Black Edging on Classic Auto Glass

Black edging refers to the process originally used to produce classic auto glass. It was used to seal the exposed edges of laminated safety glass and was necessary in the early years of automobile manufacturing. The term “black edge” is commonly used as a reference to a highly polished edge (which appears black); this is a mistake. Polishing and black edging are two different things. Although a highly polished edge appears “black”, it is only a result of light reflection.

A true black edge will appear as a black band around the entire edge of an original window…and only if that window was produced prior to 1941. This was done because early laminated glass often separated at the edges, allowing water and other contaminants between the panes. The solution was an inlaid black sealant. Advances in the laminating process rendered black edging obsolete in 1941, but Sanders Reproduction Glass re-discovered the process and is practicing this lost art for the detail oriented customer

Restoration experts recognize that minor details can determine the margin between winning and losing at car shows; that’s why Sanders offers Black Edging for all models prior to 1941. Other reproduction auto glass manufactures may offer “black edged” glass, but be careful to ask exactly what they mean. Sanders Repro Glass is the only vintage auto glass manufacturer that provides true black edging.