Corning® Gorilla® Glass: Properties, Sizes & Custom Cutting
Chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate glass, cut, thinned and polished to your specification
Corning® Gorilla® Glass is a thin, chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate glass used for touchscreens, displays and optical components. Valley Design supplies it in standard and custom wafer and sheet sizes and can thin, dice, lap and polish it.
Corning® Gorilla® Glass is a thin, chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate glass made by Corning. It is widely used as cover glass for smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables and automotive displays, and for optical components that need a scratch- and damage-resistant surface. Valley Design does not make Gorilla Glass — we supply it from Corning and finish it: cutting, dicing, thinning, lapping and polishing to your size and surface requirements.
Gorilla Glass is a family of glasses. The property values below are typical figures for Gorilla Glass 2, taken from the Corning datasheet we host. Other generations, such as Gorilla Glass 3, have somewhat different values. Tell us which grade your project needs.
What is Gorilla Glass?
Gorilla Glass is a brand of alkali-aluminosilicate sheet glass developed by Corning. Its composition lets the glass take up a deep layer of chemical strengthening, which helps it resist the scratches, nicks and cracks that cause everyday glass to fail. It is thin and light, so it suits slim electronic devices. Typical applications include:
- Protective covers for smartphone, tablet and laptop displays
- Touchscreen devices and wearables
- Automotive displays
- LCD TVs
- Optical components and other high-strength glass articles
How Gorilla Glass is strengthened (ion exchange)
Gorilla Glass is strengthened by ion exchange. The glass is immersed in a bath of molten potassium salt at roughly 400°C. Larger potassium ions from the bath replace smaller sodium ions in the glass surface. The larger ions are packed tightly into the surface, which puts it into compression. That compressive layer helps the glass resist the tension created when it is scratched, bent or dropped, so it keeps more of its strength after minor damage.
Important for ordering: Gorilla Glass is typically supplied unstrengthened and should be cut, drilled and finished to its final size before it is chemically strengthened, because strengthened glass can fracture when cut. If your parts need chemical strengthening, tell us when you request your quote.
Gorilla Glass benefits
- Higher compressive strength from a deep compression layer
- High strength retention after use
- High resistance to scratching, cracking and breakage
- Superior surface quality
Typical properties of Gorilla Glass 2
Mechanical properties
| Density |
2.42 g/cm3 |
| Young’s modulus |
71.5 GPa |
| Shear modulus |
29.6 GPa |
| Poisson’s ratio |
0.21 |
| Fracture toughness |
0.68 MPa·m0.5 |
| Vickers hardness (200 g load), unstrengthened |
534 kgf/mm2 |
| Vickers hardness (200 g load), strengthened |
649 kgf/mm2 |
| Compressive stress capability |
~1,000 MPa at 40 µm depth of layer; ~950 MPa at 50 µm |
Thermal and optical properties
| Coefficient of thermal expansion (0–300°C) |
81.4 × 10-7 /°C |
| Strain point |
599°C |
| Annealing point |
653°C |
| Softening point |
895°C |
| Refractive index (590 nm) |
1.50 (core); 1.51 (compression layer) |
| Transmittance |
> 91% from 380 to 2,000 nm |
Typical values for Gorilla Glass 2 from the Corning datasheet. Download the full Corning Gorilla Glass datasheet. Values vary by grade and strengthening process; confirm critical values with Corning’s current product information.
Gorilla Glass sizes and availability at Valley Design
| Thicknesses |
0.55 mm, 0.7 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.3 mm, 2.0 mm |
| Standard wafer diameters |
2″, 3″, 100 mm, 125 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm |
| Sheet stock |
Up to 423 mm × 460 mm |
| Custom parts |
From 0.127 mm square up to 400 mm diameter |
| Thinning |
Available down to < 25 µm |
| Standard surface finish |
Transparent, 60/40 scratch-dig |
Enhanced optical surface finishes and flatness options are also available. See our Gorilla Glass wafers and stock sizes for current items, and ultra-thin sheet glass for very thin parts. Valley also supplies AGC Dragontrail™ glass, a comparable class of chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate glass.
Need Gorilla Glass cut, thinned or polished to spec?
Reach out to our Technical Team Request a Quote
Custom Gorilla Glass fabrication
Valley Design supplies Gorilla Glass from Corning and finishes it to your specification, including:
- Dicing to die sizes as small as 0.127 mm square, and custom shapes up to 400 mm diameter
- Thinning to your target thickness
- Lapping and polishing to improve surface finish and flatness
- Edge work such as ground and angled edges, corner radii and drilled holes
Examples of recent parts: 100 mm and 150 mm wafers with SEMI-standard flats, 125 mm × 0.55 mm wafers, and double-side-polished plates with corner radii and 60° ground edges.
Frequently asked questions about Gorilla Glass
What is Gorilla Glass?
Gorilla Glass is Corning’s brand of thin, chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate glass. It is designed to resist scratches and cracks and is widely used for smartphone, tablet, laptop and automotive display covers.
What is Gorilla Glass made of?
It is an alkali-aluminosilicate glass, meaning a silicate glass containing aluminum oxide and alkali oxides such as sodium. The sodium is what allows ion exchange, in which larger potassium ions take its place in the surface to create compression.
How is Gorilla Glass strengthened?
By ion exchange. The glass is soaked in molten potassium salt at about 400°C. Larger potassium ions replace smaller sodium ions at the surface, which puts the surface into compression and helps it resist damage.
Who makes Gorilla Glass?
Corning makes Gorilla Glass. Valley Design does not manufacture it; we supply Corning Gorilla Glass and finish it to custom sizes and surface specifications.
Can Gorilla Glass be cut, drilled or polished?
Yes, but it should be cut and finished to final size before chemical strengthening, because strengthened glass can fracture when cut. Valley Design dices, thins, laps and polishes Gorilla Glass. Request a quote and tell us if you need strengthening.
Gorilla Glass vs sapphire: which is better?
It depends on the application. Sapphire is a single-crystal material that is far harder (Mohs 9) and optically transparent into the infrared, but it is costlier to produce and finish. Gorilla Glass is a lower-cost, thin, chemically strengthened glass that is easy to supply in large sheets. See our sapphire properties page for sapphire data.
What is Dragontrail glass?
Dragontrail is AGC’s chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate glass, a comparable class of material to Gorilla Glass. Valley Design also supplies Dragontrail; ask us for the datasheet if you need exact values.
What sizes and thicknesses of Gorilla Glass does Valley Design offer?
Thicknesses of 0.55, 0.7, 1.1, 1.3 and 2.0 mm; wafers from 2″ to 300 mm; sheet stock up to 423 mm × 460 mm; and custom parts from 0.127 mm square up to 400 mm diameter. Thinning below 25 µm is available.
Related glass resources
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