1- Soda (Soft) Glass
This is the most ordinary type of glass and it is often called soft glass. This type of glass is made by melting sand, quick lime and soda ash. This type of glass is used to make dishes, bottles, tumblers, mirrors, light bulbs, windows, etc.
2- Potash (Hard) Glass
This type of glass is made by mixing calcium carbonate, potassium carbonate and silica. Potash glass is resistant to acid and it is mostly used to create hard glass for laboratory apparatus.
3- Lead Crystal Glass
This glass is made by melting silica, lead oxide & potassium carbonate. It is often used for expensive glass apparatus and to produce flashes by reflecting light.
4- Pyrex (heat resistant) Glass
Pyrex glass is very resistive to heat and it is made by melting and mixing borax, alkali carbonate, quick lime and sand. It is used for making laboratory apparatus and ampoules.
5- Optical Glass
Optical glass is used for making different lenses for glasses, camera, spectacles, telescopes, microscopes, etc.
6- Photochromatic Glass
This is a very specific type of glass – it temporarily darkens itself when it is exposed to strong light. The glass has silver bromide in it and this is the element which gives it automatic darkening. This type of glass is used to make sunglasses.
7- Safety Glass
Safety glass is mostly used for the windscreens of trains, automobiles, aeroplanes and motorcycles. It is made of two layers of glass which are divided by a thin sheet of transparent plastic.
8- Glass Fibre
This glass is also heat resistant and it is used in ovens, refrigerators, etc. The optical fibres used to make this type of glass are used in telecommunications and endoscopy.
9- Coloured Glass
Coloured glass is made by adding colouring material while manufacturing the glass. In most cases the colouring materials used is different types of metal oxides. Ferric oxide is used for making brown glass, manganese dioxide for violet, cobalt oxide for blue and chromium oxide is used to create green glass. Coloured glass is mostly used to make artificial gems, coloured articles and window panes.
