Glazing Materials - Optical Properties
Optical properties of commonly used glazing materials.
The ideal solar collecting energy glazing material is transparent to short-wave infrared radiation and opaque to long-wave radiation.
Optical properties of some typical glazing materials:
| Material | Thickness (mm) | Short-wave Infrared Solar Transmittance | Long-Wave Infrared Transmittance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window glass (float glass) | 4 | 0.83 | 0.02 |
| Low-iron glass | 3 | 0.89 | 0.08 |
| Acrylic Glass - Poly(methyl methacrylate) (common trade names Plexiglas, Limacryl, R-Cast, Perspex, Plazcryl, Acrylex, Acrylite, Acrylplast, Altuglas, Polycast, Oroglass and Lucite) | 3 | 0.82 | 0.02 |
| Polyvinyl Fluoride (known by his trade name Tedlar from DuPont) | 0.1 | 0.92 | 0.22 |
| Polyester, Mylar | 0.1 | 0.87 | 0.18 |
- 1 mm = 0.03937 in
