The Difference Between The Terms Stained Glass And Leaded Glass Window

Stained glass and leaded glass are two terms that are often used interchangeably. Despite common misconceptions, these two are different. Stained glass is used to describe what is properly called leaded glass. The use of lead caming qualifies a window as being of the leaded glass variety. The term stained glass is used only when the glass used is colored.

Although stained glass windows are a type of leaded glass, experts often use these terms separately to create distinction. Also, this makes it a lot easier for customers to understand what type of window glass they’re looking for. So to simplify everything, “leaded” suggests no color while “stained” implies color.

Both windows are about equal in popularity, though they are used in different settings. No color glass is currently popular for residential or commercial clients, while colorful pieces are more popular for historic homes, buildings, and of course, religious architectures.