ForMatter/Materials/glass/Borosilicate Glass
mat_borosilicate_glass

Borosilicate Glass

amorphous silicate — boric oxide modified · Pyrex, Duran, lab glass, Schott Borofloat
highlast updated 2026-04-26
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The glass of laboratory beakers, kitchen Pyrex (older formulations), and high-end cookware. Survives thermal shock that would shatter window glass. The reason a Chemex coffeemaker can take boiling water poured into a cold pot.

Glass with ~13% B₂O₃ added to the silicate matrix, lowering thermal expansion to ~3.3×10⁻⁶ /K — about a third of soda-lime. Higher working temperatures (~1600 °C). Used where thermal cycling, optical clarity at thickness, or chemical durability matter (Schott Borofloat for architectural and lab; Corning 7740 historical Pyrex; modern Pyrex consumer cookware is now soda-lime tempered, a controversial change).

mechanical

  • density_kg_m32230
  • youngs_modulus_gpa64
  • tensile_strength_mpa40
  • compressive_strength_mpa800
  • knoop_hardness480
source: Schott Borofloat 33 datasheet

thermal

  • softening_point_c820
  • glass_transition_c525
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk1.14
  • thermal_expansion_per_k3.3e-06
source: Schott Borofloat 33 datasheet

optical

  • light_transmission_pct92
  • refractive_index1.47

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg1.4
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitymoderate — incompatible with soda-lime cullet streams; must be sorted, often landfilled in mixed glass collection
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certifications—
  • localityspecialty glass — Schott (Germany), Corning (US), AGC (Japan)
visual
neutral clear (less green than soda-lime), slightly cooler tone
tactile
cold, smooth, marginally lighter in the hand than soda-lime of equal volume
weight perception
heavy
acoustic
high clear ring — the lab-glass sound

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere transparent finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      transparent
albedo        #c8e0e8
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.05
ior           1.50
transmission  1.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#c8e0e8",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 1.5,
  "transmission": 1.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Borosilicate Glass · finish: transparent
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_borosilicate_glass")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.5776, 0.7454, 0.807, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.050
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.500
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Borosilicate Glass · finish: transparent
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_borosilicate_glass", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (200, 224, 232))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.050)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.500)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 1.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Borosilicate Glass \u00b7 finish: transparent",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.5776,
    "g": 0.7454,
    "b": 0.807
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 1.5,
  "opacity": 0.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_borosilicate_glass",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.5776,
          0.7454,
          0.807,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.05
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_transmission": {
          "transmissionFactor": 1.0
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Borosilicate Glass · finish: transparent
def Material "mat_borosilicate_glass" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_borosilicate_glass/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.5776, 0.7454, 0.807)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.050
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.500
        float   inputs:opacity      = 0.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessLaser Cutting · Water-Jet Cutting · Sandblasting (Abrasive Blasting)
Used inWater Bottle
Substitutes
Soda-Lime Glass
PMMA (Acrylic)

Citations