Overview
Reflective performance and a 10,000 mm water column in the same fabric. Rain garments normally force a choice between keeping the reflective panel dry and keeping it visible; this construction does both.
The reflective layer is bonded to a 100% polyester base that is already waterproof, so the panel does not need a separate membrane behind it. The garment keeps its breathability because you are not stacking layers, and the reflective surface stays optically intact instead of sitting under a wet outer shell where the return signal scatters.
Specification
- Fabric backing: 100% polyester
- Reflectivity: R over 260 cd/(lx·m²)
- Width: 140 cm
- Water column: 10,000 mm
Why 10,000 mm is the right grade for workwear
Water column numbers are easy to over-buy. Below roughly 5,000 mm a seam starts wicking under sustained load; above 10,000 mm you are paying for alpine performance a road or utility coat will never need. This grade holds through multi-hour rain without the cost of a mountaineering laminate.
Where it is used
Safety raincoats and hi-vis waterproof shells are the core application, followed by wet-weather workwear for utilities, rail maintenance and outdoor crews. It also goes into outdoor gear where a reflective panel has to survive the same wash and rain cycle as the shell around it.
Because the base is polyester, the panel is normally sewn rather than heat-sealed. Seams need taping on the inside if the garment is meant to stay waterproof as a whole — the fabric is 10,000 mm, but a raw seam is not.
What to confirm before ordering
- Width and slitting: 140 cm full width, or slit to your tape width. Slitting changes the edge and therefore the seam allowance.
- Reflectivity class: the stated R over 260 cd/(lx·m²) is the plain silver grade. If your target is EN ISO 20471 on the finished garment, say so — higher-brightness silver grades are available and the number changes.
- Attachment method: sewn with taped seams, or bonded, depending on the shell it goes onto.
- Wash cycle: industrial laundering is harsher than domestic. Tell us the cycle so the grade is matched to it.
Compliance note
EN ISO 20471 sets a minimum retroreflection of 330 cd/(lx·m²) for the retroreflective material in a high-visibility garment. Silver grades reach that; this standard silver at R over 260 does not, so it is specified where visibility matters but a 20471 claim is not being made — or the higher-brightness grade is selected instead.
Two things are worth being precise about. The standard certifies the finished garment, not the fabric alone, so a compliant panel does not make a compliant coat. And a coloured reflective surface cannot reach 330 at all — the pigment absorbs light before it can be returned — which is why colour and certified performance are traded off rather than combined.
Related formats
If the requirement is breathability rather than water resistance, see Perforated Reflective Fabric. For garments that move, Four-Way Stretch Reflective Fabric; for a lighter taffeta hand, Nylon Taffeta. The full material overview is at Reflective Materials, and the garment-level selection guide at Reflective Fabric for PPE.
Samples and lead time
A4 swatches are free so your team can measure retroreflection, water resistance and hand before committing. Standard lead time is 2–4 weeks from order confirmation.
