Glass is packed against glass, and the material between the sheets decides whether the pack survives. The separator has to keep the surfaces apart without shedding grit, without trapping moisture and without adding a soft layer that lets the sheets shift. Honeycomb board does that with a flat facing and a stiff core, and the facing matters more than the thickness.
What actually scratches glass in a pack
Not the pack itself, but what gets between the sheets: dust, a hard crumb, a bit of dried adhesive, or a burr on the separator edge. A separator with a rough cut edge is a scratch waiting to happen, so the cut quality is part of the specification.
The second cause is movement. If the separator is soft, the sheets settle and rub. A stiff honeycomb sheet keeps the stack square and keeps each sheet in its own plane.
Specification at a glance
Glass separators are usually 10-15 mm with a small cell, cut clean and dry, and often with a white facing where the glass is visible during inspection.
| Pack type | Separator | Cell | Note |
|---|
| A-frame sheet pack | 15 mm | 4 mm | Shear along the plane |
| Stillage, vertical | 10-15 mm | 4-6 mm | Edge protection at the frame |
| Mirror bundle | 10 mm, white facing | 4 mm | Clean surface at inspection |
| Coated or low-iron glass | 15 mm, dry | 4 mm | No moisture against the surface |
| Interleaved with paper | 10 mm | 6 mm | Board plus tissue where needed |
A-frame packs, stillages and bundles
In an A-frame pack the glass leans, so the separator takes a shear load along its plane rather than a compression load. A small cell board resists that better than a thick soft one, and the sheets should be strapped to the frame, not to each other.
In a stillage the separators are usually combined with edge protection at the frame contact points, because the frame, not the separator, is what chips an edge. Where the stillage is returnable, paper separators are consumed each trip and that cost belongs in the packaging budget.
Moisture, coating and the inspection question
Glass packed with a damp separator can show a stain or a bloom after a long sea leg, particularly on coated or low-iron glass. Keep the board dry, wrap opened bundles, and do not store them on a concrete floor.
Where the customer inspects through the pack, a white facing reads as clean packaging. Where the pack is opened and the separator discarded immediately, kraft is enough.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Will the board itself scratch glass?
A clean, dry board with a smooth facing does not. A rough cut edge or grit on the surface will, which is why we specify a clean cut.
Can honeycomb replace foam between glass sheets?
For separation and stack stiffness, often yes. Where the pack must absorb a drop, foam or a rubber edge still does that job.
Do you supply edge protection as well?
Yes, paper edge profiles from the same plant, which is usual for a glass pack.
What facing for mirror packs?
White facing is the common choice because it reads as clean when the pack is opened for inspection.
How is the separator cut?
To the sheet size, clean and square, with the cut edge kept dry before packing.
Send the sheet size, thickness, core cell and facing weight to mona@hengnicepacking.com and we will quote the construction that fits the load.
