ABSTRACT
Glass examiners in forensic laboratories have found it useful to incorporate elemental analysis as part of their routine examination and evaluation of glass evidence. The value of the measurement of major, minor and trace elemental composition of glass for its classification into glass types has been recognised for some time [1-4]. It is usually helpful to be able to classify the questioned glass into one of a number of possible categories, such as sheet (or ‘float’, the name of the process for the manufacture of most sheet glass), container, vehicle window (also made by the float process), vehicle headlamp (a borosilicate glass) or tableware (including leaded glass). One reason for classification is to facilitate the assessment of the association between the questioned and the known fragments by either classifying both as the same type of glass and then applying the appropriate comparison criteria or by eliminating straight away the questioned fragment from originating from the known source.
