Technology

Light that returns to sender.

Retro-reflection is not shine. A mirror scatters by rule; a white shirt scatters by chance.

This sends light straight back to whoever sent it — so the tape lights up for the driver whose headlights found it, and for no one else.

Glass microsphere · n = 1.93 · returns within 0.5° of antiparallel

EN ISO 20471 11 documents · SGS, SATRA, TÜV · measured R_A 425–510

ANSI/ISEA 107 3 documents · SGS, VARTEST · measured R_A 450–600

GB 20653 Same Table 4 floor as EN ISO 20471 (R_A 330) · our measured values 425–600 clear it

What the standards require

R_A in cd/(lx·m²), as measured in the reports we hold — not the class minimum.

Return

  1. 01

    Enter

    The beam crosses into glass and bends toward the normal. A denser medium slows it; the path breaks at the surface.

  2. 02

    Bend

    Inside the sphere it runs to the mirrored rear hemisphere — the aluminised layer that makes the bead a reflector rather than a lens.

  3. 03

    Return

    It reflects, refracts once more on the way out, and leaves almost exactly antiparallel to how it arrived. Back to the driver, not the sky.

Refractive index
n = 1.93
Incidence
14°
Return angle
—

180° would be a perfect round trip.

INCIDENT ≈ RETURN ANGLE MILLIONS OF BEADS / m² WORKS AT 3° – 40°*

Headlights

Retro-reflection returns light to wherever it came from — so the tape only lights up for the driver whose headlights found it.

Drag the strip. The garment doesn’t change; the light does.

Class 2 mesh surveyor vest in daylight: fluorescent orange mesh with cream retro-reflective bands edged in lime across the shoulders and waist

Materials

Glass beadMicroprismatic
MechanismRefraction through sphere onto mirrored backTotal internal reflection in corner-cube prisms
Typical R_A*330 – 500+ cd/(lx·m²)500 – 1000+ cd/(lx·m²)
Drape & comfortSoft, textile-like — garments, webbing, fabricsStiffer film — vehicle marking, hard goods
Wash durabilityExcellent when engineered for it — our specialtyLimited in garment washing
Wide-angle responseForgiving at odd anglesStrong on-axis, drops off faster

* Typical ranges. The 330 floor is the GB 20653-2020 / ISO 20471 Table-4 minimum at 12′ observation, 5° entrance — product values per datasheet.

Washed

EN ISO 20471 measures retro-reflection after washing, not out of the box: the floor is R_A ≥ 330 at 12′/5°. Every figure below is a measured value from an independent laboratory, and the lowest one we hold after fifty domestic wash cycles is 425.

R_AWashMaterialStyleStandardDocument
5406N × 50Silver retro-reflective material—CSA Z96PDF
4616N × 50Silver FR cotton tapeUT-LYC4EN ISO 20471PDF
4306N × 50Reflective fabric, 100% polyester in silverUT-1002NEN ISO 20471:2013PDF
4256N × 50Reflective fabric, 100% polyester in silverUT-1002NEN ISO 20471:2013PDF
4256N × 50Reflective fabric, 100% polyester in silverUT-1002NEN ISO 20471:2013PDF
6004N × 30Bright silver all-cotton tapeET-3019ANSI/ISEA 107PDF
4506N × 30Silver polyester tape—ANSI/ISEA 107PDF
4466N × 20Silver heat-transfer reflective tapeUT-LYR4EN ISO 20471PDF
4466N × 20Silver heat-transfer reflective tapeUT-LYR4EN ISO 20471PDF
4916N × 10Silver retro-reflective tapeUT-LYT4EN ISO 20471PDF
4916N × 10Silver retro-reflective tapeUT-LYT4EN ISO 20471PDF
4804N × 5Silver retro-reflective band—EN 13356PDF

R_A in cd/(lx·m²) · wash prefix = ISO 6330 program number · every row links to its source report

Standards

StandardRegion / scopeKey requirementHeld by
EN ISO 20471EU · high-visibility clothingClass 1–3 by fluorescent + retro-reflective area; R_A ≥ 330 after washSATRA · SGS · TÜV Rheinland
ANSI/ISEA 107US · high-visibility apparelType O/R/P; performance class of materials and designSGS · VARTEST
EN 469:2020EU · firefighter protective clothingFlame spread, heat resistance and visibility after 6N × 50TÜV SÜD
EN 13356EU · visibility accessoriesRetro-reflective performance for non-professional useBureau Veritas
CSA Z96Canada · high-visibility apparelRetro-reflective and combined-performance material classesVARTEST
XF 10China · firefighter warning clothingFlame-retardant and retro-reflective combined performanceShanghai Fire Research Institute
OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100Global · human-ecological safetyRestricted substances in every component of the articleHohenstein
GB 20653-2020China · occupational high-visMOD adoption of ISO 20471:2013; single reflective class, R_A ≥ 330 at 12′/5° (Table 4)Floor cleared by every measured value we hold (425–600)

“Held by” lists only bodies whose documents we actually hold · the GB 20653 row cites our own measured data against its Table 4 floor · All 24 documents →

Nightfall

The physics is easy. Lasting is hard.

Request a sample See the range

Sample packs ship with the test reports attached.