Overview
Coloured reflective piping on spandex, made in narrow cords down to 1 mm. The colour carries the design by day and the reflective face returns light at night, so a bright trim does not have to read as safety tape in daylight.
At 1 mm the piping stops being a stripe and becomes a fine line — the kind that outlines a cap seam or a bag edge. That is a design capability, but it also changes the arithmetic: a 1 mm cord contributes a small fraction of the reflective area of a 2 cm band, so it accents a garment rather than making it visible.
Specification
- Code: RS-F-SP-04
- Colour: Yellow as standard, custom on request
- Material: Spandex fabric
- Width: 1 mm, 2 mm, custom sizes
- Attachment: Sew on
- Application: Apparel, sportswear, accessories
Do not count a 1 mm cord as visible area
Reflective performance is assessed on area and placement, and a narrow cord concentrates the same brightness into very little surface. Used as an outline it looks effective and measures small. If a garment needs a reflective area to be assessed, the cord is not what satisfies it — a band or a panel is. Specify the cord for the design line and put the measurable element elsewhere, rather than discovering the gap at the testing stage.
Typical use
Caps, bags, shoes and accessory edges, plus sportswear and outerwear where a fine reflective outline is wanted.
It is also used on elasticated seams, where a rigid piping would fight the elastic and a stretch cord simply follows it.
What to confirm before ordering
- Finished width: 1 mm, 2 mm or custom — and keep in mind how little reflective area a 1 mm cord contributes.
- Whether it has to count: if the reflective area is assessed, the cord is an accent, not the element that satisfies it.
- Colour: yellow as standard, custom on request — matched against a physical sample.
- Seam allowance: confirm how much of the cord sits inside the seam.
- Wash cycle: domestic or industrial.
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
For a wider coloured piping, see Double Layer Reflective Piping Tape; for silver on spandex, Silver Reflective Piping on Spandex. Palette at Colour Reflective Fabric.
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.
