What is the difference between acrylic, glass and crystal awards?

We at Awards Central Philippines frequently get asked: what is the difference between acrylic, glass and crystal awards? Which is a very good question and one I will try my best to answer in words and a few photos. Without a careful look, these three materials can be easily mixed up especially just from photos. However there are some important differences.

Acrylic Awards

Acrylic awards are the easiest to distinguish from the other two materials. You will notice as soon as you touch the material – it feels like plastic. It is much less delicate than the glass and crystal awards and hence more durable. Acrylic awards are shatterproof hence they are a lot less delicate. They are also significantly lighter and easier to process. This makes acrylic awards the cheapest of the three to mould into awards shapes. The surface is easier to scratch because it is softer, however fortunately these scratches can easily be polished and removed. Acrylic can be used in a variety of recognition awards – trophies, medals and plaques.

Glass Awards

Glass is a material that all of us are common with and used in multiple applications: from your dining cups, to windows, to ornaments. For the application of awards such as plaques, medals and trophies, glass is in between acrylic and crystal in terms of price, aesthetic and weight. Distinguishing glass from crystal with the naked eye can be quite tricky as the two only differ by the lead content. Glass has either trace amounts or no lead at all. Watch out! Other awards suppliers may claim to be supplying a crystal award, when in fact it is only glass. Light will not diffract through glass like it would crystal giving a dazzling aesthetic and this is probably the best way to tell the difference between the two.

Crystal Awards

This brings us on to the most premium of materials – crystal! Crystal has a higher lead content than glass. Crystal is actually softer than glass, which makes it more ideal for forming more complex three dimensional shapes. The main difference between crystal and glass is the way the light travels through, in crystal it diffracts and creates that ‘glittering’ quality. Awards Central offers top of the range crystal plaques and trophies.

At Awards Central we are the premier custom plaques and awards specialist in the Philippines. We can work with your budget to give you the best value and best aesthetic for your recognition awards.