In this paper, the conditions for one-component metallic melts vitrification by quenching from a liquid state were formulated. It is shown that the tendency to the glass formation drastically increases with the temperature of melting. The maximum glass layer thickness and the associated cooling rates along with the vitrification temperatures was determined for Al, Cu, and Ni melts deposited on the Cu substrate. The results are in agreement with the available experimental data. Based on analytical solution of the impinging droplet solidification, the numerical value of the early-introduced asymptotic X criterion, which separates equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase transitions, was determined. Good agreement between the calculated and experimental values of the thickness of the splats shows that X criterion indeed predicts a priori a scenario of solidification. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.