BOROFLOAT® 33
Clear, colorless borosilicate float glass with strong transmission, very weak fluorescence, and resistance to water and acids, exposure leaches only small amounts of ions, so the glass barely influences the measurement.
ProductsFloat Glass
Precision Float Glass Components.
IRD is an official distributor of SCHOTT BOROFLOAT®, so material access and fabrication sit with the same supplier. Machining, edge work, strengthening, coating, patterning, and inspection are quoted around the finished component rather than the raw sheet, and on a new design the manufacturability review is free of charge.
What we manufacture
Float glass is selected for availability and value, then processed around exposure, transmission, strength, geometry, and edge requirements.
Environmental resistance
Highly resistant to water, strong acids, alkalis, impact, and heat, with chemical resistance better than most metals and long-term service above 100 °C.
Transmission control
Clear and tinted material plus optical coatings applied during manufacture for light transmission, heat, insulation, and ultraviolet performance.
Fabricated geometry
Blanks and finished components sawn, waterjet cut, diced, machined, edged, strengthened, coated, and inspected to the customer print.
Process capability
Manufacturing limits by process
These are IRD's published capability limits across materials and geometries, not a grade every part ships to. Open the process that controls your critical surface and quote against that one.
Float glass is often chosen for cost and availability. Finished-part economics still depend on size, thickness, edge work, strength, coating, and inspection.
| Attribute | Typical | Best case |
|---|---|---|
| SawingBlanking and sizing to 14″ × 8″ × 1″ | ±.005″ | ±.001″ |
| WaterjetProfiles to 40″ × 24″ × 2″ | ±.010″ | ±.005″ |
| DicingSmall-format repeated components to 8″ dia | ±.005″ | ±.0005″ |
| MachiningMounting features, profiles, and custom geometry | ±.005″ dimension | ±.0001″ |
| PolishingOptical faces and performance-critical surfaces | Ra < 1 µin | Ra < 2 Å |
The route after the sheet arrives
Float glass earns its place on availability and price. What decides the finished-part cost is the route it takes after the sheet arrives.
Borofloat 33 earns its place on chemistry, not price alone
Excellent light transmission with very weak fluorescence across the spectrum, thermal stability, impact resistance, and chemical resistance better than most metals. Exposure to water and acids leaches only small amounts of ions from the glass, so measurements taken through it are hardly influenced by the receptacle.
The cutting route is chosen by format
Sawing runs to ±.001 inch best case up to 14 × 8 × 1 inches; waterjet reaches ±.005 inch across 40 × 24 × 2 inches; dicing holds ±.0005 inch up to 8 inch diameter at .300 inch thick. Choosing the route at design review is what keeps dimension, edge condition, and cost from fighting each other.
Coating, patterning, and strengthening stay inside the same route
Optical coatings can be applied where light transmittance matters, patterned coatings for filters, gauges, and datums, and chemical or heat strengthening where the component takes impact or thermal shock. Keeping them in one route means the inspected surface is the delivered surface.
Debris shields are a cost calculation, not a material preference
IRD reports that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory uses thin, roughly 1 mm disposable BOROFLOAT® debris shields in fusion experiments in place of fused silica, taking up to ten shots before replacement. Sapphire lasts longer still at a higher initial price. Which one wins depends on replacement frequency, not on unit cost.
Capabilities
Materials, coatings, and metrology
IRD's published materials, coating, and inspection equipment lists.
Industries
- Biotechnology
- Microelectronics
- Photovoltaics
- Security
- Chemical processing
- Commercial lighting
Applications
- Sight glass
- Analytical equipment
- Optoelectronics
- Floodlight covers
- Reaction-vessel windows
- Debris shields
Options
- Clear or tinted
- Heat and chemical resistance
- Optical coating
- Strengthening
- Patterning
- Custom edge work
Measured on
- Zygo GPI interferometer
- Zygo NewView
- Zygo Verifire XPZ
- Nikon 6D interferometer
- Micro-Vu automated vision system
- TriOptics Triangle
- TriOptics PrismMaster
- Starrett MVR300
- Zeiss Spectrum
- Zeiss O-Inspect
- Tagarno digital microscope
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The answers an applications engineer would give you on the first call.
