For residential basketball goals, homeowners generally have two choices when it comes to backboard materials: tempered glass or acrylic. Learn what the differences are and whether to choose acrylic or tempered glass backboards for your Goalsetter basketball goal.

Tempered Glass Basketball Backboards

Tempered glass is traditionally used for competition basketball goal backboards in high school, college and professional arenas. This glass is often chosen because it produces a better rebound surface for the ball.

Tempered glass is different from the traditional glass you may be used to. Traditional glass is annealed to strengthen it. However, tempered glass is four times stronger than annealed glass. And while this traditional glass can shatter into large jagged shards when broken, tempered glass fractures into small, relatively harmless pieces.

Acrylic Basketball Backboards

Acrylic basketball backboards tend to be even more shatter resistant than glass. The thickness of the acrylic can greatly affect its performance and price. Thinner acrylic can momentarily give under the pressure of the basketball, which can change the angle of the rebound. And while this is less of a problem with thick, competition-grade acrylic backboards, the cost to produce these heavy hitters can out pace glass backboards.

The rebound effect of acrylic backboards can vary significantly, so look for heavier cast acrylic basketball goals for the best performance.

Tempered Glass vs Acrylic Basketball Backboards

When choosing a backboard material, consider location, size and price. For most residential locations, either board will suffice, so it is a matter of choosing a basketball goal that fits your budget. If vandals or overzealous heavy-weight slam dunkers is a major concern for you, you may want to invest in the strength of a heavy-duty acrylic basketball backboard.

If you’re looking at larger pro-size backboards, choose tempered glass. The larger the backboard, the more pronounced the skewed rebound effect for acrylic goals.

No matter which Goalsetter backboard you choose, your ball response will be of a competition-grade quality. Goalsetter uses an H-frame backboard design to provide precise and consistent ball response. This H-Frame also delivers a lifetime of durability.