What's the difference between float glass, ultra clear glass and rolled glass?
Apr 22, 2026
The main difference between float glass and rolled glass comes down to how they're formed and what equipment is used.
Ultra-clear glass is mostly used in solar modules. About 10% of it is made with the float process, and roughly 90% is rolled glass. Common thicknesses are 3.2mm for single-glass modules and 2.0mm for double-glass modules. There are also smaller quantities of 2.5mm and 1.6mm double-glass modules out there.
How float glass is made
Float glass is produced using – you guessed it – the float process. The basic steps are: raw material preparation, batching, melting, forming on a tin bath, annealing, cutting, separating, picking, and packing.
During production, molten glass flows out of the furnace and floats on top of a bath of molten tin. Gravity and surface tension do their job, naturally spreading the glass into a flat, even sheet. That's what gives float glass its mirror-like smooth surface and consistent light refraction. It's a great fit for applications where you need high transparency.
