Starphire vs. Standard Glass
Learn about the differences between Starphire and standard glass. Although it seems like glass is just glass, there are differences and there may be a type that's more appropriate for your home.
see more eHow.com videos here
Video Transcript:
I'm Anjie Cho, and this is about Starphire versus standard glass. When selecting what kind of glass you want in your home, most people don't know that there are few options to choose from.
Starphire is the brand name of a type of low iron glass also sometimes called water clear glass. So what does low iron glass mean? When standard glass is produced they use iron oxide which leaves a greenish tint to the glass. It's difficult to see the difference between low iron glass and standard glass until you compare them to a background or look at the edge. Here you can see how they look virtually the same until you look at them against a background. You can also look at the edges where the green is always very apparent.
The low iron glass has more clarity and is very clear, hence the name water clear. Low iron glass is slightly more expensive than standard glass. Since you can't really see a major difference except on the edges, there are some home applications that I would recommend you consider going low iron for. Low iron might be considered for any frameless glass applications like shower enclosures, tabletops and glass doors. Also if the glass is a quarter inch thick or more you will really start to see the green.
Low iron glass works exactly the same as standard glass. It can be tempered, textured and laminated. Although it seems like glass is just glass, there are differences and there may be a type that's more appropriate for your home. You might want to opt for Starphire, low iron, water clear glass over the standard green tinted option.
by Anjie Cho
