Sun Hats & Sun Protective Clothing UPF Ratings

Fully effective sun hats and sun protective clothing should meet the highest industry and governmental standards. All fabrics used in the manufacture of sun hats and sun protection clothing should be independently tested and rated to guarantee compliance with the internationally accepted guidelines outlined in AS/NZS 4399:1996. In addition, sun hats and sun protective clothing should be designed to cover the maximum area of the body specific to their use, while allowing for comfort, fashion and ease of care. Note that no fabric, or garment gives total protection from the sun (refer to UPF Classification System below), because effects of the sun’s rays are cumulative over time, an individual could be subject to serious occurrences to the skin based on length and intensity of exposure.

The Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) indicates how well a fabric/product protects the skin from solar UV and lets you select high quality skin protective clothing and sun hats with confidence.

UPF Classification System

UPF Ratings 15, 20 Good Protection, blocks 93.3% to 95.8% of sun UV rays
UPF Ratings 25, 30, 35 Very Good Protection, blocks 95.9% to 97.4% of sun UV rays
UPF Ratings 40, 45, 50, 50+ Excellent Protection, blocks of sun UV rays >97.5%

The sun is essential for life.

The sun IS essential for life. Yet, sunlight can also be a source of such deleterious effects as sunburn, and suntanning, as well as premalignant and malignant lesions. These may all occur in individuals with normal responses to sunlight. In addition, there exist a variety of "abnormal" photosensitivity responses to sunlight that may result from either endogenous imbalances (e.g. the porphyrias) or from added exogenous factors (e.g. drug photosensitivity). The "normal" responses to sunlight, by and large, are produced preferentially by UVB (290-320 nm), with minor contribution by UVA (320-400 nm) wavelengths. In contrast, the "abnormal" photosensitivity responses are, for the most part, elicited predominantly by long UVA and, in some cases, visible light.