What is borosilicate glass and why it is better?

What is Borosilicate Glass?

Most people don’t realise is that not all glass is created equally. Borosilicate glass is a special kind of glass which incorporates two chemicals in high concentration:  boron trioxide and silica. These safe and environmentally-friendly chemicals make borosilicate glass more heat resistant than other forms of glass on the market.

What is Borosilicate Glass made of?

Borosilicate glass is made by combining boron trioxide with silica sand, soda ash, and alumina. Because of the different melting points of the various components, it took manufacturers a considerable amount of time to figure out how to make the glass. Even today, they use a range of methods, including moulding, tube drawing and floating.

What is the difference between borosilicate glass and soda-lime glass?

Soda-lime glass is the most common kind of glass. You find it in all sorts of applications, from window panes to glass jars. Soda-lime glass accounts for around 90 per cent of all glass manufactured in the world.

The main difference between soda-lime glass and borosilicate glass is their silicon dioxide and boron trioxide content. Soda-lime glass typically contains 69 per cent silicon dioxide compared to 80.6 for borosilicate glass. It also contains far less boron trioxide: just 1 per cent compared to 13 per cent in borosilicate.

Four factors differentiate borosilicate glass from its regular soda-lime counterpart. As discussed above, it is thermal shock resistant, meaning you can pour boiling water into a borosilicate glass jug and it won’t crack. The borosilicate glass is harder than regular glass as it can be moulded into more complex shapes. It is also more resistant to acid erosion (which is why you commonly find it used in chemistry labs).

Is Borosilicate Glass safe or toxic?

Just like regular glass, borosilicate glass is completely non-toxic. Companies like Pyrex use it as a safe material to make heat-resistant glass jugs, glass bottles, and cookware. Food and drink from borosilicate containers often taste better because the material does not leach out, as it does in plastic bottles and other BPA-containing packaging.

Is Borosilicate Glass BPA free?

Borosilicate glass itself is BPA-free. However, some products which use borosilicate may have other components made from BPA plastic. When choosing borosilicate products, check to see the chemical composition of any plastic products. All pure borosilicate glass products (like baking dishes) are 100 per cent BPA-free.

Is Borosilicate Glass safe to drink from?

Borosilicate glass is safe to drink from, just like regular glass. Borosilicate glass helps you to improve sustainability and keep plastic waste out of landfill, which is good news for the environment. Plastic pollution is a significant concern, so using a reusable jug or bottle made of borosilicate glass can help enormously.