio and bifold doors, where the whole point is to see out. If a door is overlooked, consider obscure glass in the lower half of a stable or half-glazed door and clear glass above.

Decorative glass

Decorative and bevelled designs add character to a composite door. The designer shows the effect on your door style.

Decorative door glass often includes obscure or textured areas, so it can give privacy as well as style. Match it to the age of the house: simple bevels and leaded designs suit period homes, while plain satin panels suit modern ones. Compare door types in our composite vs uPVC doors guide.

Energy efficiency

Every glazed panel is a sealed double-glazed unit with low-E glass and warm-edge spacer bars.

Low-E glass has a thin, invisible coating that reflects heat back into the room. Warm-edge spacers sit between the two panes and reduce heat loss around the edge of the unit, which also cuts condensation at the bottom of the glass.

Glass and security

Door glass is often the first thing a burglar looks at. Laminated glass is the stronger choice for security because it holds together when struck. Pair good glass with a quality lock and an anti-snap cylinder. Our door locks and security guide explains what to look for.

Choosing the right door glass

Door	Usual choice
Front door onto a street	Obscure, satin or decorative
Back door onto a garden	Clear, or obscure if overlooked
French, patio or bifold doors	Clear
Door into a bathroom or utility	Obscure or satin

Quick answers

Does door glass have to be safety glass?

Yes. Building Regulations require safety glass in doors. All our door glass is toughened or laminated.

Which door glass gives the most privacy?

Satin glass gives a smooth frosted finish with the most privacy.

Can I replace just the glass in my door?

Often, yes. Measure the existing unit carefully using our guide to measuring glass.

Is door glass double glazed?

Yes. Every glazed panel is a sealed double-glazed unit with low-E glass and warm-edge spacer bars.

Design and price your door →