Why is there a minimum charge for each piece of glass?

When glass is made at the float plant, it is cut into uniform sizes that are then crated and shipped to fabrication facilities. The fabricators are limited to manufacturing pieces that can be cut from the stock sheet. That means if a stock sheet is 48” x 84” the longest side cannot exceed 84” and the short side must be less than 48”. Inevitably there will be scrap, waste glass referred to as offcuts.

Fabricators will typically charge for the block size of glass. So if a notch is cut from the glass, such as to accommodate a pony wall or shower bench. The square footage of the discarded cut-out will be included in the cost. Since each stock sheet, once cut, has scrap pieces and labor cost embedded into each cut.  It is industry standard for manufacturers to have a 2 or 3 square foot minimum charge per piece of glass.