Aluminosilicate Glass vs Gorilla Glass

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Aluminosilicate glass vs. Gorilla Glass, which is the better material? In this guide, we will be discussing what each of them are, as well as how they compare with one another. Doing so is important because you’ll get to the bottom of what makes Gorilla Glass strong and what makes aluminosilicate glass strong, too!

So, without further ado, let’s head right to the guide!

What is Aluminosilicate Glass?

Aluminosilicate glass is a type of glass that’s comprised of alumina or aluminum oxide. The alumina in this glass type ranges between 20 and 40 percent. If you’re wondering why there’s a range, it is because there’s a variety of aluminosilicate glass products in the market.

Types of Aluminosilicate Glass

Yes, there’s actually two different known types of aluminosilicate glass, namely: Alkaline Earth Aluminosilicate Glass and Alkali Aluminosilicate Glass.

Alkaline Earth Aluminosilicate Glass

It contains 15 to 25 percent aluminum oxide
Has 52 to 60 percent silicon dioxide
15 percent alkaline earth
Typically used for glass bulbs, thermometers, and film resistors

Due to these, it has high transformation softening points and temperatures.

Alkali Aluminosilicate Glass

Has 10 to 25 percent alumina or aluminum oxide
10 percent alkali
Typically used for solar cells, safety glass, touch displays, and other hard and heavy-duty applications

The substantially high alkali content is what’s responsible for the high compressive strength.

Overall, aluminosilicate glass is a versatile piece of glass that has numerous properties, characteristics, and features.

What is Gorilla Glass?

Figure 2: An image of a device equipped with Gorilla Glass

If you’ve been submerged in the smartphone market, then, you should be aware of what a Gorilla Glass is. For the benefit of everyone, Gorilla Glass is a type of chemically-strengthened glass that’s been designed to be thin, slim, but robust and extremely durable.

The chemical composition of Gorilla Glass makes it scratch-resistant, abrasion-resistant, and even least susceptible to damage compared to its counterparts.

Is Gorilla Glass Aluminosilicate?

Figure 3: Aluminosilicate units being made into Gorilla Glass for devices

Yes, Gorilla Glass is a type of aluminosilicate – the term Gorilla Glass is just branding. It’s a special glass made by Corning, and it’s thin but tough. They make it strong using a process called ion-exchange.

This process involves replacing smaller ions in the glass with larger ones, with the latter taking up the most space.

Thanks to this, it makes the glass hard to scratch, crack, and break. It’s like a strengthened aluminosilicate glass unit that prepares whatever it’s attached to for the worst. This makes your phone screen stays safe even if you drop it!

Is Aluminosilicate Glass Heat Resistant?

Figure 4: An image of a heat resistant aluminosilicate glass units

Yes, absolutely. In on itself, aluminosilicate glass units are already resistant to highly-fluctuating temperatures. It has an annealing temperature OF 800 °C and a softening temperature of 1,010 °C.

In the case of thermal resistance, it only has a subtly high amount, compared to other glass materials.

NOTE: Some even think that aluminosilicate glass units have the same temperature resistance as ceramics materials.

How Strong is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2?

Figure 5: Image of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

If we’re talking about strength, then Gorilla Glass should always be included because that is what they are primarily known for.

Based on lab tests and assessments, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which was released just November of last year, can survive drops of 6.5 feet on asphalt and about 3.28 feet on concrete. It is the strongest, most resilient, and most surviving of all Gorilla Glass units.

It is the newest and most updated Gorilla Glass unit and will be used in various flagship smartphones of this year. The company even imitated real-life situations, such as real-world drops and rough surfaces.

Among the tests include:

You can watch the different tests here.

Aluminosilicate Glass vs. Tempered Glass

For years, people have been arguing over aluminosilicate glass and tempered glass, discussing which of them is better. Some speculate that aluminosilicate glass units perform better over longer periods of time, while others say that using tempered glass is seen to be more efficient because of ease of use and utility.

NOTE: For this comparison, we will be using tempered soda-lime glass, not any other type of glass.

	Aluminosilicate Glass	Tempered Glass
Type	A type of glass with 57-60% silicon dioxide (SiO2) and 16-20% aluminum dioxide (Al2O3).	A type of glass that undergoes strong heating to 700°C, then a violent cooling.
Heat Resistance	Can withstand heat and high temperatures of up to 800°C.	Can withstand temperatures of up to 250°C.
Strength	High strength and scratch resistance. Only Mohs 8 and up can scratch it with noticeable effects.	Up to five times stronger than annealed glass. Can easily be scratched by sapphire glass and aluminosilicate glass.
Thermal Expansion	Has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 9.8×10^-6 1/K (at 300°C).	Not mentioned or no such property
Chemical Resistance	Resistant to chemical degradation for most chemicals and compounds.	Not mentioned or no such property
Ionization Procedure	Undergoes a special ionization process, making it even more resistant to scratches.	Not all units are ionized/not mentioned/no such thing.

In simple words, both are strong types of glass. Aluminosilicate Glass can handle higher temperatures and has good chemical resistance. On the other hand, tempered glass is very strong and can handle high temperature changes, but has a lower melting point than aluminosilicate glass.

Aluminosilicate Glass vs. Gorilla Glass: The Showdown

The moment everyone’s been waiting for – the battle between aluminosilicate glass and gorilla glass. Are they different? How much different are they from one another? Let’s discuss them briefly and compare them with clarity.

