Do glass shelves need to be tempered?
Tempered glass is required by building codes, for safety reasons, in situations such as shower doors, sliding doors, entryways and stairways where glass is in close proximity to pedestrians. This is because tempered glass breaks into harmless fragments rather than potentially lethal shards. It is not normally required for residential display shelving but check with your glass professional if you are in doubt. Thin (3/16″ or 1/4″) glass for retail store shelves is generally tempered because the additional resistance to breakage is a benefit in commercial applications.
