Fire Glass

Fire Glass, Whaaat? No! This is not glass that bursts into flame. To understand what fire glass is we need to look at the two types of glass most common in everyday use. They are annealed and tempered. All glass consists mainly of silica (sand) and is heated to a molten form, shaped and cooled. This simple process is annealed glass. Annealed glass is used for coffee tables and some windows. If you ever saw a movie in which the kid hits a baseball through Mr. Smiths bedroom window and the glass breaks into large sharp shards, you know what annealed glass is. Tempered glass goes through a different process. It is actually made from annealed glass in a chemical process (more expensive and less used) or a heat process. The glass is heated to over 600 degrees Celsius, then cooled under high pressure. The tension created by uneven cooling is what creates the “tempered” glass. The edges of tempered glass are far weaker than the interior, this is why someone can tap lightly on the side window of a car and shatter the glass. Speaking of shatter, guess how fire glass is made. That’s right. Tempered glass is shattered then tumbled to remove any sharp edges. Sizing and colors are done by the manufacturer, packaged and made available for purchase in quantities starting with one pound. In addition to fire glass, ceramic stones, ceramic shapes and fire balls (honest, I did not make that one up) are available. Lastly, lava rock can be used as well, either as a filler or for your entire display. Fire glass amounts are easy to calculate. Length, width and depth give you the cubic area in inches or feet. Generally, one square foot two inches deep will require 15 pounds of fire glass. *Note: if the back of your fireplace is wider than the front, subtract the front width from the back, divide by two then add to the front width. Use that number as if the fireplace was a rectangle. If the front is 24 inches and the back is 28 inches, the difference is 4. Four divided by two is two, so add 2 to 24 and use 26 as your width.

By the way, use fire glass with gas or propane fire pits, fire tables, gas or propane logs and so on. DO NOT use fire glass in any wood burning device. Also, gas and propane are for the most part clean burning so minimal cleaning is required. A mild dish detergent will do the job.  Mix or match fire glass colors for a beautiful effect. *If you are eco-minded, look for eco-glass. It is recycled glass that would otherwise be discarded.