Toughened safety glass (ESG) consists of a single heat-treated pane that is heated to a high temperature for a short time and then quickly cooled down again. This creates permanently different stress conditions between the core and the surface. The impact and impact resistance is increased compared to "normal" glass (float glass). Above all, however, ESG differs when it comes to breaking in that it breaks down into very small shards with blunt fracture edges, which pose a significantly lower risk of injury.
For many applications, including the use of glass as cladding of a rear-ventilated façade (VHF), safety glass in the form of ESG is therefore prescribed. ESG must be cut to the final installation dimension before the described heat treatment, including any recesses/holes that may be required, as subsequent non-destructive processing is no longer possible.
Source: bauwion
