FENSA-registered glazing experts. Made-to-measure sealed units, shipped UK-wide, backed by a 10-year warranty.
Laminated security glass — the glass that breaks but holds
Laminated glass is two (or more) panes of float glass bonded together with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer. When it breaks, the shards stay glued to the film — nothing falls out, nothing cuts, nothing collapses out of the frame. That property makes it the legally required spec for overhead glazing (roofs, conservatory roofs, glass canopies), the recommended spec for balustrades and balconies, and the practical baseline for security applications from ground-floor windows to ATM enclosures. Pane Relief supplies laminated to BS EN 14449 for safety and BS EN 356 P1A-P5A for graded anti-bandit performance, with optional acoustic PVB for noise control and low-E coatings for thermal performance.
Overhead, balustrade, security upgrade
Replacing a conservatory roof pane, glazing a glass balcony, securing a vulnerable ground-floor window, or repairing a stained-glass overhead light. Free UK mainland delivery, 10-year edge-seal warranty, kitemark stamped on every unit, and a helpline (08:00-18:00 Mon-Fri) for spec sanity-checks.
Configure laminated unitSpecifier, architect, security installer
Specifying P-rated anti-bandit, fire-stop-line laminated for stairwells, sound-rated PVB for hotels and schools, or oversized panels for atrium and balustrade installs. Net 30 trade accounts, scheduled site delivery, full BS EN 14449 + EN 356 documentation. Bespoke specification quotes via the trade desk.
Trade pricing & specifier docsWhich laminated build do you need?
PVB interlayer count and pane thickness define the rating. Pick the closest match.
6.4mm laminated (3-0.4-3)
Entry-level safety lamination. P1A rated. Default spec for overhead and balustrade where weight is critical.
6.8mm laminated (3-0.8-3)
Thicker PVB film. P2A rated. The "noise + security" sweet spot — most-specified single-unit laminate.
8.8mm laminated (4-0.8-4)
Two 4mm panes + thick PVB. P2A/P4A rated. Standard ground-floor security spec.
11.5mm laminated (5-1.5-5)
Two 5mm panes + 4-ply 1.52mm PVB. P5A rated — sustained-impact resistance. ~28 kg/m².
Acoustic PVB laminated
Specialist acoustic-tuned PVB (Saflex Q-series or Trosifol SC). Up to 6 dB extra Rw vs standard PVB.
Toughened-laminated combo
Outer toughened + inner laminated. Belt-and-braces safety + retention. Schools, hospitals, balustrades.
P-ratings explained — choosing the right anti-bandit grade
BS EN 356 grades laminated glass by impact resistance. Higher = more interlayer, more weight, more cost. Most residential applications never need beyond P4A.
BS EN 356 grades at a glance
- P1A: 3× 4.11kg steel ball dropped from 1.5m. Anti-vandalism. Entry-level.
- P2A: 3× ball from 3m. Most-specified residential security upgrade.
- P3A: 3× ball from 6m. Commercial entrance, shopfront.
- P4A: 3× ball from 9m. Premium residential, vulnerable ground floor.
- P5A: 9× ball from 9m. Realistic upper limit for non-specialist use.
- P6B-P8B: Axe-attack resistance (30-50 strikes). Specialist / commercial.
Weight, frame load, and hinge implications
Laminated builds add weight. A 6.4mm PVB lam is about 16 kg/m²; an 11.5mm P5A lam is around 28 kg/m². A 1m² opening sash window goes from a routine 15 kg pane to a hinge-stressing 28 kg pane. Always check the frame, the hinges, and the lifting friction stays before stepping up to a high-grade laminate. We flag pane weight on every product page and in the configurator output.
Laminated security glass — common questions answered
Q: Is laminated mandatory overhead, or just recommended?
Mandatory. BS 6262-4 and Approved Document N require overhead glazing (any glazing where the lower edge is above head height and the pane is not directly supported all round at floor level) to be laminated — or in some specialist cases wired-glass-laminated. The reason is simple: toughened breaks into thousands of granules; from a roof or overhead canopy those still hurt when they hit you. Laminated breaks but holds, so the glass stays in the frame, the shards stay glued to the PVB, and the void below stays safe.
