Guide · Glass shelves
Glass shelf thickness: a practical guide
How to choose between 6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm glass shelves based on the span, the supports and what the shelf will hold.
Three things decide how thick a glass shelf should be: how far it spans between supports, how it is supported, and what goes on it.
Supported at both ends, inside a cabinet
Shelves sitting on pins or ledges inside a cabinet or niche are the easiest case. For short shelves holding light things (ornaments, toiletries), 6mm is common. As the shelf gets longer or the load gets heavier (glasses, bottles, books), move to 8mm, and to 10mm for long spans.
On wall brackets or clamps
A shelf held along its back edge or at two points works much harder than one supported at both ends. Most bracket and clamp systems are designed for 8mm to 12mm glass. Always follow the glass thickness and load rating given by the maker of your brackets; they know what their hardware is designed to carry.
Floating shelves
Concealed floating shelf fittings usually call for 10mm or 12mm glass. Again, go with the fitting maker's specification.
Signs you need to go thicker
- The span between supports is long compared with the depth of the shelf.
- The shelf will carry books, bottles or stacked dinnerware.
- You can see the shelf sag, even slightly. Glass that sags under load is overloaded.
Toughened or not?
Toughened glass is much stronger and breaks into small blunt pieces rather than sharp shards. We select it by default on every shelf. Only consider leaving it off for small, lightly loaded shelves inside a closed cabinet.
Low iron for display lighting
Clear glass looks faintly green at the edge and the tint builds up through a stack of shelves. If your cabinet is lit or the joinery is white, low iron glass keeps everything looking clean.