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The glass plate of my ceramic stove cracked (Indesit K6C51), and I'm looking to replace the ceramic glass.

(I know about What are some alternatives for a glass stove top replacement?, but somehow the answers were not quite satisfactory.)

cracked ceramic stove

The coils you see get very hot, and it seems like the only thing that the glass does is transfer the heat from the coils to the pan.

I have found an original part of around ~$300, which I think is pretty expensive. I'm not very sentimental about the looks of the stove, as long as I can cook on it. So I'm thinking of putting in a (clear) ceramic glass sheet that I know people use for wood stoves such as Robax or Neoceram, which costs me around ~$150.

My question: will this actually work?

My reasoning is that I could put in any heat resistent glass with low heat conduction coefficient (so not the entire plate heats up), but I would like to be sure before I spend money on it.

I have looked into both borosilicate glass, and glass-ceramics. Both are very heat resistent, but only the latter seems to be used for cooktops. Is that because borosilicate breaks easier?

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    I think this invites a dangerous possible outcome of the stovetop shattering in your face, despite picking out "probably" suitable $150 glass. It this new surface fails, I would expect it to do so catastrophically and violently, possibly towards your face. I've work in chemistry labs were improperly installed borosilicate glassware reacted VIOLENTLY outside the expected/exact manufacturer's spec. Weigh this possible outcome against the extra effort, work, and $150.
    – BrownRedHawk
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 17:35
  • Yeah, well, that's why I'm asking.
    – Maarten
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 18:50
  • It's not quite an answer, but honestly the short version is "Don't do it". It's expensive because their factory made one is engineered, licensed, undergoes quality control, inspection, etc.
    – BrownRedHawk
    Commented Aug 5, 2016 at 19:31

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Borosilicate is commonly used for chemistry and cooking. A common name for borosilicate glass is Pyrex. Borosilicates are acid resistant and have low expansion upon heating. However, borosilicates are not as durable as ceramics.

Technically, the kind of glass used on your oven is probably either Ceran (made by Schott) Li2O-Al2O3-Si2O2 or Pyroceram (made by corning) Li2Si2O5. Ceramic glass is probably the best choice.

So a lithium or lithium-aluminum ceramic is probably what you need, especially because of the resistance to thermal shock which is extremely likely- as food will spill on it. If you doused a woodstove window with water, it would surely crack.

The Robax or Neoceram that you allude to, actually appear to be the ceramic glass used on ovens... and they are just attempting to sell them for wood stoves.

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  • Thanks so much! In the end I got lucky and found a person that ditched their ceramic stove for free that was slightly smaller. So I put that glass plate on top, and going to seal the gaps with some material, I still need to look into what exactly.
    – Maarten
    Commented Aug 7, 2016 at 13:58
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    @maarten basically, any high temperature silicone (500°+) will work. They are available at most box stores and auto parts stores. Make sure the sealant is RTV (room temperature vulcanization), because I don't think you want a sealer that requires heat to cure. You can usually find the temperature rating on the back of the bottle. You may find some bottles for use around wood stoves, but nevermind the pictures- just compare the temperature rating.
    – Ben Welborn
    Commented Aug 8, 2016 at 12:36
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    @Maarten I often opt for the automotive head gasket sealer (red silicone - rated for 650 °F) for any old high temperature sealer because it's generally good quality, and available at autoparts stores and walmart but then again, it's red... so I don't use it where it can be seen.
    – Ben Welborn
    Commented Aug 8, 2016 at 12:36

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