Expert Overview
- Window glazing is the glass inside of a window, which can be single, double, or triple glaze (also known as single pane, double pane, or triple pane).
- Window glazing can also refer to the putty that holds the glass in place, or the process of installing the window glaze using the putty.
- The more panes of glass you have, the better insulated your window is. Double glaze, or double paned windows, are the most common types of windows.
You might hear the term window glazing when reading about windows or talking to a replacement window company. Window glazing essentially means window glass.
However, it can also refer to window glazing compound, which is the putty that holds the glass in place, inside the window. And just to make things even more interesting, glazing can also refer to the process of installing the window glazing compound.
In one sense, window glazing and window glass are interchangeable terms. Except . . . there are multiple types of window glass. What separates these types of glass is the way they are manufactured (how they are heated and cooled). It gets slightly confusing, because when we talk about types of manufactured glass, such as tempered glass or laminated glass, we usually just refer to it as glass, not glazing.
Glazing is the broader term that refers to a pane of glass, but not usually the specific type of manufactured glass.
Window glazing basics
A single glaze (also called single pane) window refers to a window with a single sheet of glass. These are the least energy efficient windows. You might find them in older homes, but you wouldn’t want single pane windows today.
A double glaze (also called double pane) window has two sheets of glass, with a space in the middle. Usually, these windows have argon gas in between the layers of glass. Argon gas is a way to help insulate the windows. It’s the most common type of glazing.
A triple glaze (also called triple pane) window has three sheets of glass, with argon gas in between. It’s the best insulated, most expensive, and least common type of glazing (usually only used in colder climates that need the insulation).
Learn more about window glazing, including how window glazing compound works, and why it’s important.
