STC offers ASNZS 4399 and AATCC 183 testing services for ultraviolet radiation protection performance of textiles.

One-Stop Testing, Globally Accepted

Testing standards for textile ultraviolet radiation resistance:
AS/NZS 4399
AATCC 183 BS EN 13758-1 BS EN 13758-2
8466 Annex A
ASTM D6603
ASTM D6544
EN ISO 7914

Test content: Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) and ultraviolet transmittance (T(UV-A)AV, T(UV-B)AV)

Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF), also known as ultraviolet blocking coefficient, indicates the ability of a fabric to protect against ultraviolet radiation. It is the ratio of the average ultraviolet radiation on unprotected skin to the ultraviolet radiation blocked by the tested fabric.
Ultraviolet Transmittance (TAV): Refers to the percentage ratio of the ultraviolet radiation intensity transmitted through a sample to the ultraviolet radiation intensity without the sample.

UPF Range | Protection Classification | Ultraviolet Transmittance (%) | UPF Label
15–24 | Good Protection | 6.7–4.2 | 15, 20
25–39 | Very Good Protection | 4.1–2.6 | 25, 30, 35
40–50, 50+ | Excellent Protection | ≤ 2.5 | 40, 45, 50, 50+

Testing Methods for UV Protection
Currently, there is no unified international standard for UV protection testing. The testing methods for UV protection can generally be divided into direct testing methods and instrumental testing methods.
Direct testing methods include human testing and color change/fading methods. These are simple and fast but have poor reproducibility. Human testing methods suffer from significant systematic deviations due to differences in skin types and are harmful to test subjects.
Instrumental testing methods include cumulative UV intensity method, UV radiation method, and spectrophotometry. The EU standard, Australian/New Zealand standard, British standard, American AATCC standard, and Chinese standard all adopt spectrophotometry. This method uses a stable UV light source to generate ultraviolet rays with wavelengths of 290–400 nm, which are directed through a monochromator onto the sample. The total spectral transmittance is collected, and the ultraviolet transmittance and protection factor (UPF) of the sample are calculated.
The UPF value is the ratio of the average effect of ultraviolet radiation calculated for unprotected skin to the average effect calculated for skin protected by fabric. It can also be considered as the ratio of the time threshold for ultraviolet radiation to cause a certain level of skin damage (such as erythema, eye damage, or carcinogenic critical dose) when using the textile to the time threshold for the same level of damage without the textile. Therefore, depending on the focus and differences in human skin, a textile may have multiple UPF values, but the UPF value for erythema is commonly used as the representative.

European and American buyers have different requirements for UV-protective textile products (such as beachwear, swimwear, and sun-protective textiles) and may adopt different standards. European and American customers base their procurement requirements for UV-protective textiles on the intended end use of the product, rather than the fabric type or finishing process. For UV-protective textile products, American customers generally require corresponding pretreatment of the product. After testing according to the AATCC 183 standard, the product's UV protection capability is evaluated using the ASTM D 6603 standard. The required UV protection level and UPF value are determined based on the product's intended use (see Table 6). European customers, on the other hand, use the EN 13758.2 standard to evaluate the UV protection performance of products, requiring a UPF value of 40 or higher. However, a few European customers may require testing according to the BS 7914 standard to determine the product's UV protection performance.

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