Updated Standards for Shade Sail Fabric

What you need to know about updates to the Australian Standards for shade sail fabric

Shade sails have many benefits including protecting you and your family from the harmful UV rays of the Australian sun and reducing heat naturally both outside and inside. A shade sail can be a stylish, functional and practical addition to your property, but not all shade fabrics are the same.

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

Western Sydney Shade Sails can help

At Western Sydney Shade Sails, we custom-make shade sails to ensure they are the perfect shade sail solution for you. Our sails are built for Australian conditions, by Australians here in Australia and our team of local experts have been manufacturing and installing shade sails in the local region for many years. Our shade structures can also be designed specifically to promote airflow in and around your property to keep you cool even in the heat of Western Sydney.

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 in every weather. Our shade sails are an investment meant to last and add value to your property, so we include an unrivalled 10-year warranty that covers the shade fabric and stitching to give you the ultimate peace of mind.

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 sun protection your shade sail can really provide.

Some shade fabric could have a great 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 get those same results in practice. 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.

The new UVE ranking might affect schools and daycares

The New South Wales government has a range of policies and guidelines designed to ensure that education and care providers have enough quality shade to protect children from overexposure to UV radiation. These regulations cover a range of shade structures and the materials they’re made from, including shade sails and fabrics. 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 fabric ranks

Rainbow Shade Z16 range is one of Australia’s most popular shade cloth fabrics, known for its durability and quality. The range consists of high-performance, low-maintenance shade fabrics that not only provide highly effective UV protection, they also reduce glare and heat so you’re comfortable and protected all year round. Rainbow Shade has over 25 years of experience, developing its shade products to provide the ultimate in solar protection and more than 80% of the Z16 colour range has a UVE ranking of Most Effective or Very Effective.

The range of modern and fashionable colours means you can make your shade sail a seamless addition to your property or make a stylish statement without compromising on protection. Rainbow Shade 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 and driveways, patios, decks, outdoor retail and dining areas, playgrounds, sporting facilities and swimming pools.