The main difference between Leaded glass and Stained glass is that leaded glass is made by using clear glass while stained glass is made by using colored glass. Every piece of stained glass can be called leaded glass but not every leaded glass piece can be called stained glass.
If you love crafting or craft pieces, you must have heard about leaded glass and stained glass. Both are used to make windows.
How are they different from each other? What’s the purpose of each type of glass? How can you differentiate them from one another?
People use both names interchangeably. How are they different?
Leaded glass vs Stained glass
Before you say ‘They both are the same!’, there is a little difference between the two. The table below lists the key differences between Leaded glass and Stained glass.
| Leaded Glass | Stained Glass |
|---|---|
| Leaded Glass is an umbrella term for all the glass work that uses lead cames. | Stained Glass is a specific type of leaded glass where the glass is stained/colored. |
| Many individual customers prefer leaded glass over stained glass as it's easier to decorate around it. | With stained glass it becomes hard to decorate around it as the glass itself is colores. |
| House owners and businesses prefer to use leaded glass. | Churches and ancient-style buildings prefer to use stained glass for a antique feel. |
| Lead cames are used to attach clear pieces of glass to create windows. | Lead cames/zinc cames can be used to attach colored pieces of glass to create art pieces/windows. |
What is the difference between Stained glass and Leaded glass?
Every piece of stained glass can be called leaded glass but not every leaded glass piece can be called stained glass.
People who know the lingo know that stained glass refers to glass that is stained/has color. Leaded glass is made of lead cames but the glass isn’t colored/stained.
Is Lead still used in Stained Glass?
Yes, Lead cames are used to bind together glass pieces in a Stained glass window/art piece. Lead cames are the channels that hold the glass pieces together.
The solder that is used to attach glass pieces also has lead in it(lead 50% & tin 50%). Lead is used to make high-quality stained glass windows.
Is Leaded glass the same as Stained glass?
No, leaded glass is a clear glass art piece made using lead/zinc cames. Stained glass art is made by attaching colored/stained glass together using zinc/lead cames.
So, logically all stained glass items can be called leaded glass items. But not all the leaded glass art pieces are stained glass art pieces.
How can you tell if Stained Glass is leaded?
Experienced stained glass artists can tell this by just looking at the cames/channels that are used to attach the glass pieces together.
Stained glass art pieces with lead cames for outdoor use. Such windows are fitted on the windows that are exposed to external conditions.
Which is more popular, Leaded glass or Stained glass?
Leaded glass windows are fancied a lot by house owners/business owners. Stained glass art pieces/windows are preferred by Churches.
Clear leaded glass and stained glass are used for different purposes. Stained glass windows give an antique feel to the building/church.
How valuable is Leaded Glass?
Leaded glass has great value in the eyes of house/business owners. Leaded glass makes any building look better.
The order value/cart value of leaded glass is usually low as the buyers are house owners/business owners. But, the no. of orders is always more than that of stained glass.
The leaded glass industry(clear glass) has accommodated more artists than stained glass artistry. It has more demand by the masses.
How valuable is Stained Glass?
Churches are the main clients of the stained glass industry. The industry is spreading into simple homes these days.
Stained glass orders are usually worth a lot. It takes a lot of time to produce a stained glass art piece/window, so they are premium.