Guides
Glass vs acrylic: which should you use?
We cut glass, so you might expect us to say glass. Sometimes acrylic is the right answer, and this page says where, as plainly as where glass wins.
SW Glass workshop · reviewed 16/09/2026
Side by side
The weight row is worked for a 1000 x 600mm panel at 6mm, glass at 2500 kg/m³ and cast acrylic at 1190 kg/m³. For your own size, the glass weight calculator gives the glass figure and acrylic is 48% of it.
| Property | Glass | Acrylic |
|---|---|---|
| Scratch resistance | Excellent, stays clear for decades | Poor, scratches and hazes |
| Weight (this panel) | 9.0kg | 4.3kg (~52% lighter) |
| Impact behaviour | Toughened shatters safely to granules | Flexes; can crack sharp |
| Heat (hobs, radiators) | Toughened handles ~250°C+ | Softens ~90°C, never behind a hob |
| Clarity over time | Stable, no yellowing | Can yellow with UV |
| Rigidity at span | Stiff, so thinner works | Flexible, needs ~2× thickness |
The bold cell is the material that wins the row; where it depends on the job, neither is bold.
Choose glass for
- Anything behind a hob or near a radiator: toughened glass takes the heat, acrylic softens.
- Anything that is cleaned often: glass does not scratch or haze under a scourer.
- Anything that has to stay clear for years in daylight: glass does not yellow.
- Shelves and table tops that span: glass is stiff enough to use thinner.
- Anything the regulations call a critical location: toughened and laminated glass are classified safety glass under BS EN 12600.
Choose acrylic for
- Weight-critical panels: acrylic is a little under half the weight of glass for the same size.
- Anywhere a break must not produce granules or shards, such as some children's rooms and workshops.
- Curved or thermoformed shapes, which glass cannot do outside a specialist bending furnace.
- Panels you will cut, drill or trim yourself on site: acrylic works with ordinary tools.
- Temporary or outdoor signage and glazing where a knock is more likely than heat.
The one thing people get wrong
Acrylic is often bought as a lighter, safer splashback. It is lighter. Behind a hob it is neither safe nor durable: acrylic softens at around 90°C, and a gas ring or an induction pan edge puts far more than that onto the wall behind it. Toughened glass is the splashback material for that reason, and it is why the splashback prices on this site are all for 6mm toughened.
Where the stiffness figure comes from
Glass has a stiffness (Young’s modulus) of about 70 GPa; cast acrylic is around 3 GPa, so for the same sag over the same span acrylic needs roughly two to three times the thickness, which cancels most of its weight advantage on a shelf or a table top. The shelf load calculator works the glass case with the formula printed.
Decided on glass? Price your panel in the glass price calculator. We do not sell acrylic, and we would rather say so than cut you the wrong material.