# Insurance for glazing and architectural glass businesses in Germany

> Glass is heavy, sharp and expensive, and it breaks exactly when nobody needs it to: on the glass rack of the van, while being lifted into a facade, or years later when an all-glass door gives way. This page explains which insurance a glazing business needs and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-glazier.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Who pays if the double-glazed unit breaks while I am fitting it?

The broken pane itself is your risk as long as it has not been installed and accepted; liability insurance does not pay for it. But if the falling pane damages the floor or furniture or injures someone, your public liability policy pays for that damage. For the pane on its way to the customer, transit insurance helps, and for large commercial jobs, erection insurance.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance duty; commercial and facade contracts regularly require proof of liability cover
- **Biggest risk:** Injuries caused by breaking glass and damage while transporting and installing large panes
- **Basic cover from:** about €210 a year for the public liability of a small business
- **Statutory accident insurer:** depending on your main activity, BG Holz und Metall or BG BAU, the Berufsgenossenschaften for wood and metal or construction; the decisive document is your notice of competence
- **Often forgotten:** Glass on the transport rack: breakage while driving is covered neither by liability nor by motor insurance

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Breakage in transit:** Large insulating and safety glass panes on the external rack: one emergency stop, one pothole, and the load is lost.
- **Installation at height:** When lifting with a vacuum lifter, a pane can fall and hit people, cars or floors.
- **Breakage with injuries:** A wrongly fixed all-glass door, a balustrade without safety glass: cuts can be severe and happen years after installation.
- **Emergency call-outs and keys:** During night-time emergency glazing you are alone in a customer's shop. Lost keys or doors not secured again lead to burglaries.
- **Leaking windows:** Installation mistakes let rain run into the reveal. The consequential damage to plaster and floors only shows later.
- **Cuts and heavy loads:** Heavy panes and sharp edges cause cuts and back injuries.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 3, Theft 3, Cyber 1, Downtime 3, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for injury and property damage caused by falling or breaking panes, installation errors and consequential water damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): Covers breakage of glass on the transport rack and tools in the vehicle. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces the glass store, cutting table and workshop after fire, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): Glass cutting, edge grinding and insulating glass lines are expensive and break down after operating errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Keeps paying if the workshop stands still after a fire or machinery breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Occupational disability** (Depends on the business): A cut to the hand or tendons can end your work with glass; income protection keeps your earnings going. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): Business legal expenses cover for disputes over delivery times, measuring errors and sign-off on facade and commercial jobs. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

Glaziers sit in the middle of the finishing trades for liability premiums. It gets considerably more expensive with facade work, all-glass systems and emergency call-outs.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | small business, repairs and window replacement | about €210 to €500 a year |
| Business liability | three to eight employees with all-glass systems and facades | about €600 to €1,800 a year |
| Cargo insurance | two vehicles with glass racks, up to €10,000 per claim | about €200 to €500 a year |
| Business contents | Workshop with glass store and cutting worth €80,000 | about €300 to €800 a year |

For comparison: Liability and transit cover for a small glazing business costs about as much per year as two fitted double-glazed units for a living room window.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The entry price comes from a published tariff example; the other ranges are guide values from our quoting practice and from comparable finishing trades, because hardly any tariff examples for glaziers are published. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Glaserei](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-glaserei.html)
- [handwerk.com: Werkzeug absichern unterwegs und auf der Baustelle](https://www.handwerk.com/tipps-werkverkehrsversicherung-fuer-handwerker)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (glazier working alone, repairs and emergency call-outs): Business liability, Cargo insurance. Together: about €400 to €1,000 a year
- **Glazing workshop** (workshop with cutting and three to eight employees): Business liability, Cargo insurance, Business contents, Machinery breakdown. Together: about €1,300 to €3,500 a year
- **Architectural glass** (facades, all-glass systems and commercial projects): Business liability, Cargo insurance, Business contents, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption, Business legal expenses. Together: about €3,500 to €8,000 a year

## The worst day for a glazing business

Six claims that glazing businesses really experience, all on a single Friday. Go through the day and see who pays.

- 02:10: After emergency glazing at a shop, the back door is left unlocked. There is a break-in that night. (€8,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 07:50: During an emergency stop, three large double-glazed units break on the external rack. (€4,200, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 10:30: While lifting in a shop window, the vacuum lifter slips. The pane shatters on the natural stone floor. (€6,800, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:40: An all-glass shower door fitted last year comes out of its hinge. The customer suffers cuts. (€22,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 15:15: The cutting head of the glass cutting table fails after an operating error. (€9,800, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 23:30: A storm pushes in the workshop's roller door and the glass store topples over. (€26,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €77,300

## Practical tips from your broker

- Insure glass in transit expressly, ideally with transit or tools in transit cover that includes breakage.
- Have installation damage and damage to things you act on during fitting included in your liability policy.
- If you offer emergency call-outs, include lost keys and damage from premises that were not secured again.
- Name all-glass systems, glass balustrades and facade glazing if you build them; the injury risk is higher.
- Choose at least €5 million cover for injury and property damage.
- Check whether your contents insurance covers glass breakage in your own store; with storm damage that is not a given.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Several quotes, precise wording:** Transit breakage, installation and emergency call-outs are the gaps for glaziers. We compare several insurers on exactly these points.
- **We know glass breakage from on board:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves, including broken windows and hatches. We know what surveyors check with glass.
- **Everything in one place:** Workshop, vehicles, liability and your private provision are handled by one contact person.
- **Independent since 1989:** We are a family business and not an agent of any insurer. The insurer pays our remuneration, so the advice is free for you.

## FAQ

### Does a glazier in Germany need liability insurance?

Not by law, but it is required for every larger job. Glass breakage with injuries can threaten your livelihood without insurance.

### How much does liability insurance cost for glaziers?

Published tariffs start at around €210 a year. With employees, facades and all-glass systems, premiums in our experience usually range from €600 to €1,800.

### Is glass in transit insured?

Not under liability and not under motor insurance. For that you need transit or tools in transit cover that includes breakage.

### Who pays if a fitted glass door breaks later and someone is injured?

If it is down to your installation or the wrong glass, your public liability policy pays for the injury, even years after fitting.

### Are emergency call-outs covered?

The activity is, if it is in the policy. Pay attention to lost keys and to damage if premises are not properly secured after the call-out.

### Which Berufsgenossenschaft is responsible for glaziers?

It depends on your main activity, usually BG Holz und Metall or BG BAU, both statutory accident insurers. Your notice of competence gives the answer.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-glazier.php#anfrage

---

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.