Oceania Glass halts float furnace

Oceania Glass ceases float glass operations

Corné Kritzinger, CEO of Oceania Glass posted on LinkedIn that Australia's only architectural glass furnace had closed down on 3 March 2025 following the receivers of the company not finding a buyer of the operation. After 51 years the float furnace was shut down. He paid tribute to the many people who had worked on the site and their contributions.

"In 1974, Australia’s first float glass line, and the first in the Southern Hemisphere, was established in Dandenong. This investment drove rapid growth, leading to a second float line in Ingleburn, Sydney, in 1988 during Australia’s Bicentenary.

"Float glass production is both an art and a science. It requires precisely blending seven raw materials and melting them in a furnace at a staggering 1600°C—comparable to the belly of a dragon. Natural gas fuels this intense heat, triggering complex chemical reactions that transform raw ingredients into perfectly smooth, crystal-clear glass.

"But now, that dragon’s fire has been extinguished—permanently."

The LinkedIn post has a video of the furnace being shut down.