Glass Prices going up ?

kev@frames · Post by **kev@frames** » Wed 07 Feb, 2007 10:27 pm

seems like we are in for a glass price hike again. Some plant has shut a float tank down somewhere during january leading to a imminent shortage, apparently. Might be Hungar (?)

Anybody fancy a sweepstake on the cheekiest price for 2mm float.
The latest we have had is a raise from the old price of 2.40 to £4 for 4'x3'. (obviously we declined and have gone elsewhere), although "regular" (rolled) glass is still available it looks like some cheeky monkeys are upselling that greenhouse glass as standard, and making float "premium".

rolls eyes. Here we go again.

markw · Post by **markw** » Wed 07 Feb, 2007 10:38 pm

glass has been cheap for years and I am unsurprised that its going up in price. my advice would always be to find a good reliable supplier and stick with them - nothing worse than grotty glass.

it matters that we have reliable sources - it seems daft that we had a very good uk based glass industry - we now transport this heavy material hundreds of miles. Personally i would rather pay a bit more for a localy sourced product.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Wed 07 Feb, 2007 10:44 pm

Who are you using?

I've never got 2mm paper float for that price - maybe you are buying powdered float?

I alternate between 2 supplers, one sharpens my blades and sells foam board and other backing boards at a good price, the other sells prints from publishers I do not deal with or will not just send one print without a surcharge. They are both about £2.80 - £2.90 per sheet (4x3)

Some good deals to be had on 'museum glass' at the mo' too.

kev@frames · Post by **kev@frames** » Thu 08 Feb, 2007 6:05 pm

Papered float.

we only use up to and around 200 sheets a month.
we seem to have had it very cheap down here for a long time.
I remember paying under £1 a sheet for papered float once when they were 3.50 in manchester from the same distributor.

markw is right, reliability is the issue. We tend to also place our mdf, foamcore, artbak and styrene orders with whoever is delivering the glass.

someone always comes along offering cheaper glass, and promising the earth, but never coming through on the promises, they always fall by the wayside - its the problem living this far from the metropolis.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Thu 08 Feb, 2007 9:00 pm

kev@frames wrote:
we only use up to and around 200 sheets a month..

Gordon Bennet! "ONLY???"

kev@frames · Post by **kev@frames** » Fri 09 Feb, 2007 12:31 am

a lot of those are for a customer for whom we cut glass for broken pictures he buys up from bid-up tv QVC etc and resells lol. Its not all for bespoke frames (I wish!)

I sometimes think that wholesalers dont realise that if you go somewhere else for your glass, there's a good chance you'll get other stuff there too. And its seldom a gradual rise, its always a huge leap, and always at this time of year.

I'd put a cornish tenner (thats a fiver) that everyone and his dog will be phoning in the next month or two offering cheap glass. They'll deliver for about three weeks, then realise they can't be bothered delivering to cornwall, because its too far, and the nearest motorway junction is 80 miles away