Mirror Glossary
A clear guide to the terms used in mirror glass, LED lighting, coatings, safety, installation, shapes, frames, and smart features.
A
AC Power Alternating current is the electricity supplied through household outlets and building wiring.
Acrylic Mirror A lightweight reflective acrylic sheet that is harder to break than glass but more likely to scratch or bend.
Annealed Glass Standard glass that has been slowly cooled during manufacturing and may break into large, sharp pieces.
Anti-Fog A feature that helps keep part of a mirror clear by reducing the condensation created by warm, humid air.
Anti-Oxidation Coating A protective layer that slows the chemical reactions responsible for dark spots and corrosion around a mirror’s backing.
Anti-Shatter Film A film attached behind mirror glass to help keep broken fragments from scattering.
B
Backlit Mirror A mirror with LEDs behind the glass that cast a soft glow onto the surrounding wall.
Beveled Edge A wide angled cut around the glass that creates a decorative reflective border.
Black Edge Dark discoloration that appears when moisture or chemicals begin damaging the reflective layer near a mirror’s edges.
Bluetooth Mirror A mirror that connects wirelessly to a compatible phone or device for features such as audio playback.
C
CCT Correlated Color Temperature describes whether white light appears warm, neutral, or cool and is measured in Kelvin.
Chamfered Edge A narrow angled cut that removes the sharp corner between the front and side of the mirror glass.
Copper-Free Silver Mirror A silver-coated mirror made without the traditional copper backing layer to improve resistance to corrosion.
CRI Color Rendering Index indicates how naturally a light source reveals colors compared with a reference light.
D
DC Power Direct current is the regulated electricity normally used by LED strips and other low-voltage mirror components.
Defogger A heating system behind a mirror that warms the glass to reduce condensation.
Demister Pad A thin electric heating pad attached behind the mirror to keep a defined section clearer in humid conditions.
Diffuser A translucent cover or material that spreads LED light and softens visible bright spots.
D-Ring A D-shaped metal hanger attached to the back of a mirror for wall mounting.
E
Edge-Lit Mirror A mirror with LEDs positioned around or within its outer edge to create a defined border of light.
Edge Sealant A protective material applied to exposed mirror edges to reduce moisture reaching the reflective coating.
ETL ETL is a North American certification mark showing that a product has been tested to applicable safety standards.
Explosion-Proof Film A commercial name for backing film that helps retain broken mirror fragments but does not make the glass resistant to an actual explosion.
F
Float Glass Flat glass made by floating molten glass over molten tin to produce a smooth surface and consistent thickness.
French Cleat A two-part angled rail system that spreads a mirror’s weight across a horizontal section of wall.
Front-Lit Mirror A mirror with built-in lighting that shines forward toward the person using it.
Frosted Light Band A treated strip of glass that allows LED light to pass through while helping soften and spread it.
G
Glass Thickness Glass thickness is the measured depth of the mirror glass, usually stated in millimeters or inches.
Glass Warpage A slight bend or unevenness in the glass that can make straight lines or reflected shapes appear distorted.
H
Halo Lighting A soft outline of light created when LEDs behind a mirror shine onto the wall.
Hardwired A hardwired mirror connects directly to the building’s electrical wiring instead of using a visible wall plug.
HD Mirror HD mirror is a marketing term for a clear, detailed reflection and is not an official glass-quality standard.
Hydrophobic Coating A surface treatment that encourages water to form beads and roll off the glass more easily.
I
IP Rating An Ingress Protection rating describes how well an electrical enclosure resists contact with solids and water.
J
J-Channel A J-shaped metal channel used to support the lower edge of a wall mirror.
Junction Box A protective enclosure that contains electrical wire connections behind or near a hardwired mirror.
K
Kelvin The unit used to measure the color temperature of light.
Keyhole Bracket A mounting bracket with a narrow slot that fits over a screw head.
L
Laminated Glass Laminated glass contains an internal layer that helps hold glass fragments together after breakage.
LED A light-emitting diode is a small, energy-efficient light source used in illuminated mirrors.
LED Driver An LED driver converts and regulates electrical power so the mirror’s LEDs receive the current and voltage they require.
LED Strip An LED strip is a flexible or rigid circuit fitted with multiple small light sources.
Light Guide Plate A light guide plate carries light from LEDs across a larger surface to create more even illumination.
Low-Iron Glass Low-iron glass contains less iron than standard glass, giving it greater clarity and less visible green tint.
Lumen A lumen measures the total amount of visible light produced by a light source.
Lux Lux measures how much light reaches a particular surface or area.
M
Magnifying Mirror A magnifying mirror enlarges part of the reflection to make close-up grooming and makeup details easier to see.
Memory Function A memory function restores a previously selected brightness or color-temperature setting when the mirror is turned on again.
Mirror Backing Mirror backing includes the reflective metal and protective layers applied to the rear of the glass.
Mirror Clips Mirror clips are small brackets that hold the edges of a frameless mirror against a wall.
Mirror Distortion Mirror distortion occurs when reflected lines, shapes, or proportions appear bent, stretched, or uneven.
Mirror Mastic Mirror mastic is an adhesive formulated to attach mirror glass without damaging its reflective backing.
Motion Sensor A motion sensor activates a mirror function when it detects nearby movement.
Mounting Bracket A mounting bracket is the hardware used to secure a mirror to a wall, door, frame, or other support.
P
PIR Sensor A passive infrared sensor detects changes in heat energy caused by a person moving nearby.
Plug-In A plug-in mirror receives power from a compatible wall outlet through an electrical cord.
Polished Edge A polished edge is finished until the side of the glass becomes smooth, clear, and glossy.
S
Safety Backing Film Safety backing film is an adhesive layer placed behind a mirror to help retain fragments if the glass breaks.
Silver Mirror A silver mirror uses a thin layer of silver behind the glass to create its reflective surface.
SMD LED A Surface-Mounted Device LED is a compact packaged light source attached directly to a circuit board or LED strip.
Smart Mirror A smart mirror combines a reflective surface with electronic features such as lighting, sensors, speakers, displays, or connectivity.
Stepless Dimming Stepless dimming allows brightness to be adjusted smoothly rather than limited to preset levels.
Surface-Mounted A surface-mounted mirror or cabinet is installed directly onto the face of the wall rather than recessed inside it.
T
Tempered Glass Tempered glass is heat-treated for greater strength and designed to break into smaller pieces rather than large sharp shards.
Touch Sensor A touch sensor allows mirror functions to be controlled by touching a marked area of the glass.
U
UL A safety certification mark associated with testing standards used in the United States.
V
Voltage The electrical potential supplied to a mirror or one of its components.
W
Watt A watt measures how much electrical power a mirror or one of its components consumes.
