ISO 12543-1:2021

Overview

ISO 12543-1:2021 - "Glass in building - Laminated glass and laminated safety glass - Part 1: Vocabulary and description of component parts" - provides standardized terminology and component descriptions for laminated glass used in buildings. This third edition (2021) defines essential terms and describes constituent parts such as glass types, interlayers, plastic glazing sheets, and encapsulated items, supporting consistent specification, supply and communication across design, manufacturing and regulatory stakeholders.

Key topics

• Scope and intent: Establishes vocabulary and descriptive rules for laminated glass and laminated safety glass for use in building glazing systems.
• Core definitions: Terms such as laminated glass, laminated safety glass, interlayer, delamination, bubble, haze, cloudiness and discoloration are defined to avoid ambiguity in specifications and testing references.
• Component descriptions:
  • Glass composition: soda‑lime silicate, borosilicate, alkaline earth silicate, alumino‑silicate, glass ceramics.
  • Glass types: float, drawn sheet, patterned, wired, wired patterned.
  • Other glass characteristics: clear/tinted, transparent/translucent/opaque, annealed/heat‑strengthened/thermally toughened/chemically strengthened, surface treatments and coatings.
  • Plastic glazing sheets: polycarbonate and acrylic variants, including optical treatments and tints.
  • Interlayers: role as adhesive layers, variations in material, mechanical and optical properties; functions such as impact retention, acoustic, fire or solar control.
  • Encapsulated elements: films, plates, wires and grids and how they are integrated.
• Lamination processes: Defines folio lamination (solid film + heat/pressure) and cast‑in‑place lamination (liquid interlayer cured in situ).
• Product configurations: symmetrical vs asymmetrical laminates, flat vs curved, stock and finished sizes.
• Visual defects: standardized description of delamination, bubbles, haze, cloudiness and discoloration to aid inspection and quality control.

Applications and users

ISO 12543-1 is essential for:

• Architects and façade designers specifying laminated or laminated safety glass in building envelopes.
• Glazing manufacturers and laminators for consistent component description and communication with suppliers.
• Façade engineers and structural glazing contractors coordinating material selection and detailing.
• Testing laboratories and certification bodies as a reference vocabulary when performing or reporting tests (see ISO 12543-2/3 for performance/classification).
• Building regulators and procurement teams ensuring clear, unambiguous product descriptions in standards-based procurement.

Related standards

• ISO 12543-2 - Laminated safety glass (classification/requirements)
• ISO 12543-3 - Laminated glass (product requirements)
• ISO 16940 - Measurement of mechanical impedance for acoustic evaluation
• Relevant EN standards for glass product types and coatings (referenced within ISO 12543-1 bibliography)

Keywords: ISO 12543-1, laminated glass, laminated safety glass, interlayer, folio lamination, cast-in-place lamination, glass in building, glazing vocabulary, laminated glass components.