{"product_id":"laminated-safety-glass-sealed-unit-bs-en-14449","title":"Laminated Safety Glass Sealed Unit (BS EN 14449)","description":"\n\u003cp class=\"pr-flagship__lede\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe fragment-retention safety unit\u003c\/strong\u003e. A laminated double-glazed sealed unit (6.4mm laminated outer \/ 16mm argon cavity \/ 4mm clear inner) combines BS EN 14449 laminated-glass certification with BS EN 1279 sealed-unit construction — the right unit where safety glass is required, overhead glazing applies, or fragment retention matters more than the granular-shower behaviour of toughened.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Laminated\" means two plies of glass bonded by a polyvinyl-butyral (PVB) interlayer. On impact, the glass cracks but stays bonded to the interlayer — fragments are held in place, not released as a shower. This is the opposite of toughened glass, which is impact-strong but breaks in one event into many granular fragments. Both are \"safety glass\" under Approved Document N; the right choice depends on the application.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eLaminated vs toughened — when each wins\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecify laminated when:\u003c\/strong\u003e overhead glazing (BS 5516 mandates fragment retention); balustrade or balcony glazing (fall-from-height risk); security applications (intruder forced entry); shop fronts (post-impact residual barrier matters); display cases \/ museum glazing; bath screens (no granular shower in wet\/bare-foot environments).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecify toughened when:\u003c\/strong\u003e domestic critical locations at low elevation (door sidelights, low windows); shower screens away from foot-traffic; where the impact requirement is Class 1(C)1 (highest grade — laminated typically Class 2(B)2 unless reinforced); where cost is dominant (toughened ~15-20% cheaper than equivalent laminated).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eTechnical specification\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable class=\"pr-spec-table\"\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eOverall thickness\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e~26-28mm depending on laminated build\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eBuild-up\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.4mm laminated outer (3+3 with 0.38mm PVB) \/ 16mm argon \/ 4mm clear inner — optional low-E on face 3\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eOuter-pane standard\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBS EN 14449 (laminated glass for construction)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eImpact classification\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBS EN 12600 Class 2(B)2 (pendulum drop 450mm, no penetration, fragments retained)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eFragment retention\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes — PVB interlayer holds broken-glass fragments in place\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eOverhead-glazing compliance\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBS 5516 (fragment-retention requirement satisfied)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eGas fill\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e90% argon (BS EN 1279-3)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eU-value (centre-pane, uncoated)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1.5 W\/m²K\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eU-value (with low-E inner face 3)\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1.2 W\/m²K — configurable\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eg-value\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e0.65\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eLight transmittance\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e~78%\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eSide benefits\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAcoustic R\u003csub\u003ew\u003c\/sub\u003e ~34 dB (better than 4-16-4 symmetric DG); UV-blocking ~99% via PVB interlayer\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eStandards\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBS EN 1279, BS EN 14449, BS EN 12600, BS 5516 (overhead), Approved Document N\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhere this unit is the right call\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConservatory roofs and rooflights\u003c\/strong\u003e — BS 5516 mandates fragment retention overhead. Laminated outer + clear inner is the standard spec. (For combined safety-and-impact-Class-1, consider the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/triple-glazed-safety-toughened-laminated-unit\"\u003eTriple Glazed Safety flagship\u003c\/a\u003e.)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBalustrade glazing and Juliet balconies\u003c\/strong\u003e — fall-from-height risk drives the laminated requirement. BS 6180 (barriers in buildings) sets out the impact-test regime.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShop fronts and retail glazing\u003c\/strong\u003e — post-impact residual barrier matters for both customer safety and stock security.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDisplay cases and museum glazing\u003c\/strong\u003e — the PVB interlayer also blocks ~99% of UV, protecting contents from fading.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBath screens and shower enclosures in family bathrooms\u003c\/strong\u003e — laminated removes the wet-foot-on-granular-shower risk of toughened.