Is it possible to know which glass types a given lens uses?

[Stefano]

The glass types used in camera lenses are the main limitation for UV reach. Flint glasses are generally the worst for UV transmission, and very dense flint glasses start absorbing already in the blue-violet portion of the spectrum, and look visibly yellow.

 

If the glasses used in a lens are known, as well as their thicknesses, one can roughly calculate how deeply that lens will transmit UV, and most importantly one can know in advance which lenses wouldn't work. This ignores coatings and optical cement, of course.

 

On this website (written in Italian) one can see various drawings of lenses with the glass types shown: https://www.nocsensei.com/

[dabateman]

You can see if its in the patent.  That would be the only roughly accurate place to find it. But there are lots of errors in patents.

Most lens patents can be found. That is how Bill compiled the lens database. 

https://www.photonstophotos.net/GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBenchHub.htm

[Stefano]

Thanks. I haven't found much though, it's not as easy as it seems.