For most padel court projects, the glass specification starts with monolithic toughened safety glass, accurate pre-toughening processing and full compatibility with the court structure. A nominal thickness of 10 mm is common on some framed court systems, while 12 mm is widely specified where the court design, larger unsupported spans, panoramic appearance or site loads demand it. Neither thickness should be selected in isolation: the court supplier’s drawings, structural calculations, fixing design and site conditions must agree.
This guide explains what UK manufacturers, installers, developers, operators and specifiers should establish before ordering padel court glass. It distinguishes the rules of the sport from glass-product standards and from choices that must be engineered for a particular court.
Padel court glass specifications at a glance
| Item | Typical starting point | What must be confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Glass type | Clear, monolithic toughened safety glass | Required product and impact classifications, marking and documentation |
| Thickness | 10 mm or 12 mm are common industry specifications | Court-system design, panel support, wind and other project loads |
| Court size | 10 m × 20 m internal playing area for a standard doubles court | The exact enclosure variant and issued construction drawings |
| Common module | Panels around 2 m wide × 3 m high are frequently used at the ends | Actual finished sizes, joints, gaps and panoramic configuration |
| Edges | Machine-polished exposed edges, arrissed where the design permits | Edge finish, corner treatment and dimensional tolerances |
| Holes and cut-outs | All completed before toughening | Diameter, centre positions, edge distances, countersinks and fixing details |
| Fixings | Designed gaskets, bushes and packers isolate glass from metal | Hardware, torque, movement allowance and installation sequence |
| Outdoor courts | Project-specific structural assessment | Wind, exposure, altitude, terrain, shielding, foundations and corrosion environment |
The phrase “typical starting point” matters. It describes common procurement practice, not a substitute for a complete court design.
What the official padel rules require
The International Padel Federation (FIP) Rules of Padel, applicable from 1 January 2026, define a standard court as a rectangle 10 m wide by 20 m long, measured internally, with a 0.5% tolerance. The court must be completely enclosed.
At each end, the enclosure is 4 m high: the first 3 m is wall and the upper 1 m is metallic fence. The rules permit transparent or solid wall materials. For the sides, they describe two enclosure arrangements. One has stepped wall areas at each end; the other uses a 3 m-high wall area extending 4 m from each end, with metal mesh completing the enclosure.
Because the walls are part of play, their inner face must be hard, smooth and consistent enough to provide a uniform ball rebound and allow player contact. Joints, fixings and changes of material therefore affect both safety and playing performance.
The main rules do not state that every court must use a single universal glass thickness. They refer glass courts to the FIP court-homologation requirements. Buyers should therefore avoid treating “FIP approved glass” as a stand-alone material description. Approval or homologation applies to a court system and its evidence, not simply to a loose pane of a given thickness.
Toughened safety glass and the relevant standards
Padel walls receive repeated ball impacts and foreseeable human contact. In UK specifications, the usual material starting point is thermally toughened soda-lime silicate safety glass manufactured to BS EN 12150-1. That standard defines the product, including dimensional tolerances, flatness, edgework, fragmentation and other characteristics of thermally toughened glass.
BS EN 12600 is the pendulum impact test and classification standard for flat glass. BS 6262-4 gives UK recommendations for safety related to human impact in glazing. These standards answer different questions: EN 12150 describes a toughened-glass product; EN 12600 classifies impact behaviour; and BS 6262-4 informs the selection and use of safety glazing in relevant locations.
A project specification should identify the required standard, classification and evidence rather than asking only for “safety glass”. The court designer or responsible engineer should decide how the standards apply to the complete sports enclosure, including the supports and fixings. Building-control, planning, insurer, governing-body or operator requirements may add further obligations.
10 mm or 12 mm padel court glass?
Both 10 mm and 12 mm toughened glass appear in padel court supply chains. The correct choice depends on how the panel is supported and the loads it must resist.
Where 10 mm glass may be used
Ten-millimetre glass is often associated with conventional framed court designs in which the steelwork provides frequent support and the complete system has been engineered for that thickness. It can reduce panel weight and material cost, but those advantages do not make it interchangeable with 12 mm glass. Hole geometry, fixing loads, deflection, frame stiffness and approved system details still govern its use.
Where 12 mm glass may be used
Twelve-millimetre glass is common on many panoramic and premium court systems and may be chosen for greater stiffness or to suit the court manufacturer’s tested design. Outdoor exposure or wider unsupported arrangements may also lead the designer towards 12 mm, but thickness alone does not make a court wind-safe. Strong glass attached to an inadequate frame or foundation is not a compliant structure.
The practical rule is simple: do not upgrade or downgrade thickness independently of the court-system designer. A change in thickness alters weight, fit within brackets, bolt length, gasket compression, hole stresses and the forces transferred to the supporting steelwork.
Panel sizes and court configurations
A traditional modular end wall is commonly divided into five glass panels, each nominally about 2 m wide and 3 m high, to span the 10 m end. Finished glass dimensions are normally slightly smaller than the nominal structural bay to provide installation clearance and joints. Those deductions are system-specific.
Side-wall glass follows the selected enclosure arrangement. Panoramic and super-panoramic courts reduce or remove some visible posts to improve sightlines, so their panel widths, support conditions and connection details can differ substantially from a conventional framed court.
Never order from nominal module sizes alone. The fabrication schedule should state each panel’s unique reference, finished width and height, thickness, orientation, edge finish, corner detail, hole and cut-out coordinates, marking position and quantity. Mirrored left- and right-hand panels should be identified explicitly.