Q: Is laminated glass fire-resistant?
No. Standard PVB-interlayer laminated glass is not fire-rated. The PVB melts at around 70°C, and at flame temperatures the glass-PVB sandwich fails within minutes. If your specification requires E30, EI30, or EI60 fire-resistance (per BS EN 13501-2), you need a dedicated fire-resistant unit (intumescent-gel-filled, wired-glass, or ceramic-glass). We supply these on bespoke order through the trade desk — call the helpline with the fire rating from your inspector or fire engineer and we'll quote it.
Q: Will laminated stop a determined burglar?
No glass stops everyone with unlimited time, but P-rated laminated massively raises the effort, noise, and time. A standard 4mm float pane breaks in one swing; an 8.8mm P2A laminate takes 5-10 sustained strikes with a brick or hammer and the pane stays in the frame the whole time. Opportunistic break-ins (the 60-90 second variety) are almost entirely defeated by P2A and above. For sustained forced-entry resistance (axe, sledgehammer) you need P6B/P7B — and at that point most attackers move to a different opening rather than break through. Combine laminated with quality locks and the deterrent multiplies.
Q: Can laminated glass be drilled, cut, or shaped after manufacture?
Cut, yes — laminated can be score-and-snap cut (a specialist score on both faces, separated by heating the PVB film). Drilled, yes — but only with a diamond core and through one pane at a time. In practice we strongly prefer to spec the holes and shapes before lamination: post-lamination cutting risks delamination at the edge and voids the BS EN 14449 mark. Send a CAD or paper template at order time and lead time on bespoke shaped laminate is 10-14 working days.
Q: Acoustic PVB vs standard PVB — what's the difference?
Standard PVB (Saflex RB-series, Trosifol BG) damps high-frequency noise reasonably well but underperforms at the coincidence dip around 2-3 kHz where most speech and traffic noise sits. Acoustic PVB (Saflex Q-series, Trosifol SC) is a tri-layer film with a soft viscoelastic core — it adds 3-6 dB Rw to the same glass build by damping that coincidence dip. For noise-critical sites (railway lines, A-roads, flight paths) acoustic PVB is the single highest-value upgrade. See the acoustic glass collection.
Q: What's the difference between laminated and "anti-shatter film"?
They're not the same product. Laminated is glass-PVB-glass, bonded under heat and pressure in the factory, BS EN 14449 marked, lifetime durable. Anti-shatter film is a self-adhesive polymer film retrofitted to the inside face of existing glass — useful for a quick upgrade on an existing pane but with around 5-7 year service life, no formal BS rating, and significantly inferior break-and-hold performance. If you're specifying a new unit, always specify true laminated. Film is a stop-gap.
Q: PVB vs SentryGlas / SGP — when do I need the upgraded interlayer?
SentryGlas (SGP) is an ionomer interlayer five times stiffer and around 100 times more shear-resistant than standard PVB. For most residential applications PVB is fine. SGP becomes mandatory for structural balustrades (handrail-loaded glass with no top rail), large overhead spans, and blast/hurricane resistance. It's around 2-3× the cost of equivalent PVB. We supply both; specify "SGP" on bespoke trade orders.
Q: What's the lead time and warranty on laminated units?
Stock-size laminated double-glazed units: 10-12 working days. Bespoke rectangular: 12-15 working days. Shaped, oversized, or P5A and above: 15-21 working days. Every laminated unit ships with a 10-year edge-seal warranty and a 5-year warranty on the PVB lamination (against delamination, edge yellowing, and bubble formation). UKCA, kitemark, and BS EN 14449 Declaration of Performance available on request.
Related guides and specifications
Specifying laminated for a critical application?
P-rating questions, weight calcs, frame compatibility — call 0117 330 3057 (08:00-18:00 Mon-Fri) or send drawings for a specifier-grade quote.