Difference Between Regular Soda-Lime & Borosilicate Glass

What Makes Regular Soda-Lime, and Borosilicate Glass Different?

What makes these glasses different? Despite their similar appearance, they differ in the compounds used to create them and the process in which they are formed.

This gives them different properties and makes them each good choice for different types of glassware. Below we will get into the strengths and weaknesses of each glass.

Soda-Lime

Soda-lime glass, also called soda-lime-silica glass, makes up about 90% of all manufactured glass.

It is called soda-lime-silica glass because soda, lime, and silica are the main ingredients used to create it, usually consisting of 60-75% silica, 12-18% soda, 5-12% lime.

It is used mostly to create windows, bottles, jars, and other glass containers.

Pros

Soda-lime glass is made of extremely inexpensive materials and is easy to mold, bringing the cost down even further.
Soda-lime glass can be melted and rehardened many times over, making it easily recycled. This makes it cheaper and more eco-friendly than most other types of glass.

Cons

Soda-lime glass has to be blown thick because the glass is not very strong.
Soda-lime glass is not thermal shock resistant, meaning that if it goes from cold to hot too rapidly, it will crack. Because of this, it is not the ideal choice for food storage containers or bakeware.
Soda-lime glass is transparent but is not crystal clear like other types of glass. It also has a low refractive index, meaning that it won’t sparkle like crystal, giving it a duller appearance.

Common Uses

Soda-Lime glass is frequently used in bottles, drinking glasses, and windows

Borosilicate Glass

Borosilicate glass is any silicate glass, like soda-lime, that has 5% or more boric oxide.

This boric oxide gives the glass extremely high thermal shock resistance and high resistance to chemical corrosion.

Because of these properties, lab-grade glassware is often made out of borosilicate glass.

Pros

Borosilicate glass makes great lab-grade glassware or bakeware because it can easily handle a Benson burner’s heat in the lab. But it can also go straight from the fridge to the oven when reheating a meal in the kitchen.
Borosilicate Glass can be blown very thin because, unlike soda-lime glass, it is very strong.

Cons

Borosilicate glass is not as cheap as regular soda-lime glass. It requires more costly materials due to the added boric oxide, and it is harder to fabricate because it requires much higher temperatures to melt, adding to increased production costs.
Because of Borosilicate’s high melting temperature, it is not as easy to recycle as regular soda-lime glass.