Florida Home Inspector Practice Test

When tempered glass breaks, it undergoes a unique process due to the way it is manufactured. Tempered glass is produced through a process of extreme heating and rapid cooling, which makes it much stronger than regular glass. One of the crucial characteristics of tempered glass is that it is designed to shatter into small, blunt pieces rather than large, dangerous shards.

This shattering behavior is a safety feature; the small pieces reduce the risk of injury that can occur with sharp glass shards. Therefore, when tempered glass breaks, it will indeed break into many small pieces rather than falling apart into large shards, maintaining its safety characteristics even when broken. This behavior distinguishes tempered glass from other types of glass, which might break into larger and sharper pieces.