AG AR AF Coatings for Cover Glass: What’s the Difference?

What Are AG  AR AF Coatings on Cover Glass?

When a new display project or solution is launched, engineers and design teams often encounter light reflection issues and need to select suitable AG AR AF coatings in cover glass. When buyers and engineers are new to optical glass, the coatings in cover glass industry terms aren’t familiar. Possibly they will search vague keywords like “anti reflection glass” or “non glare glass“, which leads to ambiguous communication with glass OEM.

So let’s focus on the principles, applications and identification methods of AG, AR and AF coatings in cover glass to help you quickly tell their differences and locate the correct OEM.

AG Treatment: Anti-Glare Glass

How Does AG Coating Work?

Under chemical etching or spraying, the smooth glass surface is transformed into a matte texture with tiny uneven particles. The adjusted surface roughness diffuses incident light to achieve anti-glare effects.
AG treatment can be applied on single or double sides of glass. The AG matte side must face outwards during assembly. Lower gloss delivers better light diffusion and less harsh glare.

Where Is AG Glass Used?

AG treatment scatters reflected ambient light to reduce glare and provide a more comfortable viewing experience, it widely used for displays which expose to strong sunlight or bright environments: Outdoor machine screens, ATM machines, POS terminals, medical B-ultrasound monitors, E-readers, gas station displays, subway ticket validator screen etc.

How to Identify AG Glass

Place the glass under a fluorescent lamp and observe the lamp reflection from front:

Blurred, scattered lamp reflection=AG treated surface
Clear, sharp lamp mirror image=Untreated smooth surface

Non AG VS. AG

AR Coating: Anti-Reflective Glass

Where Is AF Coating Used?

All touchscreen cover glass including mobile phones, tablets, vehicle central control screens, medical devices, industrial touch panels and smart home touch displays.

How to Test AF Coating

Water drop test: Water beads up and rolls freely without spreading on AF-coated surface. And test the water drop angle.

Oil pen test: Oil ink cannot adhere firmly and wipes away easily on AF coating.

AG AR AF Coatings: What Is the Difference?

Can AG AR AF Coatings Be Combined?

AG + AF

AR + AF

AG + AR + AF

How to Choose the Right Cover Glass AG AR AF Coatings

Outdoor / high-brightness viewing environment: Choose AG coatings in cover glass

Indoor scenes requiring high definition and minimal light loss: Choose AR coatings in custom cover glass

Frequently touched panels prone to fingerprints: AF coating is mandatory

Outdoor high-definition touch devices: AG + AF or AR + AF may be selected depending on the optical and surface requirements. AG + AR + AF can also be considered for specialized applications.

AG AR AF Coatings Comparison

Need Custom AG, AR or AF Cover Glass?

We provide customized cover glass solutions with AG, AR and AF surface treatments for industrial displays, automotive displays, medical devices, touchscreens and other electronic applications.

Our OEM services include custom glass thicknesses, dimensions, CNC machining, chemical strengthening, silk screen printing, optical coatings and surface treatments.

Send us your drawings or requirements to discuss the appropriate glass material and surface treatment for your application.

Request a Quote for Custom Cover Glass

AG AR AF Coatings: FAQs

Q1:What is the difference between AG and AR glass?

A1:AG treatment scatters reflected light to reduce glare, while AR coating reduces surface reflection and improves effective light transmission.

Q2:What is the difference between AR and AF coating?

A2:AR coating reduces reflection and improves light transmission, while AF coating provides a hydrophobic and oleophobic surface that makes the glass easier to clean.

Q3:Can AG and AR coatings be applied to the same cover glass?

A3:Yes. AG and AR can be combined on the same cover glass when the application requires both glare reduction and improved optical transmission.

      The final coating design should be optimized according to the required haze, reflectance and transmittance.

Q4:Can AF coating be added to AR glass?

A4:Yes. AF can be applied over AR coating as an outermost surface layer.

      The AF layer provides fingerprint and oil resistance, while the coating stack should be designed and tested for adhesion and durability.

Q5:Can cover glass have AG, AR and AF coatings together?

A5:Sure, For outdoor high-definition touch devices, AG + AF or AR + AF may be selected depending on the optical and surface requirements.

    AG + AR + AF can also be considered for specialized applications, but the final coating combination should be evaluated based on surface texture, reflectance, haze and transmittance requirements.

Q6:Which coating is best for outdoor displays?

A6:All of them coatings strongly recommend but AG takes first place, because it can scatter the light to avoid glare when view the screen.

Q7:Which treatment is best for touchscreen cover glass?

A7:For cover glass, AF coating is the preferable choice to reduce dirt and easy clean to keep premium appearance.

Q8:Can AG, AR and AF treatments be customized for OEM applications?

A8:Yes, AG(gloss, haze, roughness, visible light transmittance), AR(transmittance in different spectral bands), AF(Electroplating / spray).