Duralex
French Café Character. Built for Everyday Service.
The familiar Picardie facets. The rounded Gigogne. The clean lines of Unie. Duralex brings recognizable design and tempered-glass construction to the pieces you reach for every day—not just the ones saved for an occasion.
Shop French-made glasses and dessert plates at KEVIDKO, with six-glass boxes for the counter or cupboard and plate cases for the dining room. Compare the shapes and sizes below to find the right fit for your coffee, water service or table.
What Makes Duralex Different?
Duralex’s appeal is the combination: French manufacture, distinctive everyday design and glass strengthened by tempering. Its glasses are made in La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin, near Orléans. The Gigogne dates to 1946; the Picardie followed in 1954. These are longstanding designs, not new glassware styled to look vintage.
What Tempering Actually Does
Duralex heats the glass and then rapidly cools it with air. The resulting controlled stresses improve resistance to impacts and sudden temperature changes. Duralex rates its tempered glass as 2.5 times stronger than ordinary glass. That is a manufacturer comparison—not a promise that a dropped glass will survive.
The glass is also nonporous, so it does not absorb liquids. For a working café or restaurant, the appeal is straightforward: reusable tableware with a distinctive look, practical cleaning and resistance built into the material. It is still glass; chipped or damaged pieces belong out of service.
Picardie vs. Gigogne vs. Unie
Start with the shape you want to hold and see on the table. Then choose capacity. An 8.38 oz Picardie and an 8.38 oz Unie hold the same nominal volume, but create very different presentations.
Picardie
The recognizable French café glass. Faceted sides and a flared rim give it a defined outline. Choose it for a classic bistro look or when you want small coffee glasses and water tumblers to share a design.
Shop Picardie Clear 8.38 oz
Shop Picardie Amber 8.38 oz
Shop Picardie Black 8.38 oz
Gigogne
Softer, rounder, more understated. Its curved bowl and horizontal rings create a relaxed café presentation without Picardie’s facets. Consider the compact size for a small milk coffee; the larger size offers more room in the same rounded style.
Unie
The clean-lined alternative. Smooth sides and a taller, narrower profile keep attention on the drink. Choose Unie for a pared-back place setting or when you prefer an upright glass to a wide café tumbler.
Which Duralex Glass Size Should You Buy?
A glass’s listed capacity is not a suggested pour. Leave room for crema, foam, ice and comfortable carrying. For a café, test your actual recipe in one size before standardizing your service.
| Listed Capacity | A Useful Starting Point | Shop the Options |
|---|---|---|
| 3 oz | Espresso or a small tasting portion; little room for added milk. | Picardie Black |
| 4.38 oz | A compact coffee glass when you want the crema and layers visible. | Picardie Clear |
| 5.38 oz | A small milk coffee with more room than the 4.38 oz format. | Gigogne Clear |
| 6.75 oz | A modest juice or water serving in a slim glass. | Unie Clear |
| 7.38 oz | A rounded, low-profile option for a larger café drink or small juice. | Gigogne Clear |
| 8.38 oz | Table water, juice or a compact mixed drink. Account for ice displacement. | Picardie Clear · Picardie Amber · Picardie Black Unie Clear |
These are selection suggestions, not standardized drink recipes. An 8.38 oz glass is not a substitute for a 12–16 oz iced beverage cup.
Clear, Amber or Black?
Clear lets the drink’s color and layers do the work. Amber brings a warmer, vintage accent to the same Picardie shape. Black creates stronger contrast against a light table or plate. If visible crema or layered drinks are part of your presentation, clear is the most direct choice.
Lys or Picardie Dessert Plates?
Lys Clear · 7.5″
A smooth, simple rim keeps attention on the food. Choose it for a restrained presentation of a pastry, dessert or small savory course.
Picardie Clear · 8.13″
A scalloped rim gives the place setting more detail, with a larger nominal diameter than the Lys shown here.
Picardie Marine Blue · 8.13″
The same Picardie plate format with a blue accent. Consider it when you want the plate itself to contribute color to the table.
Diameter is measured across the plate, not just the flat food area. Check the rim and usable center against your actual pastry or plated dessert.
Using and Caring for Duralex
Can I use Duralex for hot drinks or in the microwave?
Duralex’s tempered glass is suitable for hot and cold liquids, and its standard Picardie, Gigogne, Unie and Lys care instructions permit microwave use. Glass can still become hot to hold. Follow the exact product’s instructions and do not put it on a wet surface immediately after microwaving.
Is Duralex oven-safe or unbreakable?
No: the tumblers and dessert plates in this range are not conventional-oven or stovetop cookware. Tempering improves resistance; it does not make glass unbreakable. Stop using pieces with chips or damage, and avoid deliberate impacts or sudden temperature changes.
How should I wash and store it?
The listed glassware is dishwasher-safe. Wash before first use, avoid metal scouring pads and abrasive cleaners, and inspect pieces as you put them away. Do not force differently shaped glasses together. Duralex also makes decorative coated ranges with different care requirements; use the instructions for the piece you own rather than assuming every finish is identical.
Build Your Duralex Service at KEVIDKO
Start with the glass your menu needs most, then add a smaller coffee size or a coordinated dessert plate. Our tumblers are sold in boxes of six; Lys plates come 24 per case and the Picardie plates shown here come 48 per case. Product pages show current prices and any applicable quantity breaks, so you can compare the actual pack you are buying.
Shop the Duralex Range · Explore the Café Supplies Guide · Shipping & Delivery Information
Design & French ManufactureThe Tempering ProcessGlassware BenefitsCare Instructions