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Made to measure glass is not picked off a shelf, it is made. Here is what happens after you order, in the order it happens, what we need from you at each step, and the exact point after which nothing about the panel can change.
19/08/2026 · 4 min read
Ordering cut to size glass is not like ordering a boxed product. Your panel does not exist when you order it. Knowing the sequence is useful for two reasons: you know what is happening while you wait, and you know which moment is the last one where the panel can still be changed at all.
Everything starts here, because everything downstream is cut to these numbers. Either you measure, using a tape and our printable measuring pack, or you book a measure visit and somebody else takes responsibility for the sizes. If the opening is out of square, structural, or you are simply not sure, the visit is the safer of the two options. See the ten measuring mistakes before you pick up a tape.
A quote lists each pane with its glass type, thickness, size, edge finish and every feature on it, so you can check the specification rather than just the total. It shows the VAT position and the lead time, which is production time plus delivery time rather than one blended figure. A quote is open until the expiry date printed on it, and after that the rates behind it may have moved.
This is the important one. For bespoke panels we send you a drawing, and production does not start until you approve it. The drawing is your last chance to catch a wrong size, a cut-out on the wrong side, a hinge on the wrong edge or a door hung the wrong way round. Everything on it can still be changed at this moment and cannot be changed two steps later, so read it against your own sketch rather than skimming it. You approve it from your order tracking page.
The panel is cut from stock, then the edges are worked to the finish you chose, then holes, notches and cut-outs are machined. The sequence matters: everything mechanical happens now, while the glass is still ordinary annealed glass that can be cut and drilled.
The panel goes through the furnace, and that is the end of the machining. Nothing can be cut, drilled or trimmed after toughening, so if a dimension is wrong the answer is a new panel, not an adjustment. Toughened glass also comes out with slight optical distortion, visible in reflection at an angle on a big pane. That is normal, and it is a consequence of the process that makes it safe.
Each pane is checked against its cutting ticket before it leaves the building. From there it is either collected from the counter, which you will be told is ready, or delivered on our own route at the rate for your postcode. Two practical points for delivery day: large or heavy panes need more than one pair of hands, and the driver takes a signature on the delivery note, so somebody has to be there. Check the glass before you sign, and photograph anything that is not right straight away rather than after the fitter has left. The delivery terms set out what to do and how long you have.
What a fitter needs is clear access, a finished wall or tray to fit against, and the panel undamaged and the right way up. If we are fitting, that is a service line on your order rather than a percentage of the glass price. If your own fitter is doing it, hand them the drawing. And when silicone is involved, look at what the sealant maker states on the tube for curing before the shower gets used, because a joint that is used too early is a joint that fails.
Every order moves through the same states, and you can see yours on the tracking page at any time: received, cutting and processing, ready, then despatched or ready to collect, and finally delivered or collected. If a drawing is waiting for you, it is on that page too. Go to track your order with your order reference.
Which is exactly why the drawing is worth five careful minutes.
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