Unfortunately, avoiding scratches on glass is easier said than done. First and foremost, it’s good to know why glass gets scratched.
The basics of glass and how it scratches
The only material or object that will scratch glass is one that is harder than glass. On the hardness scale (called the Mohs scale), glass is normally in the hardness range of 5-6. The hardest of all known natural materials are diamonds, rated as a 10 (the top of the hardness scale). This means any material with a hardness level between 6-10 will scratch glass if wiped across the surface or the glass is slid over it. This includes granite dust, silica, corundum, garnet, silicon carbide dust, aluminum oxide, sand, and about 100 more hard minerals.
How to protect glass from getting scratched
Protection from glass scratches starts with a working surface covered with either thick felt or a good quality carpet. It will help protect all flat surfaces that are used for working with glass. Any particulate, abrasive dust or glass chips can embed themselves into the felt or carpet pile and protect the glass from coming into direct contact with it.
As long as you regularly vacuum the felt or carpet surface to remove any of these particulates, you will keep glass from being scratched.
