The glass manufacturing companies in California vary in size and range from small privately held companies to large multinational corporations.  There are four major segments in the glass manufacturing industry which are separated by the type of end products generated.  These segments include container glass, fiberglass, flat or float glass, and pressed or blown glass (also known as specialty glass).  Production and consumption for all four segments of the glass manufacturing industry are often concentrated near U.S. population centers due to very high shipping costs of both raw materials and products, and the heavy concentration of end‑use customers.

The container glass segment produces bottles, jars, and other containers that compete with alternative materials such as plastic, aluminum, steel, and paper.  Most of the market for the flat glass segment is comprised from residential and construction, and automotive industry products.  Other products from this segment include mirrors, instrumentation gauges, and architectural items such as table tops and cabinet doors.  The fiberglass segment is composed of two distinct sub-industries: insulation, which is often referred to as glass wool, and textile/reinforcement fibers, which are continuous fiber strands used to reinforce plastics and other materials important to the transportation, marine, and construction industries.  The specialty glass segment is very diverse and consists of traditional products, such as lighting, cookware, and television glass components along with newer products such as fiber optics, photonics, flat screen displays, and liquid crystal display panels.