What does broken glass replacement involve?
Broken glass replacement means clearing a cracked or smashed pane, measuring the opening and fitting new glass, which is often the right moment to upgrade to laminated security glass. It covers windows, doors, shopfronts and screens in homes and businesses.
After a break-in or an accident, the first job is making the opening safe: removing loose glass, protecting people from sharp edges and securing the gap. Where the building cannot be left open and an installer is available, temporary boarding can be arranged, but we do not promise a fixed response time. The replacement glass is then made to measure, because sealed units, laminated and toughened panes all have to be ordered to size.
If the old glass was toughened or plain, replacing it like for like puts the same weak point back. We quote the like-for-like price and the price for a laminated upgrade side by side, so you can choose. We confirm the visit price before we attend and agree the replacement glass before it is ordered. If the damage is part of an insurance claim, we can provide a written description of the work and the glass fitted for your insurer.
How much does broken glass replacement cost?
Guide prices for a replacement pane are £174 to £714 including VAT (£145 to £595 plus VAT), including the glass. The visit charge, from £174 including VAT (£145 plus VAT), is confirmed before we attend and deducted from the price if you go ahead with the replacement. See all glass prices.
Visit charge from £145 + VAT (£174 inc VAT), deducted from the price if you go ahead with the replacement.
What the work covers
- Loose and broken glass removed safely
- Temporary boarding where an installer is available
- Measuring and ordering of made-to-measure glass
- Like-for-like or laminated security upgrade
- Sealed units, single panes and shop panes
- Glass disposal included
- Written description of the work for insurance claims
- Bead and frame checks while the glass is out
When you need it
- Windows smashed in a break-in or attempt
- Shop windows cracked by vandalism
- Doors and side panels broken by accident
- Cracked panes from settlement or impact
- Glass damaged during building work
What to decide before you order
Like for like or upgrade
Replacing broken toughened glass with laminated glass costs a little more and makes the same weakness much harder to exploit next time.
Making safe first
If the opening cannot be left, temporary boarding protects the building while the new glass is made.
Insurance
Check your policy before ordering. Many insurers will pay for like for like; an upgrade may be at your own cost.
Check the frame
Break-ins often damage beads, hinges and locks too. We check and quote for those at the same time.
Rules across the UK
Safety glazing, building regulations, planning and listed building rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These are the points most relevant to broken glass replacement; local pages show the version for your nation.
Replacing glass in an existing frame
Replacing only the glass or sealed unit in an existing frame is generally treated as a repair in England rather than notifiable building work. Replacing a whole window or door is notifiable and is normally certified through a competent person scheme or approved by building control. Either way, new glass in a critical location should still be safety glass.
Safety glass in critical locations
In England, section 5 of Approved Document K treats glazing in doors and in side panels within 300 mm of a door edge, from floor level up to 1,500 mm, and any other glazing below 800 mm, as a critical location. Glass there should break safely, be robust, or be guarded. Laminated or toughened glass meeting BS EN 12600 class 3 is the usual answer, rising to class 2 for door and side-panel panes wider than 900 mm.
Insurer requirements
Insurers set their own conditions for shops, offices, stock and cash, and some name a glazing class such as BS EN 356 P6B in the policy wording. Ask for that wording in writing before you order. The insurer decides whether the glass meets their policy; we provide the glass manufacturer's test evidence with the quote.
How it works
Tell us what broke
Describe the damage, give rough sizes and send a photo if you can.
Price before we visit
We confirm the visit price before we attend. The replacement glass is agreed before it is ordered.
Measure and make safe
The glazier measures, checks the frame and can arrange temporary boarding where an installer is available.
New glass fitted
The replacement pane is made to size, fitted, sealed and checked.
Broken glass replacement: questions
How much does broken glass replacement cost?
Guide prices for replacing a broken pane are from £145 to £595 plus VAT (£174 to £714 inc VAT), depending on size, glass type and access. The visit charge, from £145 plus VAT (£174 inc VAT), is confirmed before we attend and deducted from the price if you go ahead with the replacement.
How quickly can broken glass be replaced?
The new glass has to be made to measure, so lead times depend on the type and size. Temporary boarding can be arranged where an installer is available; we do not promise a fixed response time.
Should I replace broken glass with laminated glass?
If the pane was broken in a break-in, yes, usually. Laminated glass holds together when struck, so the same route is much harder to use again.
Can you give me paperwork for my insurer?
Yes. We provide a written description of the damage, the work and the glass fitted, which you can send with your claim.
Do you board up broken windows?
Where the opening cannot be left and an installer is available, we can arrange temporary boarding until the new glass is fitted.
What happens to the broken glass?
We remove and dispose of it safely as part of the job.
Find broken glass replacement near you
Choose your county or region for local information and the rules that apply where you are.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
Wales
Scotland
- Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray
- Highland
- Dundee and Angus
- Perth and Kinross
- Fife
- Edinburgh and the Lothians
- Forth Valley
- Glasgow and Clyde
- Lanarkshire
- Ayrshire
- Argyll and Bute
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Scottish Borders
- Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles