Glass Options for Custom Steel Windows & Doors
PINKYS Studio Steel Architectural Specification Guide
Single, Double & Triple Pane, and Double-Pane with Laminate
Configuration is driven by application and climate. Single pane suits interior and historic work; double pane (IGU) is standard on exterior thermally and non-thermally broken assemblies; triple pane adds a second sealed cavity for cold-climate or passive-house-adjacent performance. Pane-count availability is determined by steel system, and not every configuration is available on every profile. Confirm during specification.
TDL vs. SDL
True Divided Lite (TDL) sets individual panes into individual openings divided by structural steel muntins. It's the historically accurate method. Simulated Divided Lite (SDL) applies decorative bars to a single IGU, preserving full thermal performance across the whole glazing area. SDL reads correctly from a distance; TDL reads correctly at any distance.
Low-E Glass
A microscopically thin metallic coating reflects infrared heat while passing visible light. Offered in multiple tiers so SHGC, U-factor, and visible transmittance can be tuned to climate zone and orientation rather than defaulted.
SB 70 Glass
A high-performance solar control glass pairing high visible light transmission with a low solar heat gain coefficient. It delivers the brightness of clear glass with significantly reduced heat and UV transmission. Well suited to large glazing areas, curtain wall applications, and facades with heavy solar exposure.
Tempered Glass
Standard on every PINKYS custom assembly, interior and exterior, doors and windows alike. Heat-treated to be four to five times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness, and engineered to fracture into small, blunt fragments rather than sharp shards. It's the safety-glazing requirement for doors, sidelites, and low-height window applications.
Laminated Glass
A PVB interlayer bonded between panes so the glass holds together rather than shattering. This is critical for security, sound attenuation, coastal hurricane compliance, and overhead glazing. Availability varies by steel system. Confirm compatibility for your selected system during specification.
Patterned, textured, and tinted glass for privacy, light diffusion, and aesthetic character. Textures and tints include Tea, Diamond, Wood, Ford Blue, Glue Chip, Ribbed, Green Reflective, and Frost glass. Decorative glass styles may affect NFRC rating. Consult with the Studio Steel team during specification.
Thermal Performance: What the Numbers Mean
| Metric | What It Means |
|---|---|
| U-Factor | Rate of heat transfer through the complete assembly. Lower is better. Where Studio Steel thermally broken assemblies carry NFRC ratings, those ratings are for the complete unit, frame and glass evaluated together. |
| SHGC | Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: the fraction of solar heat passing through the glass. Climate- and orientation-dependent; lower is right for hot climates and sun-facing exposures, higher can help in cold climates for passive solar gain. |
| VT | Visible Transmittance: the proportion of visible light transmitted. Low-E coatings reduce VT to varying degrees by tier. |
| CR | Condensation Resistance, rated 1–100; higher is better. Critical for cold climates and high-humidity interiors. Thermally broken frames contribute meaningfully to CR. |
When NFRC ratings are provided for PINKYS Studio Steel custom assemblies, they reflect whole-unit values.
Certifications & Compliance
| Certification | Covers |
|---|---|
| NFRC 100 | U-factor |
| NFRC 200 | SHGC and VT |
| NFRC 400 | Air leakage, tested to ASTM E283 |
| NFRC 500 | Condensation resistance (CR) |
| ASTM E283 | Air infiltration, physical test underlying the NFRC 400 rating |
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