Author: DREIECK DESIGN Editorial Team
Last updated: 07/10/2025

The Ultimate Guide to Float Glass: From Production to Designer Furniture

Glass is more than just a transparent material—it's a statement. It creates openness, reflects light, and embodies timeless elegance. At the heart of modern glass design, you will almost always find float glass, a material of exceptional purity and perfection. But what exactly does this term mean? How is it made, and what makes it the first choice for high-end designer furniture?

In this comprehensive guide, we dive deep into the world of float glass. As a manufacturer that has been shaping glass into purist works of art for decades, we share our expertise and show you everything you need to know about this fascinating material.

The Manufacturing Process: Where Perfection is Born

The modern float glass process, developed in the 1950s by Alastair Pilkington, revolutionized glass production. It is a continuous process that runs around the clock and can be divided into four main stages:

1. The Batch: High-purity silica sand, soda ash, lime, and dolomite are mixed with recycled glass cullet to form a homogeneous batch. This mixture is melted at approximately 1,600°C in the furnace to become molten glass.
2. The Tin Bath: The molten glass, at about 1,100°C, is carefully poured onto a perfectly flat bath of liquid tin. Due to its lower density, the glass floats on top of the tin without mixing and spreads out evenly. Surface tension and gravity create two perfectly parallel, mirror-smooth surfaces.
3. The Annealing Lehr: The still-malleable glass ribbon is lifted from the tin bath into a long cooling tunnel called a lehr. Here, it cools down slowly and under control from about 600°C to room temperature. This process is crucial to prevent internal stresses in the glass.
4. Quality Control & Cutting: At the end of the cooling lehr, each pane is automatically scanned by lasers for the smallest defects. Only flawless glass is then cut into standard sizes with diamond cutters and prepared for further processing.

The DREIECK DESIGN Philosophy

Purity Over Processing: Why We Choose Pure Float Glass

Float glass is often further processed into tempered safety glass (ESG). While this thermal process increases its impact resistance, it also creates permanent internal stress that can be visible in its optics ("anisotropies"). Our philosophy is different: We preserve the pure, unaltered aesthetic of the original float glass. Instead of modifying the material, we achieve the necessary stability and safety through two key factors: a sufficiently high material thickness and a thoughtful, structurally intelligent design. This is our commitment to authentic, materially honest design.

(Intelligent design meets strong material: The MILES coffee table made of 15 mm thick float glass is a perfect example of stability through form.)

Craftsmanship Meets Precision: The Art of UV Bonding

In our German manufactory, flat float glass is transformed into three-dimensional objects. One of our core competencies is high-precision UV bonding. In this technique, a special adhesive is applied to the edge of a glass pane and joined with a second pane. When exposed to UV light, the adhesive cures to be completely transparent, creating an incredibly strong bond—often stronger than the glass itself. This results in furniture that appears to be cast from a single piece, without any visible joints or mechanical fasteners. This process demands the utmost skill and years of experience.

(Masterful precision: On the FLY desk, the drawer unit is seamlessly bonded to the glass top—a demonstration of perfect craftsmanship.)

Float Glass in Practice: A Brief Care Guide

Designer furniture made of float glass is not only beautiful but also surprisingly easy to care for. With the right maintenance, it will remain brilliant for decades.

How do I clean a float glass table correctly?

• Removing dust: Use a soft, dry microfiber cloth.
• Light soiling: A damp microfiber cloth or a chamois, perhaps with a splash of clean water, is usually sufficient.
• Fingerprints & grease: Apply a spritz of glass cleaner or a mixture of water and spirit to a cloth (not directly onto the glass) and wipe the surface. Then, polish with a clean, dry cloth.
• Important: Do not use abrasive, acidic, or alkaline cleaning agents.

Dealing with scratches: What is possible?

Float glass is naturally hard and scratch-resistant. Fine, superficial scratches can sometimes be polished out by a professional using a special glass polish. For deeper scratches, however, a repair is rarely invisible. The best protection is prevention: use coasters for hot pots and do not place sharp-edged objects on the glass surface.

Conclusion: Float Glass – A Statement of Style and Quality

Pure, high-quality float glass is more than just a material—it is the foundation for design that endures. Its brilliant clarity and the potential for precise shaping make it the first choice for furniture that is not only functional but also sculptural. It embodies a modern, light, yet durable aesthetic. Discover the timeless beauty of float glass in our collection and experience how this fascinating material can enrich your home.

Discover our Designer Glass Furniture!