General Glass

What General Glass does

General Glass Co. is a wholesale distributor and fabricator of architectural and specialty glass products headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, and operating in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States (principally Oregon and Southwest Washington). The company sells exclusively to trade customers — retail glass shops, glazing contractors, and window/door manufacturers — and does not serve the general public. Its product portfolio centers on insulated glass units (IGUs), fabricated glass for shower doors and all-glass entrances, custom laminated glass, flat glass, pattern glass, specialty glass, and an adjacent line of glazing supplies, with a downloadable shape catalog supporting custom order entry.

The company's technical capabilities include in-house tempering (up to 325-pound maximum), CNC vertical machining, waterjet cutting, horizontal beveling and polishing, and custom laminated glass production up to 60 x 120 inches. It holds Guardian Select Limited Certified Fabricator status and complies with IGCC, ASTM 1036/1048/C-1376/E2190-10, and ANSI Z97.1 standards, allowing sale of certified glass into commercial glazing projects. The product stack is sourced and supplied in partnership with major glass OEMs (Guardian, Vitro, Cardinal) and interlayer/coating suppliers (SentryGlas, EVALAM, EnduroShield, OPACI-COAT, Technoform), with hardware bundled for door/entrance fabrication through FHC, CRL, and ASSA-ABLOY.

Revenue is generated through one-time wholesale transactions on stocked inventory and quote-based custom fabrication services, with pricing determined by specifications, quantities, and processing requirements. GTM motion is direct sales to trade accounts via contact form and field representatives. Founded in the early 1960s as Interior Glass, renamed General Glass in 1967, and acquired by Bakken Industries in 2002, the company has operated continuously for over 60 years as a privately held regional wholesale glass fabricator.

Name

General Glass

Legal name

General Glass Co.

Website

https://general-glass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

General Glass Co. is a Vancouver, WA-based wholesale distributor and fabricator of insulated, tempered, laminated, and fabricated glass products serving retail glass shops, glazing contractors, and manufacturers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Glass Manufacturing & Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Glass Product Manufacturing Made of Purchased Glass (327215), Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721)

SIC

Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231), Flat Glass (3211)

akta.pro primary industry

Flat Glass (Float/Sheet/Plate) Manufacturing (IMADAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Skylights, Roof Glazing & Glass Roofing Systems (IMADAHAK)

Keywords

• Wholesale glass distribution
• Insulated glass units
• Glass fabrication services
• Tempered glass manufacturing
• Laminated glass products

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Glass Product Sales: Wholesale distribution of insulated, tempered, fabricated, and laminated glass products to retail glass shops, glazing contractors, and manufacturers. Revenue is generated through one-time product transactions with custom orders and standard inventory items.
2. Glazing Supplies: Stocking and delivery of glazing supplies including tools, safety equipment, window supplies, and mirror supplies alongside glass delivery for customer convenience.
3. Fabrication Services: Custom glass fabrication services including CNC machining, waterjet cutting, beveling, polishing, tempering, and laminated glass production. Added-value processing on customer-provided specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

General Glass Company is a wholesale distributor and fabricator of glass products serving retail glass shops, glazing contractors, and window/door manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest. The company manufactures and sells insulated glass units (IGUs), tempered glass, custom laminated glass, fabricated glass (frameless shower doors and all-glass entrances), flat glass with various LoE coatings, pattern glass, specialty glass, and stocking glazing supplies. It is explicitly not open to the general public and operates through a custom quote-based B2B sales model with direct contact via representatives and a website contact form.

Product overview

General Glass Company is a wholesale distributor and fabricator of glass products serving retail glass shops, glazing contractors, and manufacturers in the Northwest region. The company operates as a unified portfolio of complementary glass products centered around insulated glass units (IGUs), which represent their founding and primary capability as one of the first independent manufacturers of insulated glass in the West. The product lineup includes fabricated glass products for shower doors and all-glass entrances, custom laminated glass, flat glass with various coatings and treatments, pattern glass, specialty glass, glazing supplies, and a shape catalog system. The portfolio is vertically integrated with in-house tempering, CNC fabrication, water jet, horizontal beveling, polishing, and custom laminated glass capabilities. Hardware partnerships with FHC, CRL, and ASSA-ABLOY enable complete door and entrance fabrication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insulated Glass Units High-performance insulated glass units (IGUs) with LoE coatings for thermal efficiency, available with multiple spacer options including standard aluminum, Technoform stainless steel warm edge, and Super Spacer. Units are IGCC tested and certified to meet ASTM 1036, 1048, C-1376, and E2190-10 specifications. Offered to retail glass shops, glazing contractors, and manufacturers.
• Fabricated Glass – Shower Doors and All Glass Entrances Full-service custom glass fabrication with CNC, waterjet, and polishing capabilities, including custom frameless shower doors, all glass entrances, glass railing, and tempered fabricated glass with up to 325-pound maximum capability. Hardware is sourced from FHC, CRL, and ASSA-ABLOY. Offered to retail glass shops and glazing contractors.
• Custom Laminated & Tempered Laminated Glass Custom laminated glass products using SentryGlas ionoplast (SGP) interlayer and EVALAM (EVA) interlayers in clear, diffused white, and bright opaque white. EVALAM meets ASTM 1036, CAT 1 and CAT 2 safety requirements, and ANSI Z97.1. Laminated glass available up to 60 x 120 inches with interlayer thickness from 0.030 to 0.060 inches.
• Pattern Glass Stocked variety of pattern and obscure glass types including 5/32 #42 Clear, Mistlite, Narrow Reed, P516, Rain Glass, and Seedy Reamy, available in various thicknesses and sheet sizes for retail and contractor customers.
• Specialty Glass Specialty glass offerings including insulated glass inserts with stained glass, OPACI-COAT-300 Spandrel Glass in standard and custom colors, and IGU pass-through options for architectural applications.
• Flat Glass Wide range of flat glass products including Vitro Solarban 60/70, Solar bronze, Solar Grey, Solexia, Greylite II; Cardinal 272/366/180/I89 LowE products; clear and tinted laminated glass, low iron glass, satin etch glass, mirror, and Diamond Wire.
• Glazing Supplies Full line of glazing supplies including safety equipment (rubber-coated work gloves, arm guards, safety glasses), tools (glass cutters, tape measures, suction cups), window supplies (glazing tape, cork buttons, setting blocks), and mirror supplies (mirror mastic, clips, J-bar chrome). Stocked and delivered alongside glass products for customer convenience.
• EnduroShield Easy-Clean Glass Treatment

