How to distinguish between hand-blown glassware and machine-made glassware?

How to distinguish between hand-blown glassware and machine-made glassware?

Firstly, machine-made glass has two producing art. One is machine pressed, the other is machine blown. We can distinguish the two first, then compare machine blown and hand blown.

Machine pressed glass—MPG in short

Machine blown glass—MBG in short

Hand blown glass—HBG in short

Part 1: Mpg and Mbg

1- shape

Mpg’s top diameter is larger than bottom. Sometimes its shape likes a V.

Mbg’s shape is various, but Mbg can be produced with smaller top diameter or belly shape. In a word, it has more shapes than Mpg.

2- Thickness and transparent degree

Mpg’s thickness is around 3–5mm while Mbg is 1–2mm. That makes Mbg is more transparent than Mpg. And the sound of Mbg is bling and clear, while the Mpg is dull.

3- Top rim and bottom marks and glass finish

Mpg: top rim is smooth and regular

Bottom marks by machine while cutting the material

Glass surface is even and regular

Mbg: top rim is with a circle and a dot

Bottom marks

Glass surface is with round mould marks

4- Weight

For the same size of two glasses, Mpg is heavier.

Part 2- Mbg and Hbg (hand blown glass)

Generally speaking, hand blown art can make any shapes of Mbg and more. Hbg is produced with low MOQ but high cost. Hbg is the high range glassware, like martini glass, goblet, stem glasses. The material is crystal.

And there is another shape Hbg. It is stemless. It can be made by machine blown. When the clients don’t have too much budgets and quantity is large, machine blown will be the good choice.