# Does Cabinet Glass Need to Be Tempered?

Most cabinet doors are not a hazardous location, so annealed glass is often allowed. Temper the tall doors and the ones people handle.

Source: https://www.temperededge.com/guides/does-cabinet-glass-need-tempering/

US building codes (IRC and IBC) require tempered safety glazing in hazardous locations, the places a person is likely to walk into the glass. Most cabinet doors are not in that category. A few are.

Tempering is recommended when:

- The door is large. If annealed glass breaks there, the shards are dangerous

- The cabinet is in a high-traffic area where the door could be hit

- The cabinet is at floor level (base cabinets) where children or pets are present

- The glass is in a door that swings into a walkway

Small decorative lites in upper doors are usually fine in annealed glass. We make both. Tell us the cabinet and we will say which one fits.

**The cost difference:** Tempering adds a modest per-square-foot charge. For a standard kitchen's worth of cabinet door lites, it's a small premium for the safety improvement.

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