High visibility clothing

EN ISO 20471 specifies requirements for clothing capable of signaling the user’s presence visually. Performance requirements are included for color and retro reflection as well as for minimum areas and for the disposition of fluorescent and reflective materials.

The norm includes three different classes where class 3 has the highest visibility. For each class, the norm dictates the area and placement of the fluorescent, reflective and contrast materials, respectively. None of the fluorescent and reflective materials can replace the other in calculating areas as the purpose differs.

Garments can be combined to reach a higher visibility and class. However, it’s not always that 1+2 equals 3. It all depends on the size of the area of the respective material (fluorescent and reflective).