Will it have Support?
<--- TableCovers are designed for their appearance or to protect what is under them, so they don't have to have much strength.
1/8" - 3/16" - 1/4" - 3/8"
TableTops must support their own weight as well as the items placed on them, and therefore must be thicker.--->
1/4" - 3/8" - 1/2" - 1"
How Much Traffic will it see?
thinner for Low use
example - Protecting a dresser in a guest bedroom
Thicker for High Use
Example - Creating a self supporting dining room tabletop with kids eating 3 meals a day
Pro's & Con's of Tempering a TableCover or Tabletop :
Plus : * the glass will be slightly stronger against impact, without being thicker
* the pcs. are too small to slice a hand or foot if you were too fall in to it
Neutral : * if it breaks it will break into hundreds of tiny pcs instead of several large pcs.
Minus : * Tempering can raise the price exponentially on the larger sizes
* The fragments would be plentiful and tiny, so would leave MANY scratches on the surface it was designed to protect
* a 'just right' impact on the edge or corner will shatter the entire thing