If you’ve ever browsed lab glassware options, you’ve likely come across a material called borosilicate glass. If you’re unfamiliar with borosilicate glass, it can be difficult to tell the difference between it and standard lab glassware. Dive into the question of significance of borosilicate glassware in a laboratory and why it is is preferred for lab glassware. Learn more about this material below.

What Is Borosilicate Glass?

Borosilicate glass is a special type of glass that contains silica and boron trioxide as its glass-forming constituents. It is made up of about 15 percent boron trioxide. One of the most well-known qualities of borosilicate glass is its low coefficient of thermal expansion. Thermal expansion is a material’s tendency to change shape, density, and more due to changes in temperature. However, with its low coefficient of thermal expansion, borosilicate glass is resistant to this thermal shock and cracking under extreme temperature changes.

Benefits of Borosilicate Glass

Borosilicate glass is unique to other types of glass due to its low coefficient of thermal expansion. Thanks to this, it is more durable than other types of glass. In some instances, you could even transport borosilicate glass directly from a cold storage freezer to a heater or oven rack without worrying about the glass cracking. This is one advantage that borosilicate glass possesses over other glassware. This also allows it to hold freezing or boiling hot materials with ease, which comes in handy in many situations. Many fields and occupations take advantage of these unique qualities and benefits of borosilicate glass.

Applications of Borosilicate Glass

There are many industries that use borosilicate glass due to its unique conditions. It makes an excellent choice for laboratory glassware when standard glassware cannot handle extreme temperatures. On the opposite spectrum, many chefs and cooking institutions use borosilicate glassware in cooking utensils. As bakeware and cookware, borosilicate glass handles extreme oven temperatures or freezing temperatures to cool foods. Many aircraft designers and manufacturers use borosilicate glassware in their designs due to its durability. And these are just the beginning of borosilicate glass applications.

We hope this explanation helps answer the question, “Why is borosilicate glass preferred for lab glassware?” If you’re interested in utilizing borosilicate glassware in your own laboratory space, check out our selection of scientific glassware here at USA Lab Equipment.