Laminated — the windshield
Two layers of glass with a plastic interlayer bonded between them. When it breaks, the glass cracks but the interlayer holds the pieces in place, which is why a shattered windshield stays roughly windshield-shaped instead of landing in your lap at 65 mph.
It is also why chips are repairable: the damage is usually confined to the outer layer, and resin can be injected into that void without disturbing the interlayer.
Tempered — most side and rear glass
Heated and rapidly cooled so the surface is in compression and the core in tension. It is far stronger than ordinary glass against impact, and when it finally fails, the stored tension releases all at once and the entire pane turns into blunt cubes instantly.
That is deliberate: blunt cubes are survivable, large shards are not, and a side window has to be breakable in a rescue.
Laminated side glass is now a thing
A growing number of luxury and premium vehicles use laminated glass in the front doors for noise reduction and security. It does not shatter into cubes, which makes a break-in noisier and slower — and makes the replacement more expensive.
If your car has it, the door glass will usually carry a small "laminated" marking in the corner stamp. Worth checking before anyone quotes you.
Need this done rather than explained? There is no shop to drive to. We come to wherever your car already is — your driveway, your workplace car park, an apartment lot, or the side of the road it stopped on — anywhere in greater Sacramento, with no call-out fee and no mileage charge. Give us the year, make and model and you will have a firm price before the call ends.