Dow Corning (DOWSIL)

Dow Corning (DOWSIL) Overview

Dow Corning is one of the longest-established names in construction silicone. Following the company's full merger into Dow, the construction silicone range was rebranded DOWSIL — so specifications, older drawings and product literature may refer to either name, and in most cases they mean the same materials.

Silicone matters more in glazing work than most people outside the trade expect. It is what holds structurally glazed glass to its frame, what seals the joint between a window and the wall, and what has to stay flexible through twenty years of thermal movement without cracking, hardening or pulling away.

The two roles are quite different. Structural silicone carries load — it bonds glass to metal and must be engineered, with joint dimensions calculated rather than estimated. Weatherseal silicone does not carry load, but it has to accommodate movement and remain watertight and UV-stable in full exposure.

Key Features & Benefits

• Structural glazing silicones: load-bearing adhesion of glass to framing in curtain wall and structural glazing
• Weatherproofing sealants: movement-accommodating joints at perimeters, expansion joints and interfaces
• Wide adhesion range: formulated for glass, anodised and coated aluminium, stone and concrete
• UV and weather stability: silicone does not degrade under UV the way many organic sealants do
• Movement capability: joints that flex with thermal expansion instead of splitting
• Documented compatibility: published data for adhesion to specific substrates and coatings
• Long service life: the reason silicone is specified where re-sealing would be difficult or expensive