New Standards for Shade Sail Fabric

Shade Sail News

Changes to Australian Standards for shade sail fabric and why they’re important

Shade sails have many benefits including protecting you and your family from the Australian sun and its harmful UV rays. A shade sail can be a practical and stylish addition to your property, but not all shade sails are the same.

Standards Australia, in it’s latest review, has made some changes so it’s clearer and easier to compare shade fabrics and understand exactly what kind of sun protection your shade sail will provide. Shade fabric is now classified using the Ultraviolet Effectiveness (UVE) scale.

New Standards for Shade Sail Fabric

Why the Ultraviolet Effectiveness scale?

Unlike the Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) and Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) protection ratings UVE takes into account the strength, weave and colour of the sail. This provides a more accurate rating of how much a shade sail will actually protect you from the sun

Some shade fabric could get a high UPF or UVR protection rating under test conditions but due to a range of variables including the design and installation of the shade structure, you might not see those same results. The Ultraviolet Effectiveness scale takes this into account in order to rank shade fabrics into three categories: effective, very effective, and most effective sun protection.

New Standards for Shade Sail Fabric

The new UVE ranking might affect Schools and Daycares

The Queensland government has a range of regulatory requirements and guidelines designed to ensure education and care providers are creating a sun safe environment for the children in their care. These requirements cover a range of shade systems and the materials they’re made of to make sure children are protected from overexposure to UV radiation. Understanding the new Australian Standards and the UVE protection scale can help you ensure you are complying with state and local government policy.

These rules not only apply to education and care providers like schools, daycares and early learning facilities they can also apply to sports clubs and other community groups. The UVE rankings can also help you know which shade fabrics would be covered by sun safety funding and grants.

How Rainbow Shade Z16 sails rank

Rainbow Shade has over 25 years of experience, developing its shade products to provide the ultimate in solar protection. More than 80% of the Z16 colour range has received a UVE ranking of Most Effective or Very Effective. The range of modern and punchy colours means you have the flexibility to create a unique and stylish statement without compromising on protection. The range consists of high-performance, low-maintenance shade fabrics that not only provide highly effective UV protection, they also reduce glare and heat.

The Rainbow Shade Z16 range is one of Australia’s most popular shade cloth fabrics, known for its durability and quality. Z16 fabrics are proven to outperform other shade cloth fabrics for UV protection over a 15-year lifespan. They are an ideal choice for a range of shade solutions including for carports, boat shelters, patios, decks, outdoor retail and dining areas, playgrounds, and swimming pools.

New Standards for Shade Sail Fabric

Sunshine Coast Shade Sails are here to help

At Sunshine Coast Shade Sails, we custom-make shade sails to ensure they are the perfect shade shad solution for your unique needs. Our artisan shade sailmaker has been designing and hand fabricating shade sails for the Australian market, and Australian weather, since 1988. Our team of local experts have been manufacturing and installing shade sails for many years throughout the Sunshine Coast and Hinterland region.

Our combination of high quality, hard-wearing fabric, durable shapes, high-strength stainless steel fittings and perimeter cable means our shade sails are highly resilient and stable and long-lasting. Our unrivalled 10-year warranty covers the shade fabric and the stitching so you can get on with enjoying the outdoors knowing you’re protected.