Obscure glass: patterns and privacy levels
Obscure glass is textured glass that lets light through while breaking up the view, used in bathrooms, WCs, front doors, hallways and any street-facing glass. We offer five Pilkington patterns — Minster, Contora, Stippolyte, Satin and Everglade — each with a privacy rating from 1 (least obscure) to 5 (most). Any window or door we make can take any of them, and doors come with obscure glass by default.
The five patterns
- Minster — privacy 2/5. A soft hammered ripple that keeps rooms bright and gently blurs the view; the classic period-property choice.
- Contora — privacy 3/5. An even all-over texture with a balanced trade of light and privacy.
- Stippolyte — privacy 4/5. A fine, dense stipple; the default recommendation for bathrooms and front doors.
- Satin — privacy 5/5. A smooth, uniform etched finish for maximum privacy with a clean modern look.
- Everglade — privacy 5/5. Deep leaf-like swirls; maximum privacy with traditional character.
How privacy levels work
Pilkington rates each texture 1–5 by how much it distorts a shape viewed through the glass. Level 2 blurs outlines; level 5 reduces even a close-up figure to light and shadow. Remember that privacy works both ways and changes with light: at night, with the room lit, any obscure glass shows more silhouette than in daylight. For ground-floor bathrooms, level 4–5 is the sensible floor.
Combining with toughened and laminated glass
Obscure texture is a surface finish, not a strength property — the pattern can be carried on toughened safety glass where regulations require it (within 800mm of floor level, or 300mm of a door). The designer prices the correct combination automatically: pick your glazing first, then the pattern, and the unit arrives as one sealed, obscured, safety-rated package.
Frequently asked questions
- Which obscure glass is best for a bathroom?
- Stippolyte (level 4) or Satin (level 5). Satin is the more contemporary look; Stippolyte is the traditional bathroom standard.
- Can I see the patterns before ordering?
- The designer previews your chosen pattern on the window drawing, and our products page shows each texture as a close-up swatch.
- Does obscure glass cost more?
- Yes, obscure patterns carry a per-square-metre uplift over clear glass, shown live in the designer for your exact pane sizes.
- Can just one pane be obscured?
- The pattern applies per window in the designer. Where you want one obscured pane beside clear ones — a WC window next to a landing window, say — order them as separate windows.
- Is obscure glass available with triple glazing?
- Yes — patterns can be combined with any of our glazing options, including toughened, laminated and 36mm triple glazed units.