Fire glass (also fire pit glass, fire rocks, fire beads or lava glass) is a type of

tempered glass Tempered or toughened glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the interior into tensi ...

, chunks of which are used decoratively on

fireplaces A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

. Pieces of the glass are heaped around jets of burning gas, or around liquid

ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...

, in order to conceal the jets and reflect the flames. It is an alternative to ceramic and stone decorative elements, such as ceramic logs and

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular v ...

("lava rock").

Manufacturing processes

Fire glass is sold in a wide range of colours. It may be made in different shapes, such as beads, diamonds, cubes or rounded pebbles. The sizes range from approximately , and is made in various different colors, sometimes with reflective coatings. The first fire glass to be sold in the U.S. market, around 2006, was shattered in form. This is the most popular fire glass and is typically reflective glass on one side and colored on the other. The reflective coating gives a shimmering effect when in use. The shattered or broken tempered glass is the most popular form of fire glass used by consumers. Broken standard sheets of

are typically sifted to remove any sandy, small, or very sharp pieces of glass, while the rest may optionally be lightly tumbled to remove the sharp edges. Local outdoor living companies or online retailers will often obtain broken tempered glass from local glass companies, then shatter, sift, clean and package the glass to sell to consumers. U.S. companies will also import fire glass from China by the container, as it is not made in the U.S. in bulk.

Usage

The glass itself is unchanged by the fire, but accumulates dust and black

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed ...

produced by the burning hydrocarbons. Being glass, it can be cleaned with vinegar and water. Lighting the flames while there is any water on the glass can lead to uneven heating and cause the fire glass to shatter explosively. Gloves should be worn when handling glass, and any broken pieces sifted out and recycled.

References

{{Reflist Fire Glass applications

Manufacturing processes

Usage

See also

References