STRIKEGLASS vs. Tempered Glass: What Is the Actual Difference?
September 12, 2026
If you have been researching window security for your home or business in Toronto, you have probably come across tempered glass as an option. It is stronger than standard glass. It is used in car windows, shower doors, and commercial applications. It sounds like a logical upgrade.
But tempered glass and STRIKEGLASS are not the same product category. They serve different purposes, perform differently under impact, and produce very different outcomes when someone is trying to force entry through your window.
This is a direct comparison of both, written for homeowners and business owners who want to understand what they are actually buying before they invest in window security.
Quick Answer: What Is the Difference?
Tempered glass is four to five times stronger than standard annealed glass and shatters into small, relatively harmless pieces when broken rather than sharp shards. It is a safety glass standard used widely in construction and automotive applications.
STRIKEGLASS is a multi-layer polycarbonate security glazing system that is 300 times stronger than standard glass. It is engineered specifically to resist forced entry. When struck with a hammer, crowbar, or other impact tool, it does not shatter. It absorbs and distributes the impact and remains intact, denying entry entirely.
Put simply: tempered glass breaks more safely. STRIKEGLASS does not break under conditions that would defeat tempered glass many times over.
How Tempered Glass Is Made and What It Is Designed For
Tempered glass is produced by heating standard glass to high temperatures and then rapidly cooling it. This process creates internal compression that makes the glass significantly stronger than untreated glass and causes it to break into small cubed pieces rather than large sharp shards when it does fail.
It is used in applications where safety is the concern: shower enclosures, glass doors, car side windows, phone screens, and commercial storefronts where building codes require safety glazing. The primary benefit of tempered glass is that when it breaks, the breakage pattern is less likely to cause injury.
What tempered glass is not designed for is security. It is designed to break more safely, not to resist breaking. A hammer strike on a tempered glass window will break it. It may take slightly more force than standard annealed glass, but it will break, and when it does, the entry point is open.
How STRIKEGLASS Is Different
STRIKEGLASS is a polycarbonate-based multi-layer glazing system installed by 416 Security Solutions. Polycarbonate is a fundamentally different material from glass. It is used in bulletproof barriers, aircraft canopies, and riot shields precisely because of its ability to absorb and distribute impact energy without fracturing.
When STRIKEGLASS is struck with the tools used in residential and commercial break-ins, the material flexes rather than shatters. The energy of the impact is absorbed and distributed across the panel rather than concentrated at the point of strike. Repeated high-force impacts from hammers, crowbars, and axes leave the panel intact and the entry point closed.
This is not a marginal improvement over tempered glass. It is a categorically different level of protection.
Comparing Performance Under a Forced Entry Attempt
Standard Annealed Glass
Breaks on the first strike. Entry achieved in under three seconds. No meaningful resistance to forced entry.
Tempered Glass
Requires more force than standard glass to break, but will break under a deliberate forced entry attempt. When it fails it shatters into small pieces, which does not prevent entry. The time to breach a tempered glass window under deliberate attack is measured in seconds to perhaps a few extra strikes compared to standard glass. It is a meaningful improvement in accidental breakage safety. It is not a meaningful improvement in security.
STRIKEGLASS
Resists repeated high-force impacts without shattering. A criminal attempting forced entry through a STRIKEGLASS panel cannot achieve entry within the timeframe available in a typical residential or commercial break-in. Most attempts are abandoned within 15 to 30 seconds when the glass does not yield. The alarm is active. The noise is sustained and visible. The risk calculation has changed completely in your favour.
What About Laminated Glass?
Laminated glass sits between tempered glass and STRIKEGLASS in terms of performance. It consists of two glass layers bonded by an interlayer, typically polyvinyl butyral, that holds the glass together when broken. It is used in car windshields and hurricane-resistant windows.
Laminated glass does resist penetration better than tempered glass, and the interlayer means the glass does not immediately fall away when broken. However, under sustained attack with forced entry tools, laminated glass will eventually be defeated. The interlayer slows the process but does not stop it. STRIKEGLASS performance under sustained impact is in a different class from laminated glass.
Does Tempered Glass Have Any Security Value?
It has some. Tempered glass is harder to break accidentally and requires more deliberate force than standard glass. For applications where accidental breakage is the primary concern, it is the appropriate choice. And a storefront or home window in tempered glass is marginally more resistant to a hasty opportunistic attack than one in standard glass.
But tempered glass was never engineered to withstand a determined forced entry attempt, and it does not. If security against break-ins is the goal, tempered glass does not deliver it at the level that the risk in Toronto and the GTA warrants.
Which Should You Choose?
If you are replacing windows for building code compliance, aesthetic reasons, or accidental breakage safety, tempered glass is appropriate and widely available.
If you are investing in window security because you want to prevent forced entry into your home or business, tempered glass does not address the problem. STRIKEGLASS does.
For commercial applications, particularly storefronts and jewellery retailers in the GTA, the distinction matters even more. A tempered glass storefront can be defeated in seconds in a smash-and-grab. A STRIKEGLASS storefront cannot.
Installation and Appearance
One of the practical advantages of STRIKEGLASS over a full window replacement with tempered glass is that STRIKEGLASS is a retrofit system. It installs over your existing glass without replacing it. Most residential and commercial installations are completed in a single day.
STRIKEGLASS is optically clear and visually indistinguishable from standard or tempered glass. Your view, your natural light, and the appearance of your property are unchanged. It also delivers UV protection, noise reduction, and improved insulation as additional benefits that a standard tempered glass replacement does not provide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tempered glass safer than standard glass?
Yes, in terms of breakage pattern. Tempered glass breaks into small, relatively blunt pieces rather than large sharp shards, which reduces injury risk when accidental breakage occurs. This is why it is required by building codes in many applications. However, safer breakage is not the same as security. Tempered glass still breaks under a deliberate forced entry attempt.
Can STRIKEGLASS replace tempered glass?
STRIKEGLASS installs over existing glass as a retrofit system. It does not replace your existing glass but adds a security glazing layer over it. If your existing windows are tempered glass, STRIKEGLASS can be installed over them to add genuine forced entry resistance. A free assessment from 416 Security Solutions will confirm compatibility with your specific windows.
How much stronger is STRIKEGLASS than tempered glass?
Tempered glass is approximately four to five times stronger than standard annealed glass. STRIKEGLASS is 300 times stronger than standard glass. In practical terms, this means tempered glass can be defeated under deliberate attack in seconds. STRIKEGLASS resists sustained high-force attacks long enough that most break-in attempts are abandoned before entry is achieved.
Does STRIKEGLASS look different from tempered glass?
No. STRIKEGLASS is optically clear and indistinguishable from standard or tempered glass from inside or outside. The appearance of your windows, your view, and your natural light are unchanged after installation.
The Bottom Line
Tempered glass is the right choice when safety glazing is the requirement. STRIKEGLASS is the right choice when security is the requirement. They are different products serving different purposes, and understanding that difference is the starting point for making a security investment that actually delivers what you are paying for.
If you are comparing options for your home or business in Toronto or the GTA, a free assessment from 416 Security Solutions will give you a clear picture of what your specific property needs.
Book Your Free Security Assessment
416 Security Solutions serves homeowners and businesses across Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, and the Greater Toronto Area.
Visit 416security.com to book your free consultation today.