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At 3M, we discover and innovate in nearly every industry to help solve problems around the world.

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Advanced Materials
Glass Bubbles

3M Glass Bubbles

Tiny glass bubbles. Big impact.

From the depths of the sea to the edge of space, 3M™ Glass Bubbles, featuring its versatile hollow glass microspheres, are transforming industries worldwide.

What are the benefits of 3M Glass Bubbles?

Imagine lighter-weight vehicles that can travel farther on less fuel. More efficient ways to drill for oil and insulate deep sea pipelines. Paint that helps keep homes cooler on hot, sunny days. In all these ways and more, 3M Glass Bubbles are helping a wide range of industrial sectors solve their design challenges and reach new levels of performance and productivity.

3M Glass Bubbles are high-strength, low-density hollow glass microspheres made from soda-lime borosilicate glass. They are nonporous, chemically stable and provide excellent water and oil resistance. Strong enough to survive processing, they can be incorporated into a wide range of polymers for density reduction. And the benefits of 3M Glass Bubbles go far beyond lightweighting: the inherent properties of these hollow glass bubbles provide a number of unique performance and processing advantages.

Contact a sales rep for more information, including formulation assistance or questions about a specific application.

Icons for weight reduction, thermal insulation, cycle time reduction, reduced resin demand, and dimensional stability

Browse 3M Glass Bubbles for your application

Choose an application to compare specific grades against each other and view product details or view all glass bubble grades below.

Transportation & Automotive
View grades for:

Commercial and specialty vehicles

OEM and tier
Construction & Manufacturing
View grades for:

Design and construction

Manufacturing
Energy
View grades for:

Insulation and buoyancy

Drilling and cementing

Cryogenic insulation

3M Glass Bubbles Resources

Technical Knowhow
3M™ Glass Bubbles Compounding and Injection Molding Guidelines (PDF, 436 KB)

3M™ Glass Bubbles Brochure (PDF, 1.9 MB)

View our video library
Handling information
3M™ Glass Bubbles Bag Unloading Suggestions (PDF, 234 KB)

3M™ Glass Bubbles Metering and Mixing Guide (PDF, 215 KB)

3M™ Glass Bubbles Box Unloading Suggestions (PDF, 359 KB)
Technical papers
3M™ Glass Bubbles iM16K for Reinforced Thermoplastics (PDF, 794 KB)

Glass Bubble Survival During Twin Screw Compounding (PDF, 945 KB)

Innovative High Strength Glass Microspheres for Extruded and Injection Molded Plastics (PDF, 363 KB)

“Plug-N-Play” Weight Reduction Solution by Hollow Glass Microspheres (PDF, 1.4 MB)

Benefits & Processing Behavior of Glass Bubbles in Polymer Wood (PDF, 923 KB)

Productivity Benefits of 3M™ Glass Bubbles in Injection Molded Thermoplastics via Increased Cooling (PDF, 379 KB)

Using Hollow Glass Microsphere Masterbatches to Optimize Formulations at the Injection Molding Press (PDF, 513.16 KB)