The highest reflective tape on the market is Oralite M82 SOLAS by Orafol.  It reflects at over 1000 Candelas and has the highest sight distance of any retro reflective film on the market, hence the reason it is used in marine search and rescue environments.  Oralite SOLAS is based on the AP1000 film which is a thin, metalized prismatic sheeting.  In the same family of films is Oralite’s V82 line.  V82 and SOLAS are similar in brightness and appearance, with the main difference being that V82 comes in colors.  P82 Photo Electric reflective sheeting is also based on this same film and incredibly bright when compared to other reflective tapes.

As far as a range of brightness for reflective sheeting, using white or silver as a baseline, reflectivity intensities range from 70 Candelas to well over 1000 as stated above. (ie SOLAS)  At the bottom of the scale is engineer grade reflective tape which comes in at 70 - 100 Candelas.  This film is used for vehicle graphics and lettering.  In the past, it was used as a sign background, but with new regulations, its main purpose now in in the graphics industry. 

Type 3 High Intensity reflective tapes reflect at approximately 250 candelas.  They are an iteration or improvement of the original engineer grade sheeting.  The design is different in that high index glass beads are encapsulated in cells, versus being enclosed in polymer.  So engineer grade is an enclosed lens technology, and high intensity is an encapsulated lens technology.

Type 5 or AP1000 films are used for a variety of purposes, one of which is creating SOLAS tapes.  Other uses are delineators on highways, bollard marking, and DOT tapes.  The brightest form of AP1000 is SOLAS M82.  M82 also features double the adhesive of standard V82.

Type 9 and Type 11 Films, although rated with a higher ASTM 4956 number, are not as intense as AP1000.  In most cases, the higher the Type, the brighter the tape.  But in the case of V82, M82, P82 based AP1000 films, this is not true.  Type 9 and Type 11 retro reflective films are designed for sign sheeting or sign backgrounds on highway signage.  They provide a wider dispersion of very bright light, so they have a distinct advantage of a tighter beam of intense light such as SOLAS.  But as far as overall sight distance and visibility at an extreme range, SOLAS is superior.

With this being said, it is important to note that just because AP1000 (M82,V82,D82,P82) films are brighter, this does not make them right for every situation.  Oftentimes, wider observation angles are needed such as in traffic.  In these cases, films like Type 4 High Intensity Prismatic, Type 9 Wide Observation Angle Prismatic, or Type 11 Brilliant Reflective Prismatic often perform the job better. 

Click Here for more information on SOLAS Tape including how to order it.

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@colebrothers.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.