Glass beakers are a cylindrical containers with a flat bottom and a small pour spout.  Various applications may require a low-form or Griffin form beaker, a tall-form or Berzelius beaker, or a flat beaker or crystallizer.  Glass beakers are typically made with borosilicate glass. 

Borosilicate glass has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion (≈3 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at 20 °C), making them more resistant to thermal shock breakage than common soda-lime glass.  A typical rated maximum temperature differential of about 165°C (300 °F) allows usage for handling of many hot and cold liquids.