Processing: edges, holes and cut-outs
Toughened glass cannot be cut, drilled or reworked safely after heat treatment. Every hole, notch, cut-out, polished edge and corner must therefore be finalised before toughening. A late site change can mean remanufacturing the panel.
Exposed vertical edges are commonly polished to improve finish and remove damage-prone sharpness. The drawing should also define corner radii or dubbed corners where required. Edge quality matters because chips and deep damage at an edge or around a hole can concentrate stress.
Hole diameter, distance from edges and corners, spacing between holes and any countersink geometry must be manufacturable for the chosen thickness. These are not details to infer from a photograph or an old panel. Provide a controlled CAD drawing or a verified template, and ensure that the fabricator and court supplier are working to the same revision.
Fixings, tolerances and compatibility with the structure
Glass should not bear directly against steel bolts, brackets or frames. The approved assembly normally uses compatible elastomeric gaskets, bushes, sleeves and setting blocks to prevent hard contact, distribute load and accommodate tolerances and movement. Fixing type and tightening torque must follow the court supplier’s design; overtightening can introduce local stress, while loose fixings can allow movement and impact.
Tolerance is a system issue, not just a glass issue. The survey should check bay dimensions, plumb, level, diagonals, bracket positions and accumulated error along a run. The glass schedule then needs achievable manufacturing tolerances and installation gaps that work with the frame. Trying to absorb inaccurate steelwork with forced glass alignment is unsafe.
Indoor, outdoor and panoramic courts
Indoor courts are protected from direct wind, but the design must still account for player impact, ball rebound, building movement, handling access and the interaction with the host structure. Clear height, lighting positions and access also affect the overall court layout.
Outdoor courts require a site-specific assessment of the entire enclosure. Wind actions depend on location, terrain, altitude, shielding, building proximity and the court’s orientation; they cannot be reduced to one national wind speed. In UK structural design, wind actions are commonly assessed using BS EN 1991-1-4 with its UK National Annex. The engineer must consider the glass, steel frame, connections, baseplates, anchors and foundations as one load path.
Panoramic courts need particular care because fewer posts change the spans and force paths. The clean appearance should never be achieved by deleting supports from a conventional design. Use the exact glass and hardware schedule for the engineered panoramic system.
Inspection, damage and replacement glass
Operators should include the glass walls in routine court inspections. Look for:
- cracks or star fractures;
- chips at exposed edges, corners or holes;
- deep scratches or impact marks;
- loose, missing or damaged fixings, bushes and gaskets;
- glass-to-metal contact, rattling or unexpected movement;
- misalignment, frame distortion or foundation movement; and
- labels, films or deposits that affect visibility or ball rebound.
A cracked panel should be treated as a safety issue: isolate the affected court and obtain competent advice. Do not patch it or continue play while waiting for convenient downtime.
For replacement glass, match the original approved specification. Record the panel position, overall dimensions, thickness, all hole centres and diameters, edge and corner details, glass marking, fixing system and any handed orientation. Check the frame and hardware for the cause of failure before installing a new pane; otherwise the replacement may inherit the same problem.
What to provide when requesting a quotation
A complete enquiry reduces technical queries, pricing assumptions and remakes. Send:
- Project details: site postcode, indoor or outdoor location, programme and delivery restrictions.
- Court system: manufacturer, model, conventional or panoramic configuration, and whether the work is new build or replacement.
- Controlled drawings: PDF plus CAD/DXF where available, with revision and units clearly shown.
- Glass schedule: panel references, finished sizes, thicknesses, quantities and handed panels.
- Processing: edge finish, corner treatment, every hole or cut-out, countersinks and required marking position.
- Performance specification: applicable standards, impact classification, structural design criteria and any project-specific documentation.
- Interfaces: frame, bracket and fixing details, including gaskets, bushes and tolerances.
- Logistics: stillage requirements, unloading method, access constraints and installation sequence.
For replacement panels, add clear photographs of the complete bay, the damage, fixings and permanent glass stamp. Dimensions taken from an intact matching panel are preferable to measurements across broken glass.
Frequently asked questions
Does FIP specify 10 mm or 12 mm glass?
The main FIP Rules of Padel define the court geometry and wall performance but refer glass courts to separate court-homologation requirements. They do not provide a universal thickness for every installation. Use the thickness specified by the engineered court system and the project design.
Is 12 mm always better than 10 mm?
No. Twelve-millimetre glass is thicker and stiffer, but the correct panel is the one designed with the frame, fixings and foundations. Substituting thickness without checking the assembly can create fit and load-transfer problems.
Can holes be drilled on site?
Not in toughened glass. Holes, cut-outs and edge processing must be completed before toughening, so approved fabrication drawings are essential.
Can a broken panel be copied from its overall dimensions?
Usually more information is needed. Hole centres, diameters, corner details, thickness, orientation, edge finish and the original court-system requirements all matter. The frame and fixings should also be inspected before replacement.
What determines wind resistance?
The whole system: glass, frame, connections, anchors and foundations, assessed for the actual site. Glass thickness by itself is not a wind rating.
Discuss a padel court glass requirement
If you are planning a court package or need replacement panels, send North Glass your drawings, glass schedule, quantities, court-system details and project location. The team can review the information and identify what is needed for an accurate quotation. Contact North Glass to start an enquiry.
Technical note: this buyer’s guide is general information. Final glass selection and the complete court structure should be verified by the responsible court supplier and competent project designers against current standards, approvals and site conditions.
