You notice something on the windshield pulling out of the driveway. Maybe a glint in the early morning light, or maybe you heard the impact on GA-400 yesterday but have not looked closely until now. Either way, you are trying to figure out what you are actually looking at.
Being able to name what you see changes the conversation. The right description over the phone lets us give you a realistic first assessment before you drive in. More importantly, identifying damage type tells you how urgent the situation is and whether repair or replacement is likely the path.
Why catching it early pays off
Your windshield contributes to the structural integrity of the passenger cabin. It helps support the roof in a rollover and provides the deployment surface for the passenger-side airbag. Damage that looks minor from the driver’s seat can be undermining both of those functions.
Early identification also directly affects cost. A bullseye chip repaired within 24 hours is a 20-minute, $60 job. The same chip left open through a week of Atlanta heat and humidity may not bond cleanly with resin anymore, pushing you toward a $350 replacement. The window between those two outcomes is sometimes measured in days during Georgia summers.
Chip types: what each one looks like
Chips are localized impact points. They happen when a hard object strikes the glass directly and creates a void in the outer layer. Most are under an inch across. Here is how to tell them apart.
Bullseye
The most common and most recognizable chip. A clean, roughly circular divot with a cone-shaped void going into the glass. Seen straight on, it looks like a dark circle — darkest at the center contact point, lighter toward the outer edge. If you hold the windshield up to indirect light and tilt your head, the void catches light distinctly.
Bullseyes are the cleanest repair candidates because the shape is symmetric and the void is easy to inject with resin evenly. Size up to about one inch qualifies for repair in most cases.
Half-moon
A semi-circular chip with a straight edge on one side and a curved perimeter on the other. The flat side is where the debris struck the glass at an angle rather than head-on. Under natural light, a half-moon chip looks like a bullseye with one side cut off. Repairable under one inch from flat edge to curved perimeter.
Star break
The most visually distinctive chip type. A central impact point with cracks radiating outward in two to six directions. Short star breaks look like a tiny asterisk; larger ones can look like a shatter point, but the cracks are short and contained around a central hub. The total span from tip to tip matters more than any single measurement.
Star breaks under two to three inches total span usually repair well. Beyond three inches, the radiating cracks create more surface area for air to get trapped during resin injection, which can leave an incomplete bond.
Combination break
A bullseye or half-moon center with star-pattern cracks extending from it. Visually, it looks like an asterisk with a dark circle in the middle. This is the most complex chip shape because it combines a centered void with traveling fractures. Smaller combination breaks under two inches total are often repairable. Larger ones depend on whether any crack has separated from the chip zone and started traveling on its own.
Pit
A very small, shallow divot with no visible crack patterns. Pits are caused by tiny debris — fine sand, grit, road particles — hitting the glass at highway speed. Individual pits are almost invisible except in direct sunlight or low-angle light where they catch a glint. They do not have the dark center point of a chip and they do not radiate.
Single pits are repairable, but most drivers do not notice them individually. What they eventually notice is the cumulative haze or starburst glare at night that widespread pitting creates.
Floater chip
Not a shape category but a location one. A floater is any chip type that sits in the open glass field, away from the windshield edges and outside the driver’s direct line of sight. Floaters are the most favorable repair candidates regardless of their shape because structural stress is lowest at the glass center.
Crack types: what each one looks like
Cracks are linear. They have length, a direction, and sometimes branches. Unlike chips, a crack always indicates the fracture is in motion — it has traveled or is ready to travel.
Short crack
A straight or slightly curved line under six inches, usually starting from a chip that was not repaired or from a direct linear impact. If you run a fingernail slowly across the exterior surface, a crack feels like a clear groove or ridge. A short crack under three inches that has not reached the windshield edge can often be repaired. Three to six inches is a gray zone requiring hands-on evaluation.
Long crack
The same type as a short crack but extended across a larger portion of the windshield. Once a crack passes six inches, resin injection cannot fill the entire fracture uniformly, and replacement is required. Long cracks that span from near the center to one edge, or edge to edge, are never repairable.
