Acrylic Sheet, Polycarbonate or Glass: What Method is Best for Building a Greenhouse?

When it comes to building a greenhouse or cold frame glazing in your garden, glass has been the go-to material for hundreds of years. This is, of course, due to the environment it creates, which allows plant life to prosper. But, is there an alternative? 
  
Yes, there is! Plastics such as acrylic (aka. Perspex and Plexiglas) and polycarbonate are now more commonly used in the construction of greenhouses, as they offer many of the same characteristics: high levels of light transmission, insulation, durability and more.  
  
That leaves one question: what material is best to use when building a greenhouse? In today’s blog from The Plastic People, we’re going to tackle this predicament head-on and compare the benefits of each material to determine whether glass or plastic comes out on top when it comes to building a greenhouse. 
  
If you decide to take the plastic sheeting route for your next DIY project or greenhouse, make sure to check out our range of cut to size materials. You can get an instant quote on greenhouse glazing today – just click here!  

Should you use Acrylic, Polycarbonate or Glass for a Greenhouse? 

In order to answer our central question of which material is best for building a greenhouse, we’re going to compare acrylic sheets, polycarbonate sheet panels, and traditional greenhouse glass glazing on eight key points: 

• Light transmission: is the material successful at letting light through? 

• Durability: is the material tough enough for purpose? 

• Lifespan: how long will a greenhouse last if made using the material? 

• Weight: is the material lightweight and portable? 

• Price: is the greenhouse sheeting affordable? 

• Installation: is it simple, easy and safe to install? 

• Insulation: does the greenhouse material keep the heat in? 

• Customisation: is it easy enough to make the material work for your purpose? 

   

Glass 

Glass is the more traditional material for building a greenhouse but how does it rank against our eight points and the other plastic options? 

• Light transmission: the visible light transmission rate for glass is typically around 90% which is good. 

• Durability: one of the major drawbacks of glass is its fragility. You will often have to replace at least one glass pane on your greenhouse every year as it shatters due to poor weather.  

• Lifespan: on average, a glass greenhouse will last 40 years, the longest of our three materials – but this is only if you can prevent any breakages.  

• Weight: glass is a notoriously heavy material, which makes it difficult (and expensive) to work with and ship. 

• Price: years ago, glass would have been the cheapest material for greenhouse construction but with the growing availability of much cheaper plastics, this is no longer the case. 

• Installation: because of its fragility, glass is much harder to install and work with as a greenhouse building material. 

• Insulation: unless you opt for pricey double or triple glazing, glass is not the best insulator and can easily lose heat when the sun drops. 

• Customisation: while glass is a great material, it’s fragility makes it much harder to customise or cut to size yourself, which also means it’s usually more costly for your provider to do so. 

Acrylic  

Acrylic – or Perspex – is an incredible all-rounder plastic used for jobs in industry and around the home, including a building material for greenhouses. But how does it stack up against glass?  

• Light transmission: acrylic actually lets more light through than glass with a rate of 92%. 

• Durability: on average, acrylic sheets are more than ten times stronger than glass. What’s more, acrylic doesn’t shatter into sharp pieces but snaps into large, dull pieces instead. 

• Lifespan: an acrylic greenhouse one can last up to 30 years before the panels start to yellow. 

• Weight: acrylic weighs about half as much as glass, and so it’s easier to manoeuvre and cheaper to ship. 

• Price: acrylic greenhouse windows are the most cost-effective material for building a greenhouse. 

• Installation: acrylic, just like many other plastics, is lightweight and durable making it much easier to install your greenhouse. 

• Insulation: acrylic greenhouse glazing has excellent insulation, far better than its glass counterpart. 

• Customisation: acrylic is much easier to work with and can be cut to size, cut into complex shapes that fit those awkward spaces. 

Polycarbonate 

Polycarbonate is a lightweight, affordable and incredibly durable plastic which is why so many people are choosing it as a building material for greenhouses. But how does it compare to acrylic or glass? 

• Light transmission: polycarbonate comes in at third place as its rate of transmission is around 88% – but that’s still more than high enough to encourage growth! Polycarbonate does have the added benefit of being UV-resistant. 

• Durability: polycarbonate is some 250 times stronger (you can even walk on it!) than glass. It also does not shatter like glass but snaps into larger, dull pieces instead. 

• Lifespan: polycarbonate glazing for a greenhouse will usually last for 20 years but are the least likely to break than other options like glass. 

• Weight: polycarbonate is a similar weight to acrylic – much lighter than glass and cheaper to ship. 

• Price: polycarbonate follows close behind acrylic as the second most affordable greenhouse building material. 

• Installation: because of its strength and pliability, polycarbonate beats glass on how easy and simple it can be to install as greenhouse glazing. 

• Insulation: polycarbonate has greater levels of insulation than glass, creating an optimal environment for plant growth all year round! It’s also available as cold-form and frame glazing. 

• Customisation: much like acrylic, polycarbonate is easy to customise with many businesses offering it cut to size and cut to unusual shapes. 

So what material is best for building a greenhouse? 

For us there is a clear winner, or winners. Though glass may be the traditional material for greenhouse glazing, it seems outdated when compared with both polycarbonate and acrylic! These two plastic sheets offer a range of benefits over glass, including their price, weight, and durability. If you’re looking to spend your summer tending your crops, then plastic sheeting is the best material for your greenhouse. 

You can get an instant quote on our website today for both polycarbonate and acrylic greenhouse glazing. At The Plastic People, we cut plastic sheets to any size or shape and deliver them all across the UK – we supply the best plastic sheeting for greenhouses. To find out more, click here.  

If you want to help build your own DIY greenhouse, then we have a guide just for you! Our team has put together both a written guide and a video, all about how to make your greenhouse indestructible - click here to check them out!  

Need help on choosing the best plastic sheeting for your greenhouse? 

Still struggling to know which is the best plastic sheeting for your greenhouse? Our customer services team are always on-hand to help with your plastic-related queries and questions. Feel free to contact them via email at [email protected] or on our website here.