March rolls around. Sun comes out. You drag the cover off your rattan set, already picturing that first barbecue of the year. And there it is. A dirty great crack running right through the glass. Or worse, the whole thing has shattered into a web of fragments still sitting in the frame like some kind of depressing jigsaw.
Sound familiar? We hear this story every single spring. Honestly, from about mid February onwards, rattan table glass becomes the bulk of our orders. It's that common.
Here's the thing though. The glass that came with your set was almost certainly rubbish. Thin, cheap, untoughened. The manufacturer stuck it in to keep the price tag low, and it did its job for a summer or two. But leave it outside through a proper winter? Frost gets into it. That's the end.
So What Actually Happened to It?
Short version: thermal stress killed it. The long version involves freeze-thaw cycles, which sounds technical but is really just this: water sits on the glass or collects in the frame channel, temperature drops, water freezes and expands, glass contracts. Rinse and repeat for three or four months. Something eventually gives.
The glass your set shipped with was probably 5mm annealed float. Annealed means it hasn't been heat treated at all. It's basically raw glass, and raw glass does not like temperature swings. At all.
Toughened glass is a completely different animal. It goes through a furnace at around 620 degrees, then gets rapidly cooled. That process makes it roughly five times stronger and far more tolerant of the kind of temperature changes a British winter throws at it. So when you're replacing that broken panel, toughened is the obvious upgrade. It's not much more expensive and it'll actually last.
Right, What Do I Actually Need to Order?
There's no such thing as a "standard" rattan table glass. Annoying, but true. Every manufacturer uses slightly different dimensions, so you can't just Google your table model and find a drop-in replacement off the shelf. You'll need a piece cut to your table's exact measurements.
Don't panic. It's straightforward once you know what to measure.
Shape
Dining tables are usually rectangular or square. Coffee tables lean towards oval or a sort of rounded rectangle. Bistro sets are almost always round. Worth actually checking though, especially if the old glass is in bits and you can't just hold it up to look at it.
Dimensions
Measure the frame recess, not the outside of the table. The glass sits inside a lip or channel, so you need the internal opening. If the original glass is still in one piece, measure that. If it's shattered, measure the frame and knock a couple of millimetres off for clearance.
Thickness
Your original was probably 5mm. You can match that, but honestly, just go 6mm toughened. The extra millimetre makes basically no difference to weight, it fits in the same recess, and it's significantly stronger. Got a big table, six seats or more? Think about 8mm. Adds a bit of rigidity that you'll notice.
Corner Radius
This one catches people out. Rattan tables almost never have sharp square corners. There's a radius, a curve, and it varies from table to table. Could be 10mm, could be 30mm. If you order square corners on a table that needs a 20mm radius, the glass won't sit right in the frame. Trace the curve onto a bit of cardboard if you're not sure how to measure it.
Which Glass Type Should I Go For?
Most people just go clear toughened. Looks the same as what was there before, does the job, no fuss. Can't go wrong with it.
But if you fancy something a bit different, there are options.
Grey tinted gives a smoky, modern look. Suits darker rattan, the charcoal and graphite weaves. Also cuts glare a bit on sunny days, which is a nice bonus if you're eating outside.
Bronze tinted is warmer. Think amber, honey tones. Pairs really well with natural or light brown rattan. If your set has that classic, warm garden furniture look, bronze glass lifts it.
Frosted (satin) is one people don't always think of for garden furniture, but it's actually dead practical. Hides fingerprints, hides water marks, hides the dust and bits that accumulate under the glass. You don't have to constantly wipe it.
Low iron glass is available too but for outdoor furniture it's honestly overkill. The green tint you get with normal glass is barely visible in daylight. Save the low iron for indoor stuff where it actually matters.
Common Sizes We Cut for Rattan Tables
Every set is different, but these are the ballpark figures we see week in, week out. Measure yours though. Don't just pick one of these and hope.
- 2 seater bistro: Round, 600 to 700mm diameter
- 4 seater square: 800 x 800 to 900 x 900mm
- 4 seater rectangular: 1000 x 600 to 1200 x 700mm
- 6 seater rectangular: 1400 x 800 to 1600 x 900mm
- 8 seater rectangular: 1800 x 900 to 2000 x 1000mm
- Coffee table oval: 900 x 500 to 1200 x 600mm
Corner radii tend to sit between 15mm and 25mm. Don't guess this one. Being 5mm off on a radius is properly visible once the glass is in.
Will the Toughened Glass Actually Fit My Frame?
Yes. If your frame held 5mm glass, 6mm toughened drops straight in. That extra millimetre is well within the tolerance of any rattan frame recess. If you want to go 8mm, just check the depth of the channel first. Stick a ruler in. On most bigger rattan sets it's fine, but worth a quick check.
On most tables the glass just sits loose in the recess, held in place by its own weight and the lip of the rattan surround. No clips or adhesive needed. If you're somewhere windy and you're worried about it lifting, stick a few silicone bumper pads underneath. Cheap, adds grip, doesn't permanently bond anything.
Looking After the New Glass
Toughened glass is much tougher than what you had before, but a couple of easy habits will keep it going for years.
Biggest one: cover the table in winter. A waterproof cover stops water pooling and freezing on the glass. That's the main thing that kills glass outdoors, so just take that out of the equation.
Even better: lift the glass out and store it indoors from October to March. Thirty seconds to carry it to the shed. Problem completely solved.
Before you put the glass back in spring, give the frame recess a wipe. Grit, leaves, all that stuff that builds up over winter creates little pressure points against the glass edge. Clear it out.
And one people don't think about: don't stick a boiling hot mug on freezing glass first thing on a frosty morning. Let the surface warm up a bit, or use a coaster. Thermal shock is thermal shock, toughened or not.
Ready to Order?
We cut replacement rattan table glass every single week, and from March through May it's basically all we do. Give us your dimensions, shape, corner radius, and which glass type you want. We'll manufacture it to fit and ship it out, usually within five to seven working days.
Not sure about the measurements? Just send us the make and model of your rattan set, or even just a couple of photos, and we'll help you figure it out.