Edge crack
A crack that starts within two inches of the windshield border. Edge cracks are particularly dangerous because the perimeter has the least structural support and the most stress from the frame. They often appear with no visible impact point — the glass just develops a line starting from the edge. They spread faster than cracks starting in the glass field, and they almost always require replacement.
Stress crack
A clean, straight line that appears without any impact history. No chip at the starting point, no starburst — just a line, usually beginning at or near the edge. Stress cracks result from thermal cycling, frame flex from minor body impacts, or glass manufacturing variations. Atlanta’s temperature swings between seasons are a common trigger. A stress crack cannot be repaired and always requires replacement.
Floater crack
A crack that begins in the center field of the glass rather than at the edge. The starting point may or may not have a visible chip. Floater cracks are less urgent than edge cracks because structural support is greater in the glass center, but they will spread over time. Repairability depends on length at the time of evaluation.
Other damage types worth recognizing
Wiper scratches
Curved, parallel marks following the arc of the wiper blades across the lower windshield. Caused by worn wiper blades where the rubber has degraded enough that the metal arm contacts the glass, or by running wipers on a dry surface. Deep wiper scratches catch light at night and create halos around approaching headlights. Very light surface scratches can sometimes be polished; deep ones that catch your fingernail require replacement.
How to inspect your windshield
Step 1 — low-angle exterior scan: Walk to the front of the vehicle and look at the windshield at a low angle, head tilted, in morning or late-afternoon light. Chips reflect as bright spots; cracks appear as dark lines.
Step 2 — fingertip check: Run your fingers gently across the exterior surface. A chip feels like a small depression or raised edge. A crack feels like a distinct groove. Do not press hard near any exposed glass edges.
Step 3 — driver’s seat view: Sit in the driver’s position and look through the windshield toward an open sky or plain light-colored surface. Any distortion or obstruction in your normal driving sight line needs attention.
Step 4 — edge inspection: Use a phone flashlight aimed along each edge where glass meets the rubber trim. Cracks starting at the perimeter hide in shadow in normal light but show clearly under a direct beam.
What to do after identifying damage
- Cover chips with clear packing tape to block moisture and debris until you can schedule service
- Avoid running the defroster on high heat if you have any chip or crack anywhere on the windshield
- Do not go through an automated car wash with open chip damage
- Call Midtown Glass Atlanta at (404) 873-6991 for a same-day evaluation. A photo sent to our team before you come in lets us tell you in advance whether repair or replacement is the likely path
- Visit our shop at 510 Glen Iris Dr NE or schedule mobile service anywhere in Metro Atlanta
For cost details, see our windshield repair service and windshield replacement pages. For insurance questions, contact us and we will verify your coverage before starting any work.
Frequently asked questions
Can a windshield chip be repaired, or does the whole windshield need to come out? Most chips smaller than a quarter and cracks shorter than six inches can be repaired with resin injection. Damage in the driver’s direct line of sight, at the windshield edge, or over an ADAS camera usually requires full replacement.
How long can I drive with a chipped windshield? Get chips repaired within a day or two when possible. In Atlanta’s summer heat, a chip can spread into an unrepairable crack in 24 to 48 hours. If you must drive in the meantime, avoid pothole-heavy roads and extreme temperature changes.
How do I tell a stress crack from an impact crack? Impact cracks have a visible starting point — a chip, bullseye, or starburst — at one end. Stress cracks appear as a clean line with no visible impact point, usually starting from the windshield edge. Stress cracks cannot be repaired.
Does insurance cover chip repair in Georgia? Many comprehensive auto insurance policies in Georgia cover chip repairs with no deductible. Midtown Glass Atlanta handles insurance paperwork for you — call (404) 873-6991 to verify your coverage.
Spotted damage? Get a free inspection today.
Call now → (404) 873-6991
Midtown Glass Atlanta - Atlanta’s auto glass experts since 1956
From small chips to full replacements, we diagnose windshield damage accurately and fix it fast. Visit us at 510 Glen Iris Dr NE or schedule mobile service anywhere in Metro Atlanta.
