Toughened laminated · Part K engineered

Glass balustrades in London, built up layer by layer.

Glazing London designs, supplies and installs glass balustrades across London: frameless channel systems, post and clamp systems, staircase glass and terrace balustrades in 13.5mm toughened laminated glass as standard. Every run is engineered to Building Regulations Part K, with structural calculations arranged where required, a free site survey, and a line that answers 24/7 on 07399 253464.

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Standard build-up · GL-BAL-13.5 13.5mm overall

6mm toughened glassouter ply, heat soak tested option

1.5mm interlayerPVB or stiffer SentryGlas

6mm toughened glassinner ply

If one ply ever breaks, the interlayer holds the panel together and the barrier keeps doing its job. Taller free-standing runs step up to 17.5mm or 21.5mm.

Two ways to hold glass

Channel system or posts: pick on merit, not on looks alone.

Almost every frameless glass balustrade in London is one of two systems. Both are engineered to the same loadings, so the choice comes down to the structure underneath, the budget, and how invisible you want the fixings to be.

Fully frameless

Base channel system

An aluminium channel is bolted or cast into the floor slab or steel edge, and the glass is clamped inside it with wedges or a rotating cam. Nothing interrupts the glass above floor level.

Cleanest look: no posts, no clamps, just glass
Top-mounted or side-fixed (fascia) channel options
Panels align and re-level precisely during installation
Needs a structure that can take the channel and its loads

Best for: terraces, landings, mezzanines and frontages where the deck or slab edge is up to the job.

Adaptable

Post & clamp system

Stainless steel posts carry the loads down into the structure, and the glass sits between them in clamps. A slim handrail usually runs across the top, tying the run together.

Lower cost than a full channel run
Works where a channel cannot be fixed or recessed
Handles staircases with changing pitches gracefully
Satin or mirror-polished stainless, round or square posts

Best for: staircase glass, timber-structure balconies, and refurbishments where the floor build-up is fixed.

The glass itself

Toughened laminated balustrade glass, sized for the job.

Balustrade glass is not one product. The right thickness depends on the system, the span between fixings, and whether the glass stands free of a handrail. These are the build-ups we specify most often; the final spec on your quote follows the calculations, not a habit.

Build-up	Make-up	Typical use
13.5mm toughened laminated	6mm + 1.5mm interlayer + 6mm	Standard for channel and post balustrades with a handrail, staircase infills, landings
17.5mm toughened laminated	8mm + 1.5mm interlayer + 8mm	Frameless runs without an interlinking handrail, taller panels, exposed terraces
21.5mm toughened laminated	10mm + 1.5mm interlayer + 10mm	Free-standing frameless glass at 1100mm, commercial and high-wind locations
10mm monolithic toughened	Single toughened pane	Post systems with a continuous handrail only, budget staircase infills

Low-iron glass is a worthwhile upgrade on frameless work: it removes the green tint you see on the edge of standard float glass, which matters when the whole point is transparency. Tinted, acid-etched and heat soak tested glass are available on request.

Building Regulations Part K

A balustrade is a safety barrier that happens to be beautiful.

Part K of the Building Regulations sets the horizontal load a barrier must resist at handrail height, and the figure changes with the building. This is the part of the job you cannot see, and the part we take most seriously.

0.36 kN/mStairs, landings and edges inside a single dwelling

0.74 kN/mExternal balconies and terraces of single dwellings, offices and common areas

1.5 kN/mRetail, restaurants, assembly spaces and anywhere crowds can gather

To be straight with you about how this works: we are glaziers and installers, not structural engineers. For frameless runs, roof terraces and all commercial balustrades we have the design checked and calculated by a structural engineer before fabrication, and where the balustrade forms part of a notifiable project the work is signed off through building control. Guarding height is 900mm minimum on private stairs and 1100mm on landings, terraces and balconies, and we set out every run so the finished glass meets those lines.

Where we fit them

Staircases, terraces & everything with an edge

Staircase glass

Glass balustrades on straight flights, winders and landings, as frameless channel runs or glass infills between posts. The fastest way to make a dark Victorian stairwell feel twice the size.

Terrace & balcony balustrades

Roof terraces and balconies live or die by their view, so we fit toughened laminated glass at 1100mm with marine-grade fixings, engineered for London wind exposure.

Internal landings & mezzanines

Loft conversions, galleried landings and mezzanine edges, where glass lets borrowed light travel through the whole floor instead of stopping at a spindle.

Commercial balustrades

Shops, restaurants and offices need the 1.5 kN/m crowd loading and tighter sign-off. Our commercial glazing team handles the full package, calculations included.

If the opening is a full-height window rather than an edge, what you probably need is a glass Juliet balcony. And if the glass is the building itself, walls and roofs rather than barriers, see our structural glazing and glass extensions page.

How a job runs

Survey to installed glass, start to finish

01 · Survey Free site visit: we measure the run, check what the structure can carry and talk through channel vs posts honestly.

02 · Engineering Frameless and commercial runs go to a structural engineer for calculations before anything is ordered.

03 · Fabrication Glass is toughened, laminated and polished to the survey sizes; hardware arrives ready to fit.

04 · Installation Most domestic balustrades are installed in a day, aligned, levelled and sealed by our own fitters.

Typical lead time is around two weeks from survey to installation, a little longer where calculations or special glass are involved. And because we are the same firm behind London's 24/7 emergency glazing, a damaged panel years later is one phone call, day or night.

Questions

Glass balustrades, answered

What glass is used in a glass balustrade?

Our standard is 13.5mm toughened laminated glass: two 6mm toughened panes bonded with a 1.5mm interlayer. If a pane is ever broken, the interlayer holds the fragments in place so the barrier keeps working. Taller free-standing runs step up to 17.5mm or 21.5mm, confirmed by structural calculations for each job.

Do frameless glass balustrades need a handrail?

Not always. Under Building Regulations Part K, a frameless balustrade can omit the interlinking handrail where toughened laminated glass is used and the design proves the barrier stays in place if a pane fails. Monolithic toughened glass on its own needs a continuous handrail. We confirm the right approach for your building during the survey.

How high does a glass balustrade have to be?

In dwellings, guarding must be at least 900mm above pitch line on stairs and 1100mm above floor level on landings, terraces, balconies and roof edges. Commercial and communal buildings follow the 1100mm figure almost everywhere. We set channel heights so the finished glass lands at or above the required line.

Channel or post system, which is better?

A base channel gives the cleanest, fully frameless look and suits terraces, landings and frontages where the floor build-up can take the channel. Post and clamp systems cost less, work on structures that cannot accept a channel, and suit staircases with changing angles. Both are engineered to the same Part K loadings.

Do glass balustrades need structural calculations or building control?

Any balustrade guarding a fall must meet Part K load requirements, from 0.36 kN/m in a private stair to 1.5 kN/m in areas open to crowds. For frameless runs, roof terraces and commercial jobs we arrange calculations from a structural engineer, and where the work forms part of a notifiable project it is signed off through building control.

Book your free survey Call 07399 253464, 24/7