ASTM guide will establish best practices for identifying, classifying, and comparing glass fragments. 

Sep 11, 2025

ASTM International is developing a proposed standard that will provide a consistent approach to glass analysis among forensic practitioners (WK72932).

WK72932 is a new standard being developed by the trace subcommittee (E30.15), part of ASTM’s forensic sciences committee (E30).

According to ASTM member Jodi Webb, the proposed standard will be used by forensic science practitioners tasked with assessing fragments to determine whether they are glass, characterizing the compositional class, product type, and optical properties of glass samples, and comparing glass samples from known and unknown sources to determine if exclusionary differences are observed between them.

Webb adds that when no exclusionary differences are observed, the proposed standard will address the implications of the known and unknown glass samples being indistinguishable.

The standard provides a detailed description of forensic glass examination processes and points to other forensics standards as well. “It points to standards used to characterize and compare evidentiary fragments of glass, standards for handling physical evidence, and reporting expert opinions,” says Webb, geologist-forensic examiner at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory. “The proposed guide covers the collection and recovery, examination, and comparison of broken glass products encountered in forensic casework, including flat panes such as vehicle and architectural windows, container glass, and laminated windshield glass.”

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at JOIN ASTM.

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