To start, here’s a simple table to help you outline their differences:

Aluminosilicate Glass	Gorilla Glass
High strength and scratch resistance, even in purposeful applications.	Designed to be thin, light and damage-resistant, can resist minor scratches and damages.
Can withstand up to 800°C.	Not mentioned, but manufactured at 400°F or 204°C..
Undergoes a special ionization process, making it even more resistant to scratches.	The glass gains its surface strength, ability to contain flaws, and crack-resistance by being immersed in a hot, potassium – salt, ion-exchange bath.
Resistant to chemical degradation.	Resistant to chemical degradation.
More difficult to fabricate compared to borosilicate.	Undergoes a long and complex manufacturing process to achieve the thinness and strength.

Both materials are strong in their own ways. Aluminosilicate glass is the raw material that’s used to create other types of glass, including Gorilla Glass, while Gorilla Glass is the brand or the finished product. Gorilla Glass is made from aluminosilicate glass, but aluminosilicate glass isn’t made from Gorilla Glass – from that, you should already have an idea about the two.

If you’re interested to find out the price range of aluminosilicate glass, here’s an overview of its prices from Made-In-China.

Aluminosilicate Glass Properties and Characteristics

By knowing and understanding the properties of aluminosilicate glass, you’re diving deep into the abyss of categorizing and knowing what they’re for further. In terms of properties, let’s find out what the different properties of aluminosilicate glass units are.

Aluminosilicate glass is heat resistant and can tolerate temperatures of up to 800 °C and a softening temperature at 1,010 °C.
Compared to borosilicate glass, it is better at resisting chemical transformation.
Harder and a little bit more difficult to melt that borosilicate glass.
High resistance to thermal shock
Lightweight, easy to move and transport from one site to another

These are among the most common characteristics and properties of aluminosilicate glass. You will also be able to find other properties and advantages along the way.

Gorilla Glass Properties and Characteristics

Now that we’re aware of what aluminosilicate glass is as well as its characteristics and properties, let us now uncover the realities and truths about Gorilla Glass. Like aluminosilicate glass, Gorilla Glass also has mechanical and functional properties, they include, but not limited to:

It has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, which means, only diamond is the material that can scratch it.
Gorilla Glass is lightweight, you can easily transfer and transport it from one place to another.
It is breakage and damage-resistant, thanks to the diffusion of potassium-ions that touched its surface
It is thin and easier to fabricate than aluminosilicate glass

As we can see, Gorilla Glass has its advantages over aluminosilicate glass, and vice versa. Just because a glass type has better optical properties, is stronger, it doesn’t always necessarily mean that it’s the perfect piece to the puzzle.

What is the Strongest Glass?

The question what the strongest glass is, is actually relative. Strength, especially when it comes to glass depends on what the topic is about. It can be strength from abrasion, damages, and scratches; it could be strength to the extent of how well they can be after being dropped – the list goes on.

In the case of hardness, there’s no other material that’s considered by many as number one but sapphire glass. It is strong, robust, and can withstand the extremities of nature like temperature, pressure, and force.

After sapphire glass comes aluminosilicate glass. It’s neither the hardest nor the strongest, but it can be used for several applications that require strength, resilience, and resistance. Aluminosilicate glass units are best known for their thermal shock resistance, as well as having a great deal of surface strength.

Next in line is tempered glass. It’s a type of enhanced glass that’s designed to withstand premature damage like shattering and cracking. It’s manufactured through thermal or chemical treatment processes, and are engineered to resist even the highest and most extreme of temperatures.

These are among the strongest and most durable glass types circulating in the industry. There are a lot of articles there that may say otherwise, but, until proven through continuous tests, real-life application, and proof, it’s not accepted.

What is an Alternative to Gorilla Glass?

While you may think Gorilla Glass is everything you wanted in a glass, there are actually alternatives to it, in case you find it to be extremely lucrative and some features unnecessary. Here are some of the most notable alternatives to it:

Dragontrail Glass

It is the same type of glass, just a different manufacturer. Dragontrail glass is manufactured by Asahi Corp. Ltd., a Japanese-based company, and is trying to imitate the features of Corning’s Gorilla Glass.

Many manufacturing brands choose Dragontrail glass because it is cheaper, easier to find, and faster to deliver than Corning Gorilla Glass.

Sapphire Glass

Sapphire glass is another alternative, considering the strength, hardness, and its ability to resist basic damage like dents and even the hardest of scratches. Having a Mohs rating of 9, the only other material that can chip it off or scratch it would be real diamonds.

Almost everything is softer and a lot less harmful to it.

Ceramic Shield

If Gorilla Glass is what makes up the majority of the Android market, Ceramic Shield is Apple’s answer. Also made by Corning, the Ceramic Shield is known to be four times tougher, stronger, and more durable than other glass types.

It is made from ceramic nano-crystals, adding to the extra resilience of it. Based on testing, it was able to withstand 6-feet drops and even minor damages on its surface.

Tempered Glass

Last but most definitely not least is our favorite–tempered glass. Tempered glass units are toughened or strengthened glass that’s been chemically altered to increase strength and durability. You will often find them in certain residential and commercial applications and the most common include shower doors, glass tables, and other types of support.

Part of its common everyday use include smartphone protection, smartwatch protection, monitors, and others of the like.

These are the most common alternatives to Gorilla Glass units, in case you don’t find the need to use them.

Conclusion

Since 2009, GLASHern has been China’s face when it comes to highly-functional glass units. We’re known in the industry as part of the pioneers, especially when it comes to specialized glass pieces. Exporting to 50 different countries carrying 9+ certifications, you can never go wrong in choosing us to manufacture the aluminosilicate or Gorilla Glass that you need!

Besides these materials, we here at GLASHern can also be your go-to when it comes to other products, such as sapphire glass, borosilicate glass, or float glass, to dome glass, glass rods, optical glass sheet, and even UV-transmitting glass.

Our glassmaking experts and engineers here at GLASHern will never be tired of helping you accomplish your projects. We’re always ready to supply you with the glass products that you need!