Start a quoteWhich cutting route will my part take?
Format decides, not preference. Waterjet takes the widest formats at 40″ × 24″ × 2″ and ±.005″ best-case tolerance; dicing holds to ±.0005″ up to 8″ diameter at .300″ thick. Send the outline and the thickness and the team will route it.
What is BOROFLOAT® 33 good for?
IRD is an official distributor of SCHOTT BOROFLOAT®. Borofloat 33 is a clear, colorless borosilicate with excellent transmission, very weak fluorescence across the light spectrum, and long-term service above 100 °C, which is what makes it a common choice where a component has to stay optically quiet and hot at the same time.
What do you need in order to quote?
IRD's quoting checklist: application, product type, volume potential and schedule, material, dimensions, surface quality, coatings, assembly, cleaning, and packaging. Attach the drawing. For a new design the technical team runs a no-cost Design for Manufacturability review before quoting, then estimates prototype and production volumes separately.
Does IRD design the part?
No. IRD manufactures to your print or performance requirement and contributes material, process, and manufacturability input, the design stays with your team. When a print calls for tighter tolerances than the application requires, IRD will flag the potential over-specification, since it can add unnecessary cost. Final optical design decisions remain yours.
How large a part can you make?
Machining runs to 30″ × 16″ × 16″, polishing to 36″ diameter, grinding to 24″ diameter at 6″ height, lapping to 13.3″ diameter, waterjet to 40″ × 24″ × 2″, and dicing to 8″ diameter at .300″ thick. Larger geometry is quoted against whichever process controls the critical surface.
Which coatings are applied in-house?
IRD applies basic anti-reflective and metallic coatings in-house for quick turnaround. Other coating requirements are handled through select, vetted coating partners. Name the coating target in the RFQ and the team will confirm the route before quoting.
Can you take ITAR-controlled work?
IRD is registered with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, and controlled programs are manufactured and stored domestically across the Litchfield and Alexandria, Minnesota facilities. Both plants operate under quality systems certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 for ultra-high-precision glass, optical, and ceramic components.
How is the finished part protected in transit?
Packaging is tailored to the part and can include multi-layer foam, custom corrugated packaging, gel packs for sensitive optics, and military-grade cases. Components are supported on edges or non-critical surfaces outside the clear aperture and held against shifting in transit.
Technical documents
Use these IRD references when reviewing precision float glass components requirements.
Material guide
IRD is an Official BOROFLOAT® Distributor
What Borofloat 33 brings to optical windows, filters, mirrors, bulletproof systems, debris shields, and chemically resistant viewports, and where its transmission and thermal stability matter most.
ArticleTechnical articleAlternatives to Fused Silica Laser Debris Shields
Where BOROFLOAT® and sapphire replace fused silica as debris shields, including the Lawrence Livermore fusion-experiment example, and how replacement frequency changes the cost comparison.
ArticleApplication noteSource Your LiDAR Components from an Official BOROFLOAT® Distributor
Why Borofloat suits LiDAR windows, mirrors, and filter substrates, and what IRD adds beyond material access when the component has to survive road exposure and thermal cycling.
Article
Start with the print
Send us your precision float glass components requirement.
Send the print with the finished dimensions and thickness, the edge condition you need, any coating, patterning, or strengthening, the exposure the part will see in service, annual volume, and the packaging and replenishment model. For a new design, the technical team runs a no-cost Design for Manufacturability review before quoting, then estimates prototype and production volumes separately.
Or call 320.693.7217. If you are comparing Borofloat against fused silica or sapphire for a consumable, bring the replacement interval, that is usually what decides it.