25 Sep 2026
Worker moving large glass sheets stored on edge on a warehouse rack

Earlier this year, Glass Magazine published its 2026 Top Glass Fabricators Report, the National Glass Association’s long-running ranking of the leading architectural glass fabricators in North America. This year’s list includes 69 companies, and for the first time, Dallas Flat Glass Distributors is one of them.

We’re proud of that. We’re also clear about who earned it. For more than 25 years, our business has been built one order at a time by the glazing contractors, shower door installers, ornamental iron door shops and window manufacturers who trust us with their glass, from Durant, Oklahoma, down to Houston. This recognition belongs to you as much as it does to our team.

Our Take on Shower Enclosure Demand

The report’s Products section found that shower enclosures remain one of the biggest product categories for fabricators, with more demand than jumbo glass. Glass Magazine asked our Director of Sales & Business Development, Kristina Buckett, what’s behind it. She pointed to high-end residential remodeling and new construction:

“Since homes are struggling to sell, people are doing all they can to upgrade, including updating windows and shower enclosures.”

Kristina Buckett, Dallas Flat Glass Distributors, in Glass Magazine

That matches what we hear from installers at our shipping counter. Homeowners who might once have moved are staying put and investing in the house they have. A frameless shower enclosure is one of the most visible upgrades they can make, and that work lands with our customers, the local installers. Another fabricator in the report, The Glenny Glass Co., noted that demand for European-style shower doors keeps climbing year over year. If heavy shower glass isn’t already a big part of your business, it’s worth a look.

What the Report Says About the Market

The full report is worth reading, but these are the findings we think matter most to installers in North Texas:

  • Sales are recovering. 45% of fabricators reported higher sales in 2025 than in 2024, up 12 points from the prior survey, and 77% expect sales to rise again this year. Most describe their outlook as cautious due to rising interest rates.
  • Retrofit is a bigger share of the work. 64% of fabricators said retrofit made up anywhere from a quarter to all of their business in 2025, up from 46% the year before. When new projects stall, owners fix and upgrade what they already have.
  • Tariffs hit hardware and metal hardest. Tariffs on aluminum and steel climbed to 50% in June 2025, and fabricators named machinery, hardware and metal products as the most affected categories. The most common view was that tariffs also delayed or slowed projects. About 20% of fabricators changed where they buy glass last year, mostly because of price.
  • The South is growing. Fabricators working nationwide reported the strongest construction activity in the South and Sun Belt. Census data cited in the report shows Texas was among the states that gained the most residents through domestic migration in 2025.
  • Fabricators are investing. 82% bought capital equipment in 2025, mostly to add capacity and keep up with demand. Those holding off pointed to market uncertainty and tariffs on new machinery.
  • Labor is still tight. One in three fabricators said hiring got harder in 2025, with production workers and supervisors the toughest roles to fill.

What It Means for Your Business

Put those findings together and a few practical takeaways come into focus for DFW installers:

  • Follow the remodel. Shower enclosures, mirrors, replacement window glass and decorative glass are where homeowners are spending. Make sure your quoting and scheduling can keep up with more of that work.
  • Watch your hardware costs. With tariffs pushing hardware and metal pricing around, confirm current costs before you lock in a bid, especially on jobs that won’t start for several weeks.
  • Talk to us about lead times early. When we know what’s coming, we can help you plan around stock and delivery so your crews aren’t waiting on glass.
  • Don’t overlook commercial retrofit. Storefront updates and railing upgrades follow the same retrofit trend. Through our division, Excel Glass Systems, we offer all-glass entrance systems, with quick turnaround on standard Herculite door systems, plus glass handrail systems.

Thank You

Making this list is a milestone for a local, small-business wholesaler, and we don’t take it for granted. We’ll keep doing what got us here: stocking quality pattern, specialty, low-E, laminated, mirror and heavy frameless shower glass; keeping our ordering process transparent and our pricing competitive; and picking up the phone when you need us.

Ready to quote your next job? Call us at (972) 506-9580 or send us a message.

Source: “2026 Top Glass Fabricators Report,” Glass Magazine, National Glass Association, March 2026.

Featured photo: Shixart1985 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.