Quantifiable outcome

• SentryGlas ionoplast is five times stronger and up to 100 times stiffer than conventional laminating materials
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guardian GlasscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2024General Glass is a Guardian Select Limited Certified Fabricator offering full line of Guardian LoE glass products. Partnership provides access to Guardian's premium LowE glass products including SN68, SNX 70 plus, SNX 62/27, SNX 60 plus, SNX 52/23, and specialty LoE products. Also distributes Guardian Deco HT spandrel glass in black and grey.
• Vitro GlasscoreTechnology or IntegrationGeneral Glass stocks Vitro glass products including Solarban 60, Solarban 70, Solar bronze, Solar Grey, Solexia, Greylite II, Solar Cool Bronze, and Solar Cool Grey. Products available for insulated glass units and flat glass applications.
• Cardinal GlasscoreTechnology or IntegrationGeneral Glass offers Cardinal LowE products including 272 double silver, 366 triple silver, 180 3rd surface, I89 4th surface, and 452+ with Neat coating. Full range of Cardinal glass for insulated units with performance comparison data available.
• EVALAMcoreTechnology or IntegrationGeneral Glass stocks EVALAM EVA interlayers for laminated glass production. Available in clear, diffused white and bright opaque white with thickness from .030 to .060 inches. EVALAM meets ASTM 1036, CAT 1 and 2 safety requirements, and ANSI Z.97.1.
• SentryGlascoreTechnology or IntegrationGeneral Glass offers SentryGlas ionoplast (SGP) interlayer for laminated glass. SGP is five times stronger and up to 100 times stiffer than conventional laminating materials, enabling new design possibilities.
• FHC (Functional Hardware Corporation)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHardware partner for fabricated glass products. General Glass offers custom frameless shower doors and all glass entrances with FHC hardware options.
• CRL (C.R. Laurence)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHardware partner for fabricated glass products. General Glass fabricates custom frameless shower doors and all glass entrances with CRL hardware options.
• ASSA-ABLOYminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHardware partner for all glass entrances. General Glass fabricates glass entrances with ASSA-ABLOY hardware for commercial and residential applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NSG Group (Pilkington): Global glass manufacturer (Pilkington brand) producing float glass, coated glass products, and fabricated architectural glass — broader global scale but overlapping product specifications in the architectural glazing category.
• Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope: Large national glazing and architectural glass division of CRH, offering fabricated insulating glass, laminated glass, and architectural systems to glazing contractors across the US — broader portfolio but overlapping product set and customer base.
• Saint-Gobain Glass: Major global glass manufacturer producing architectural glass, insulating glass units, and laminated glass products — large incumbent that competes for premium specification-driven projects across all US regions.

Direct peers

• Glasswerks: West Coast-based glass fabricator and wholesaler offering fabricated, tempered, laminated, and insulated glass to glazing contractors — direct comparable in product mix and trade-channel distribution model.
• Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions: One of the largest US fabricators and distributors of architectural glass and aluminum products, serving glazing contractors with insulated, tempered, and laminated glass — directly overlapping General Glass's core fabrication and wholesale distribution model.
• GGI (General Glass International): Glass and glazing products distributor and fabricator serving architectural and construction markets with a similar product portfolio including patterned, laminated, and specialty glass — name overlap aside, closely comparable in business model.
• Dillmeier Glass: Regional architectural glass fabricator specializing in custom fabricated, tempered, and laminated glass for commercial glazing applications — comparable scale and product offering to General Glass's fabrication capabilities.

Others

• Cardinal Glass Industries: Major US manufacturer of LoE coated glass products (272, 366, 452+) that General Glass integrates into its insulated glass units — supplier partnership with comparable technical performance offerings to glazing customers.
• Vitro Architectural Glass: Primary flat glass manufacturer (formerly PPG Glass) and key upstream supplier of Solarban products that General Glass distributes and fabricates into IGUs — strategic supplier relationship with significant overlap in end-product specifications.
• Guardian Glass: Global float glass manufacturer whose LoE product line General Glass fabricates under its Select Limited Certified Fabricator agreement — core supplier and certification partner that defines part of General Glass's value proposition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about General Glass