Window Manufacturing

We provide window-grade krypton and krypton mixes to window manufacturers. Krypton provides better insulation than argon or air when used between the panes of double and triple pane windows. Common mixes are 10% Kr/90% Ar and 50% Kr/50% Ar. Other mixes are possible as custom mixes from our Rare Gas Center of Excellence.

Krypton provides for lower U-factors (higher R-values) with the same window design. Additionally, krypton offers additional benefits with thin spacings between panes making more high-performance designs possible.

Due to its thermal properties krypton a better insulating gas between window panels than argon and enables more energy-efficient windows.  Energy efficient windows make for more comfortable environments and reduced utility bills. The best windows insulate nearly as well as the surrounding walls. Krypton costs more than argon because it is less abundant in the atmosphere making it more difficult to extract. But there is a payback from the savings from improved insulation. An Energy Star study indicates that the most energy-efficient windows cut energy bills in a home up to 15 percent or over $450 per year.

The best performance from argon doesn’t equal that of krypton and requires a wider spacing between panes to achieve. For narrower windows covering large surfaces, especially large commercial windows, krypton is particularly preferable. In fact, if the space between glazing layers is less than ½ inch, argon is not a viable option; krypton must be chosen. Krypton use also enables high-performance windows like thin triples. These windows use three panes of strong, thin glass (like the glass used with smart phones) with narrow spacings for window units that are high performance (center-of-glass U-factor 0.9; full frame 0.13), lighter (nearly the same weight as a conventional double pane window) and thinner (as thin as a normal double pane window).

Windows and insulated glass units (IGUs) can be generally filled with krypton using the same equipment as is used to fill with argon, however some setting changes would be needed for optimum performance.  Like argon, krypton is a colorless, odorless, inert gas.  The cylinders come with the same standard CGA580 connections.