Glass, AS 1288
Glass in shower screens, doors, low windows, splashbacks and balustrades has to be Grade A safety glass, and every pane has to be permanently marked. An unmarked pane fails, however good it is.
What the rule is and who it applies to
AS 1288 sets how glass is selected and installed in buildings, and the building code calls it up. Glass in human impact areas must be safety glass tested to the safety glazing standard, AS/NZS 2208, which Standards Australia now lists as AS 2208:2023.
For houses, the code requires Grade A safety glass in doors, door side panels, full height panels, low panels, and glass in kitchens, bathrooms, ensuites and splashbacks. A shower screen or bath enclosure panel with any exposed edge must be toughened safety glass at least 6 mm thick. Unframed doors other than shower screens need 10 mm toughened.
Every pane of safety glass must be marked by permanent etching or a non-reusable label with the manufacturer or supplier, the grade, the standard it was tested to, the thickness and the type.
Windows and doors are a separate test
Safety glass alone does not make a compliant window or door. Queensland's regulator says a complete imported window or door also needs evidence for AS 2047, either a test report from an accredited lab or a product certificate. A unit can only be up to 10% larger in either direction, or 15% in area, than the one tested. House windows and doors must carry the compliance label where it can be read after installation.
In a bushfire prone area, windows and doors must also meet the Bushfire Attack Level for the site under AS 3959.
How to check it yourself
- Look at the corner of every pane for the etched or labelled mark. Check it names AS/NZS 2208 or AS 2208, Grade A, the thickness and toughened or laminated.
- For a frameless shower screen, confirm toughened, at least 6 mm.
- For windows and doors, ask for the AS 2047 report or certificate covering that frame series and size.
- For a balustrade, ask for the engineering for the loads, not just the glass grade.
What evidence Elje holds per item
- A photo of the mark on a production panel, checked again at inspection.
- The test report for the glass to the safety glazing standard.
- For windows and doors, the AS 2047 evidence and the size check against what was tested.
The common traps with China-made product
- Panes marked to a Chinese CCC or a European EN 12150 standard only. The mark must name the Australian standard the glass was tested to.
- Unmarked panes, or a sticker on the crate instead of the glass.
- Windows sold as compliant because the glass is, with no test for the whole unit.
- Units made bigger than the tested size.
- Heat soaking: apartments and commercial buildings can require it to reduce the risk of toughened glass breaking spontaneously. Houses do not, but it is worth asking for on large frameless panels.
Questions
Is 10 mm glass required for a shower screen?
No. The code minimum for a panel with an exposed edge is 6 mm toughened. 10 mm is common for frameless screens because it feels solid, not because it is required.
Can the mark be added in Australia?
The mark must be permanent and honest. Glass without a test to the Australian standard cannot be made compliant with a sticker.