Pictures...?

There are many railing systems out there, Some of the local glass shops carry railing systems from the distributors they deal with and some get the hardware and make their own glass.

Some railing contractors order railings directly from companies like CRL, etc. and there are hundreds of different railing styles, it's just too many to list and they all come with safety glass.

When you order a railing system make sure you get the highest quality tempered glass or laminated glass.

Now, most commercial projects use laminated glass, or if you have suspended glass in a railing system most likely it will be laminated glass.

In addition, laminated glass is mostly used in hurricane areas, like Florida, etc.

I have a good feeling since glass railings become more and more popular in residential dwellings, soon the code will require to have laminated glass in all residential and commercial applications.

Good luck

Thank you! Your input is invaluable.

...soon the code will require to have laminated glass in all residential and commercial applications.

Many places this is already happening, railing systems are required to be laminated rather than tempered.

Per the why part of your question, laminated and tempered are both considered to be safety glass but for different reasons. Tempered glass is considered safe because it breaks into tiny, relatively not-sharp cubes when broken (think car side or back windows) while laminated stays attached to a vinyl interlayer when its broken (think car windshield) so there is no broken glass all over the floor and no opening for someone to fall through in the railing system. Simply put, while both products are safety glass, laminated is safer than tempered in most applications, including railings, which is why codes are changing to require laminated glass in those applications.

GREAT help! I started to resist the laminated and return to wood but now laminated is beginning to look like a viable option. I’d hate to be ‘on trend’ and not consider risks. Thank you so much!