The term reflective glass does not refer to mirrors only, though such glass can provide mirror-like qualities. Reflective glass has a metallic coating to help reflect heat,which in turn lowers energy costs for the building,as it takes less energy to regulate the building's interior temperature.Reflective glass can give the appearance of a one-way mirror,providing added privacy for building occupants.It is mo -st frequently used for building facades.
The metal coating on reflective glass can be added to the hot glass during the float process.This kind of coating is called a hard coat and reflective glass with a hard coat can be cut,heat strengthen-ed or toughened (tempered).The other way of adding a metal coating to glass is by adding it via a vacuum after the glass has been finished.This is called a soft coat.A soft coat is more susceptible to scratches and other damage,so is usually applied to the inside surface of a glass pane as part of a double-glazed system.
