If you have been on the interstate or any road you have probably noticed that many things in front of you light up when your automobile lights hit them. This is because many objects on the interstate or highway are overlayed with reflective tape. If you look a little closer you will see that some tapes or reflective sheeting are brighter than others. This is because there are different grades of reflective tape and sheeting and some grades are much more reflective than others. Type 5 or 9 reflective tape is the brightest tape available and reflects light via small prisms in the tape itself. When light hits the prisms they reflect back a portion of that light to the source. It is around 10 times brighter than standard reflective tapes. These very bright reflective tapes are called prismatic or crystal or diamond grade reflective tapes. Here is a rundown of the most common types of reflective tapes. First there is engineer grade or type 1 tape. It is around 75 candlepower for the white. Then there is type 3 tape or high intensity which is around 250 candlepower. Finally there is type 5 or 9 tape and it runs anywhere from 600 - 900 candlepower.
PRISMATIC TAPE
As stated before, prismatic or diamond grade tapes reflect light via small microprisms built into the tape. A company called "Reflexite" invented this type of tape several decades ago. Reflexite refers to their tapes as "Prismatic Tapes". Other manufacturers call them crystal grade or diamond grade. They are the brightest of all the tapes. These films utilize small prisms that reflect light back to the source in very high concentrations. Much higher than glass beads.
Because the tape uses man made micro prisms, the angle of reflectivity can be controlled depending on the tapes intended use. For example, "SOLAS Tape", which is the brightest of all the prismatic tapes, reflects most of its light back to the source. This makes the tape brighter but is is not as visible at sharp angles. "DOT Tape" is also prismatic but it reflects light back at greater angles thus making itself seen at sharper angles. Some other examples of prismatic tape are "School Bus Reflective Tape" and "Rail Car Reflective Tape".
YOU CAN SHOP OUR REFLECTIVE PRODUCTS USING THE LINKS TO THE LEFT
To visit our main safety products site Click Here. If you have any questions about which tape is right for your application or need samples feel free to email me at steve@reflectivestore.com
Steve Cole - Owner
850-934-3157
About our Company - We are Reflective Incorporated, the largest retailer of reflective tapes in the United States, in business since 1998. Our goal is to provide easy access to reflective safety products that are often difficult to source. We specialize in visibility enhancement through the use of bright and vivid retro reflective tapes and other reflective products. Our product lines include rolls of reflective tape, reflective chevron panels, block panels, Battenburg panels, reflective road markers, reflex reflectors, NFPA helmet decals, preformed thermoplastic, reflective shapes, and more.
About our Products - We carry a wide variety of reflective tapes. They are all branded and certified products. We stock almost everything that we sell in house and ship quickly. If a product is not in stock or is to be drop shipped, we will make you aware and specify a lead time. We carry Oralite and Nikkalite reflective tapes. Both are on QPL lists across the country and both are manufactured by reputable, global manufacturers. Our reflective tapes are rated for outdoor applications with life expectancies of from 5 - 12 years depending on the film. For applications where the tape is out of the weather like a fire truck in a firehouse, the life expectancy is longer.
Shipping - We ship quickly using US Mail for light boxes and UPS Ground for heavier ones. The majority of our products are in stock and ship out the same or next day. Delivery time is approximately 3-5 days on most standard orders.
Return and Order Cancellation Policy - Reflective tape orders can be cancelled until they are shipped out. After products are shipped, we accept returns in certain cases. If we have made a mistake and have shipped the wrong item, we remedy that at no cost to the customer. For returns where another item is purchased to replace an item purchased in error, we accept those with no restock fee. For all other returned items we apply a 10% restock fee.
Privacy Policy - all customer information is kept in strict confidence. We do not release any information on any of our customers to anyone without that customer’s consent. For our full privacy policy, Click Here.
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