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight security applications\u003c\/strong\u003e — opportunistic-intruder forced entry is meaningfully slowed by laminated; the residual interlayer barrier holds glass in place even after multiple strikes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe full safety-glazing decision tree, including the toughened-vs-laminated tradeoffs and the anti-bandit (BS EN 356 P-rated) upgrade path for higher-security applications, is on the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/safety-security-glass\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003esafety \u0026amp; security glass topical page\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. For non-overhead critical locations where impact rating dominates the spec, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/28mm-safety-toughened-double-glazed-unit\"\u003e28mm Safety Toughened flagship\u003c\/a\u003e is the cost-optimal choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eStock sizes and pricing\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFive UK-standard stock sizes are below. Dispatch 10-14 working days (lamination adds ~5 days to standard DG manufacturing). Custom sizes — including thicker PVB builds (1.52mm interlayer for higher security), heat-strengthened-plus-laminated combinations, and anti-bandit BS EN 356 P-rated upgrades — are priced via the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/configure\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003econfigurator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCertification and standards\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery unit ships with: UKCA mark, BS EN 1279 DoP for the sealed unit, BS EN 14449 laminated-glass certificate for the outer pane (interlayer thickness + PVB batch identity), BS EN 12600 impact classification, and a BS 5516 overhead-glazing compliance statement on request. For tender \/ commercial work, we supply a Letter of Conformance referencing the relevant standards bundle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat's the difference between PVB and SGP interlayer?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePVB (polyvinyl butyral) is the standard interlayer — flexible, well-bonded, widely available. SGP (SentryGlas Plus, an ionoplast) is roughly 5× stiffer than PVB and 100× more impact-resistant. For balustrade and overhead applications with elevated post-failure load requirements, SGP-laminated is the upgrade — adds ~£40-60\/m² over PVB. Configure via the configurator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWill laminated stop a burglar?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSlows them, doesn't stop them. Standard PVB-laminated glass is impact-tested for human-impact safety, not intruder resistance. For burglary-resistant glazing, specify BS EN 356 P-rated (P1A-P5A for projectile, P6B-P8B for manual attack). The configurator surfaces these as anti-bandit options — typically thicker PVB or multi-ply builds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eDoes laminated affect light transmittance?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarginally. A 6.4mm PVB-laminated pane transmits ~88% of light (vs ~90% for monolithic 6mm). The cavity + inner pane drop that to ~78% overall. For low-iron variants (Pilkington Optiwhite laminated), light transmittance recovers to ~82% — useful for galleries and display cases where colour rendering matters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I add low-E to a laminated unit?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Soft-coat low-E on face 3 (the cavity-side face of the inner pane) is the standard low-E position for laminated DG. The configurator adds Planitherm Total+ for U=1.2 W\/m²K. Hard-coat (Pilkington K) can also be specified on the laminated outer pane during lamination — typically used where the unit must be toughened-laminated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eUV protection — how much actually?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStandard PVB blocks ~99% of UV-B and ~95% of UV-A — significantly better than monolithic glass (~30% UV-A block). For museum, gallery, archival, and high-value-textile applications, this is a side benefit worth specifying. Saflex Q-series and Trosifol UltraClear offer enhanced UV blocking at minimal premium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAcoustic benefit?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes — R\u003csub\u003ew\u003c\/sub\u003e ~34 dB for this build, vs ~30 dB for a symmetric 4-16-4 DG. The PVB interlayer adds modest viscoelastic damping. For acoustic-priority projects, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/specialist-acoustic-laminated-glass-asymmetric-double-glazed-unit\"\u003eSpecialist Acoustic Laminated flagship\u003c\/a\u003e (8.8 + 4 asymmetric, acoustic-grade PVB) hits R\u003csub\u003ew\u003c\/sub\u003e 40 dB at modest premium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWarranty?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e10 years on edge-seal integrity (BS EN 1279-2). 10 years on PVB delamination (BS EN 14449 manufacturer standard). 10 years on argon retention to ≥80% of initial fill. Impact-classification is warranted at the certified test value on the manufactured pane — long-term degradation (yellowing of older PVB, edge-seal water ingress) is excluded from the impact-class warranty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Pane Relief","offers":[{"title":"600 × 400 mm","offer_id":61853203431754,"sku":"DG-LAM-600x400","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"800 × 600 mm","offer_id":61853203464522,"sku":"DG-LAM-800x600","price":59.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 × 800 mm","offer_id":61853203497290,"sku":"DG-LAM-1000x800","price":98.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1200 × 1000 mm","offer_id":61853203530058,"sku":"DG-LAM-1200x1000","price":147.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1500 × 1200 mm","offer_id":61853203562826,"sku":"DG-LAM-1500x1200","price":220.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0895\/3515\/2458\/files\/double-glazed-sealed-unit-igu-product-cutaway_f7d70d73-d655-41b8-9244-066ef43ebb50.webp?v=1779007262","url":"https:\/\/panerelief.co.uk\/products\/laminated-safety-glass-sealed-unit-bs-en-14449","provider":"Pane Relief","version":"1.0","type":"link"}