Glass Display Cabinets & Counters: Glazing, Frames and Sizes

A glass display cabinet is really two products in one: a case that shows the goods, and a box that protects them. Get the glazing and the frame right and the stock looks expensive; get them wrong and even good stock looks like a market stall.

Start with the glazing

Ordinary float glass carries a faint green edge that tints white pearls and pale diamonds, so specify low-iron or ultra-clear glass wherever colour accuracy matters. Six millimetres is enough for a display top, ten millimetres laminated where a customer might lean on the case or where security is a real requirement. Ask for polished edges and, if the case sits under downlights, an anti-reflective coating on the inner face.

A glass-top display counter photographed on our factory floor before crating: timber slat base, brass trim, glass shelf and a recessed LED strip under the glass.

Choose a frame that suits the product

Frameless cases read as minimalist and disappear around the product; slim brass or bronze extrusions add warmth and hide the glass fixing; timber slats and fluted profiles give a case presence in a wood-lined shop. Whichever you choose, keep the horizontal rail thin at eye level — a heavy rail across the viewing line cuts the case in half.

Plan sizes from the inside out

Design the objects first, then the case. A counter case usually sits on a base around 900 mm high with a 250 to 300 mm glass box above it, and 400 to 500 mm of internal depth; a free-standing tower runs 1200 to 1800 mm tall, where shelf pitch of 250 to 300 mm suits most jewellery and small electronics. Leave 100 mm of clear space inside the glass for the shelves and the light fitting.

Light behind the glass, not onto it

Recess the LED strip above the front glass rail so the light washes down the product rather than bouncing into the customer's eyes. Warm white at 3000 K flatters gold and warm metals; 4000 K with a colour rendering index above 90 is safer for stones, watches and mixed stock. Put the driver outside the case, fit a dimmer, and keep every join in the wiring reachable after the case is in position.Our own showroom: a glass display case with LED edge lighting in front of back-wall lit niches — the same case detail we build into watch and jewellery runs.

Our own showroom: a glass display case with LED edge lighting in front of back-wall lit niches — the same case detail we build into watch and jewellery runs.

Locking, ventilation and access

Specify a cam lock or a slim sliding lock and make sure staff can open the case with one hand. Textiles, leather and paper need a small vent or a silica compartment; electronics need cable entries at the back. Sliding glass doors take less floor space in a tight shop, hinged doors give better access for restocking.

Refitting a jewellery, watch or eyewear shop? Send your product list and floor plan for a free 3D design of your glass cabinets, counters and lighting — we manufacture, QC and deliver DDP to your country, duty paid.