Glazing

Glazing materials durable and fit for purpose

PERSPEX Distribution offers a wide range of materials for glazing solutions. The respective environment of each application will determine the ideal material to be selected. Choose from:

• Polycarbonate Sheets
• PERSPEX® Cast Acrylic
• PERSPEX® Extruded Acrylic
• Polyester sheet (APET/PETG)
• Solid PVC
• Polystyrene

Choosing the right glazing plastic will ensure the longevity of application and ensure the material is fit for purpose. If you need help deciding, get in touch with our expert team today.

Glazing FAQs

Cast acrylic vs. polycarbonate for glazing applications

We stock both PERSPEX acrylic and polycarbonate sheets, but which is better for glazing? As stated above, the answer will depend on the application, but here are some useful comparisons:

• Strength – Polycarbonate has a much higher impact resistance than acrylic sheet (250 times stronger and 17 times stronger than glass, respectively) making polycarbonate a go-to solution for roofing, safety glazing, machine guards and street furniture.
• Clarity – PERSPEX® acrylic is clearer than polycarbonate and clearer than glass, and clear acrylic has a longer external warranty (making it ideal for long-term exterior projects).
• Colour – PERSPEX® acrylic is manufactured in a wider range of colours, so when a colour-specific material is required, acrylic would be the better choice. 

Both products are lightweight, recyclable and can be cut to size – see our materials pages for more information.

What’s the difference between cast acrylic and extruded acrylic?

These two types of acrylic are named for their production process:

• Cast acrylic is made by pouring hot liquid methyl methacrylate monomer and a catalyst into a mould (or ‘cast’) between two sheets of glass. After further heating and polymerisation, the sheets are allowed to cool.
• Extruded acrylic sheet is manufactured by a continuous production process, where the hot liquid acrylic ingredients are poured into a form or die before the acrylic is forced through cooling rollers.

Cast acrylic is more resistant to chemicals and solvents, less prone to scratching, easier to machine and fabricate, and available in a wider range of colours and surface finishes; however, extruded acrylic can be more economical with larger production runs, and offers an excellent thickness tolerance.

Which is the best material for safety glazing?

Both polycarbonate sheet and PETg can be used as safety glazing due to their high impact strength (anti-vandalism), chemical resistance and fire resistance.

Which is the best material for indoor glazing?

Perspex Cast Acrylic, Perspex Extruded Acrylic and Polyester PETg are all suitable materials for indoor glazing. They are available in a range of thicknesses to suit your glazing application.

Perspex Cast Acrylic sheets are known as one of the most colourful and versatile materials on the market. As well as being available in clear sheets (which have a higher light transmission than glass and have the ability to repolish to regain clarity overtime), they are also available in many solid, translucent and transparent colours.

Perspex Extruded Acrylic is typically more economical, when compared to Perspex Cast Acrylic. Due to the manufacturing process the optical clarity isn’t as clear as Perspex Cast Acrylic, however, the polished surface gives a high gloss finish which can be repolished time and time again to rejuvenate the material.

Polyester PETg offer the transparency of glass at just over half the wright, making it a suitable material for glazing. In addition to the clarity, this material has good impact resistance and have fire safe properties.

Why choose PERSPEX for your glazing project?

The term ‘glazing’ covers wide range of applications from machine guards to curtain walls and street furniture, and our teams have the experience and expertise to help you identify the best solution for your project. As a company, we also offer:

Fast delivery - our five distribution warehouses enable us to deliver our products across the UK Cut to size service - typically delivering cut to size panels within 24 hours

• A large stock holding
• UK manufacturing
• An award-winning fleet (recognised by the Energy Saving Trust as achieving Gold Status in the reduction of CO2 emissions)
• Bespoke colour matching service
• Samples to ensure correct material selection
• Full technical support
• Competitive pricing

We will support your projectfrom planning to installation, so please complete our contact form or give us a call today to get started.