Overview
A reflective fabric that returns light in red rather than silver. The colour lives in the reflected light, so the cloth reads as a coloured textile by day and lights up in its own colour when a light is aimed at it.
That is the difference between this and a red-dyed fabric with a silver stripe: here the reflective element itself is the colour, so a single panel carries the colour scheme and the reflective behaviour at once. There is no second trim to align.
Specification
- Code: RS-F-FB-14
- Reflected colour: Red
- Base: Reflective textile
- Width: Up to 140 cm
- Attachment: Sewn or heat applied
- Colour matching: Against an approved sample at order
Colour matching works differently on this material
There is no Pantone value to hit. The daytime appearance and the reflected appearance are two different colours on the same surface, and neither can be specified by a single code. Matching therefore runs against an approved physical sample at order — which also means the sample has to be judged twice, once in daylight and once under a light, before it is signed off.
Typical use
Colour-coded workwear, sports and team kit, fashion outerwear, bags and accessories where the garment colour and the reflective colour have to agree.
It is also used where a colour-coded system carries meaning — team, role or department — so the reflective trim has to match the code rather than stay neutral.
What to confirm before ordering
- Approved sample, not a colour code: match against a physical panel, judged in daylight and under light.
- Width and slitting: up to 140 cm, or slit to trim width.
- Attachment: sewn or heat applied — heat alters the surface, so choose one and keep it.
- Garment colourway: send it so the red can be checked against the surrounding fabric rather than on its own.
- Wash cycle: domestic or industrial, stated 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 just have to be planned together at design stage.
Related formats
Other colours in the same build: White and Black. For the full palette see Colour Reflective Fabric.
Samples and lead time
A4 swatches are free so your team can check colour, flex and hand feel under your own lighting before committing. Standard lead time is 2–4 weeks from order confirmation.
