Overview
A reflective fabric that returns fluorescent orange-red. The colour sits in the reflected light, so the cloth is an orange-red textile by day and lights up in the same hue when a light hits it.
Orange-red is one of the colours EN ISO 20471 recognises for fluorescent background material, which is why this face gets specified on road, rail and utility garments. The distinction matters: as a background colour it belongs to the standard's language, while as a retroreflective surface it still does not reach the required threshold.
Specification
- Code: RS-F-FB-17
- Reflected colour: Fluorescent Orange-Red
- Base: Reflective textile
- Width: Up to 140 cm
- Attachment: Sewn or heat applied
- Colour matching: Against an approved sample at order
Background colour and reflective colour are two different roles
On a compliant garment the fluorescent orange-red background and the retroreflective elements are separate things, assessed separately. A coloured reflective face can sit inside the orange-red colour story and look right, but it cannot be the element that carries the reflective requirement. Getting this the wrong way round is a common route to a garment that looks compliant and fails on measurement — so decide which role each element plays before the layout is drawn.
Typical use
Road, rail and utility workwear where the orange-red colour family is already in use, plus team and event kit.
It is also used where a garment has to sit in a hi-vis colour scheme and be seen at night, without adding a silver stripe that would break the colour story.
What to confirm before ordering
- Role of the element: background colour, reflective element, or both in appearance only — settle this before the layout.
- Approved sample: judge in daylight against the garment's orange-red, then under a light.
- Width and slitting: up to 140 cm, or slit to trim width.
- Attachment: sewn or heat applied; heat alters the surface.
- Wash cycle: industrial laundering is common on this colourway — state it up front.
Compliance note
Colour and effect layers sit in the optical path and absorb most of the returned light, so a surface like this does not reach the 330 cd/(lx·m²) that EN ISO 20471 requires for retroreflective material, at any grade. It is specified for appearance, not for a certified hi-vis claim.
Where a garment needs a 20471 claim, a plain silver element has to carry it. Mixing a colour element for design with a compliant element for performance is standard practice — the two have to be planned together at design stage rather than reconciled afterwards.
Related formats
Other colours in this build: Red, White, Black. Garment-level guidance at Reflective Fabric for PPE.
Samples and lead time
A4 swatches are free so your team can judge colour and hand feel under your own lighting before committing. Standard lead time is 2–4 weeks from order confirmation.
