La Rochère Versailles Tea Glass 27.5 Cl - 6 Pieces
Pasabahce Elysia Tea Glass 31 Cl - 2 Pieces
Pasabahce Elysia Tea Glass 25 Cl - 2 Pieces
Pasabahce Timeless Tea Glass 25 Cl - 2 Pieces
What happens inside the glass
Glass expands as it heats up, and it conducts heat poorly. If you pour boiling water into a cold glass, the inner wall expands immediately while the outer wall is still cold and small. The two pull against each other, the stress builds, and the glass cracks, usually from the bottom upward. This is called thermal shock. Thick glass cracks more easily than thin glass because the difference between the inside and outside is greater.
The reverse happens too: a red-hot glass under cold water contracts on the outside and cracks. A glass with a scratch or chip cracks more easily, because that’s where the crack starts.
How much of a difference can a glass handle?
Ordinary soda-lime glass tolerates a temperature difference of about 40 degrees between the inside and outside. So a 20-degree glass with 60-degree water is the limit; 90-degree tea is too hot. Tempered glass tolerates a difference of 100 to 130 degrees and can therefore handle boiling water. Borosilicate glass can handle up to 160 degrees and can go from the freezer into boiling water.
That’s why a tea glass has a label or product description saying it can withstand boiling water. Read all about the materials in our articles on borosilicate glass and tempered, crystal, or unbreakable glass.
Preventing cracks
Four ways. One: for hot drinks, buy tempered or borosilicate glass; read our article about the tea glass. Two: preheat an ordinary glass with warm tap water before pouring in hot water. Three: put a metal spoon in the glass; it absorbs some of the heat. Four: pour slowly along the side, not all at once onto the bottom.
And let a hot glass from the dishwasher cool down before rinsing it or filling it with ice. Crystal and thin-blown glass are the most sensitive. Browse the tea glasses.
Withstands boiling water
The Luigi Bormioli Thermic tea glass is made of borosilicate glass and can go from the freezer into boiling water. The La Rochère Ouessant tea glass is made of tempered glass, holds 36 cl, and is suitable for tea and coffee. Find all sizes in the tea glasses collection.
Luigi Bormioli Thermic Tea Glass 22 cl (2 pieces)
La Rochère Ouessant Tea Glass 36 cl (6 pieces)
Good to know
Can you pour boiling water into a regular drinking glass?
Best not to. A temperature difference above 40 degrees can cause it to crack. Warm the glass with hot water first or use a tea glass.
Why does a glass crack in the dishwasher?
Usually due to an existing scratch or chip, sometimes because of the difference between the hot rinse water and a cold glass at the bottom. Clear away cracked glasses immediately.
Can you put ice in a warm glass?
A regular glass that's warm from the dishwasher and then gets ice may crack. Let it sit for a minute or rinse it with lukewarm water.
Frequently asked questions
Why does glass crack when you pour hot water into it?
Due to thermal shock: the inside expands while the outside stays cold, and the stress cracks the glass. See our tea glasses.
How much of a temperature difference can glass withstand?
Regular glass: about 40 degrees; tempered glass: 100 to 130; borosilicate: up to 160.
How can you prevent a glass from cracking when you pour in hot water?
Use a tempered or borosilicate glass, preheat it, put a spoon in it, and pour slowly along the side.
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