Glass beads are solid glass spheres. They should not be confused with costume jewellery having a hole. They are manufactured from high grade soda-lime silica glass containing SiO2 around 70%. They are free from free lead, iron and silica. They are manufactured from colourless glass for most of their uses.

Soda-lime glass spheres having diameters from about 100 micron to 6mm have long been used in a variety of applications in industries. Beads above the size of 6mm can be manufactured depending upon customer needs.